Visual effects are utilized in movies to bring out make belief feel to the viewer. With these kinds of effects in place everything in the movie appears so real. The visual effects are specifically designed to enhance the movie and eliminate the feeling of fiction. Scenes like Spider Man battling with sandman, Keanu Reaves sprinting on top of a roof in The Matrix and the T- Rex dinosaurs in the movie Jurassic park are some examples of how visual effects can transform fiction in to reality. The story line appears real courtesy of the visual effects.

The visual effects can be categorized in to two classes which are namely; optical and mechanical effects. It is possible to draw a border line between special and visual effects. Special effects deal with camera shooting and also mechanical effects whereas the visual effects deal with post production. The optical effects incorporate the use of multiple exposure or the optical printer to develop the film frames. On the same breath the mechanical effects are generated through the live shooting scenes. Mechanical effects are added to the settings or enhance the appearance of the film stars.

Film development has grown gradually since the early 60s. There has been a lot of advancement in techniques that are adopted to make things that could otherwise have not been done using set design only. This additions have enhanced the level of realism. For instance, Stanley Kubrick’s movie entitled 2001 that was made in 1968 transformed the entire scenario of visual and special effects. He was the pioneer of the special video effects. Another movie that elevated the film industry was George Lucas’s Star Wars that was in 1977. Steven Spielberg’s close encounter that was created in the same year brought about new excitement in the industry.