Movie makeup and prosthetics (SFX) is the physical art of altering an actor's appearance to create creatures, aging, injuries, or completely new faces. It goes far beyond traditional beauty makeup, using 3D physical appliances that blend seamlessly with the actor.
Beauty makeup
Aging makeup
Wound effects
Gore effects
Prosthetic appliances
Creature makeup
Full-body creature suits
Facial transformations
Animatronic-assisted makeup
Dental prosthetics
Contact lenses
Stop motion animation is a filmmaking technique where physical objects are moved in tiny increments and photographed one frame at a time. When the resulting images are played rapidly in sequence, they create the illusion of fluid, continuous movement.
Puppet animation
Clay animation
Go-motion
Replacement animation
Miniature animation
Movie pyrotechnics are controlled practical effects involving combustion on set, such as explosions, fireballs, sparks, and smoke. Created by licensed specialists using specific chemical compounds and pressurized rigs, these effects add immediate authenticity and physical intensity to a scene.
Fire bars
Controlled burns
Fireballs
Explosions
Bullet hits (squibs)
Spark effects
Debris mortars
Vehicle explosions
Building destruction
Atmospheric fire effects
Movie miniatures and models are scale replicas utilized in filmmaking to create practical visual effects, sprawling backgrounds, and fantastical sets.
Architectural miniatures
Vehicle miniatures
Spaceship miniatures
Environmental miniatures
Water miniatures
Destruction miniatures
Forced-perspective miniatures
Hyper-detailed scale models
In movies, puppetry is the art of bringing inanimate objects or artificial figures to life. It is used to portray fantastical creatures, aliens, and animals, or as a storytelling tool for deep emotional resonance. Puppetry provides physical, tangible interactions with live actors that digital effects struggle to replicate.
Hand puppets
Rod puppets
Cable-controlled puppets
Marionettes
Large-scale creature puppets
Multi-operator puppets
Suit performers with puppet augmentation
In-camera effects are visual effects and techniques captured directly on a camera's sensor while shooting, rather than being added later in editing. They save time and budget while adding raw, organic character to the footage. One of the most notable “In-Camera / Optical” effects ever put on film is the “Dolly Zoom.”
Rear projection
Front projection
Matte paintings
Forced perspective
Glass shots
Multiple exposure
Split screens
In-camera compositing
Motion-control photography
Animatronics and creature effects represent a specialized blend of art and engineering, merging sculpture, robotics, and puppetry.
Puppet heads
Remote-controlled creatures
Full animatronic characters
Robotic facial systems
Mechanical limbs
Creature inserts (hands, claws, tentacles)
Talking animals
Motion-control puppets
Creature fabrication
Creature suits
Monster transformations
Animal doubles
Mechanical effects in movies—also known as practical effects or physical effects—are physical illusions created on set while cameras are rolling. Rather than being added digitally in post-production, these are tangible elements that the actors, crew, and cameras can directly interact with.
Breakaway props
Atmospheric Effects
Hydraulic rigs
Pneumatic rigs
Vehicle gags
Moving set pieces
Elevator effects
Simulated impacts
Wire pulls
Falling objects
Collapsing structures.
