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Silent film special effects revealed

posted by Jason Kottke   Jan 11, 2017

Back in the days of silent film, directors and cinematographers had to be exceedingly clever to pull off visual effects that appeared real. There were obviously no computers so they had to rely on skewed perspectives, glass matte paintings, and double exposures. That famous clip of Harold Lloyd hanging off of a clock...here's how that was done:

Harold Lloyd Clock Effects

Here are several more examples. See also Disney's multiplane camera. (via @mccanner)