Does the Horse Explode?: Visual Effects for Television - Softcover

Jarvis, Peter

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0948694351 ISBN 13: 9780948694356

Publisher: BBC Training and Development, 1989

Synopsis

During 1987 BBC's Television Training division followed the making of the BBC drama series "Vanity Fair" to record the many visual and special effects employed by the director and his designers to heighten the drama and enhance the sense of period atmosphere. The series contained a number of set pieces such as an episode set at night in the Vauxhall gardens, a storm in a harbour, a snow scene and the battle of Waterloo. In the course of the production, the visual effects designer had to produce a whole range of weather effects, pyrotechnics, explosions, gunshots, wounds, breakable furniture and burning farmhouses. This book explains how these effects were achieved by means which were sometimes complex, but often deceptively simple and inexpensive. It goes on to describe a range of techniques which can be used to achieve similar effects. Not everyone can afford to wire up a set of real exploding bullet impacts. Can a toy catapult with the right ammunition look even better? How can smoke or rain, or a flickering fire be improvized with a minimum of time and money? Most visual effects not only look dangerous, they can really be so if not properly used, so emphasis is placed upon all the safety implications of using them. A videotape which follows the making of the Battle of Waterloo for "Vanity Fair" is also availble.

Edition details

• Publisher: BBC Training and Development
• Publication date: 1989
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0948694351
• ISBN 13: 9780948694356
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 72