The Asc Treasury of Visual Effects [first edition]

by leading masters of film wizardry. A fascinating overview of the film industry's most mysterious and exciting art, the creation of special visual effects, is offered in this collection of writings by leading experts in the field. Hundreds of illustrations provide a veritable art gallery of visual effects highlights to delight any lover of the motion picture arts and crafts. The first ten chapters comprise a history of special visual effects from the 1895 Edison production, The Execution of Mary, Queen of Scots (the earliest known film to utilize special photographic effects), to the new era of effects techniques that began with Star Wars and Close Encounters of the Third Kind. The concluding 15 chapters deal with recent visual effects accomplishments, both in the modern adaptation of long-established processes and the introduction of space-age methods such as computerized motion control and electronic imagery.