VISUAL EFFECTS

King Kong is not really all that big! Actually, most film creatures that appear to be massive are quite small. Building a life-size monster is usually too expensive and hard to maneuever. By building puppets not bigger than humans and then shooting them using particular angles, directors can make something appear bigger than it actually is.

You can do this at home. Take a toy and shoot it from a low angle (put the camera on the ground and point it up at your object). Then have a friend stand on something a little higher than the ground (maybe a ladder, chair, a few steps - have an adult supervise) and shoot your camera down on you from a high angle. Now watch your clips. When watching these two shots next to one another it will appear that the toy is looking down on you! Using this technique, you can have massive monsters of your own attack! Make a film about your favorite stuffed animal turning into a giant on the rampage - or about what would happen in the house if you were the big parent and your mom and dad were the little kids.

By using a green screen you can sell this effect even more, dropping in a background of a city to make it appear your creature is even larger.

*From NOVA Special Effects

Check out our "How'd they do that" segment to find a similar Visual Effect technique.