How the hell did they

@jbillinson

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Why it worked

The video leverages nostalgia and a behind-the-scenes look at a beloved film's special effects, combined with a clear explanation of a clever filmmaking technique, to engage viewers interested in cinema history and practical effects.

Summary

This video explains how the special effects for Star Wars were achieved in 1977 using a combination of miniatures and matte paintings. The creator highlights the seamless integration of these techniques, particularly the match cut hidden within a laser blast, to create a sense of scale and depth that still holds up today.

Structure

1Introduction to the 1977 Star Wars special effects
2Explanation of miniatures and matte painting techniques
3Demonstration of the seamless match cut
4Discussion of how the effects hold up today
5Mention of the 'Light and Magic' docu-series

Product placement

Star Wars: it acts as the subject of the video, which explains how its special effects were achieved. Removing it would change the video's topic. The Death Star: it appears as a visual element within Star Wars, but its removal would not change the video's topic. Project 4K77: it appears as a label for a scan of the original Star Wars theatrical print, but its removal would not change the video's topic. Industrial Light & Magic (ILM): it acts as the subject of the video, which explains how its special effects were achieved. Removing it would change the video's topic. Light and Magic (Disney+ docu-series): it acts as the subject of the video, which explains how its special effects were achieved. Removing it would change the video's topic.

Original caption

I’ll tell you how they expertly sold the scale of the epic Death Star trench run in STAR WARS with 1977 special effects technology, but you’ll never be able to see it the same way again… #movies #filmtok #specialeffects #film #TikTokMilestoneChallenge

More from @jbillinson

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Transcript

How the hell did they do this in 1977? How the hell did they do this in 1977? Well, it's simple, but it's not easy. First of all, this is an from Star Wars. This is not from one of the special editions. This comes from the 4K77 scan of the original theatrical print. They did this with the technology they had in 1977, and it's genius. Obviously, there's miniatures at play here. Those were a staple of the original Star Wars movies, but they combine it with another technique that they also use well there, a matte painting. What we're seeing here is that miniatures on their own can't sell the scale of a giant space battle. They work really well for a lot of things, but you can only do so much with them. So what they do is they're shooting a matte painting, and then there's a match cut that seamlessly switches to the miniature as we dive into the trench. The way that they hide the cut is perfect. If you can't see it yet, I'm gonna ruin it for you and you'll only be able to see it, but the match cut is hidden in the laser blast. Not the first one, the first one is there as a red herring. It's in the second one. You're used to seeing the flash by then. Anything to happen in it, and it's seamless. If this looks a little off, it's only because right now you can watch it on a phone really close to your face, looping over and over and over again. If you run that at 24 frames per second in a movie on a big screen, a little further away from your face, you can't see it. And that's what I love so much about these practical effects. When done well, they look as good in 2027 as they did in 1977. If you could hide it then, you can hide it now. If you pull it out of its context, you watch it a little differently. Yes, you're gonna notice some things you couldn't back then. The fidelity of your 4K TV is a little different than what they were watching it on at the time, but this is still a really impressive technique. If you wanna see a little more about the making of these movies and the special effects, these clips come from the fabulous Light and Magic docu-series from Lawrence Kasdan on Disney Plus that dives into the history of Industrial Light and Magic and how they used light and magic to make movies so good for so many years. So did you know how they did it before?