Do you know what special effects are? They show things that can't be filmed in real life. They show things that can't be seen in real life. We can't really make a house explode. We can't really make a dog fly. We can't really make a person disappear. We can't really see a dinosaur. We can't really talk to our pets. We use special effects to show these things.
Special effects artists create these effects. They use computers to create some effects. They add in the special effects after the movie is made.
Actors often film in front of a green screen. They pretend they are looking at a flying dog. They pretend they are disappearing. They pretend they see a real dinosaur. Sometimes they use a prop animal to help the actors. The prop animal means the actor has something to look at. Special effects help to show unreal things.
Imagine there is a movie about space. Can the actors go to space to film the movie? No, they cannot. They use a green screen. The actors pretend that they are in space. Really, they are in a studio with a green screen.
After filming, the special effects artists get to work. They use computers to add special effects. They use CGI to change the background. They use CGI to create the talking animals. They use CGI to create many things. When they add the effects everything looks real. It looks like the actors are in space.
Imagine there is a movie with talking animals. Can the animals really talk? No, so they use special effects. Sometimes actors wear motion-capture suits. The suit has small dots on it. The dots send information to computers. They use computers to create CGI talking animals. It can be very realistic.
Sometimes they use makeup to create special effects. The makeup changes the actor into anything. They can make an actor younger, or older. They can make an actor into an alien. They can make an actor into a robot. Special effects makeup is fascinating.
Next time you watch a movie, look for all the special effects.