The Best Practical Effect EVAR

What's Adam Savage's favorite in-camera practical effect from a movie? What special-effect gag still blows Adam away? What does Adam think is the best movie or TV makeup job, and does he think there is space for independent FX makers in today's film industry? In this live stream excerpt Adam answers these questions from Tested members Seth Huckstead, Ian Rigby, Dori Ownbey and Kenny Tait, whom we thank for their support. What's your favorite practical effect?

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[tested]

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[DyenamicFilms]

When I first watched John Carpenter's The Thing in the early 80's (when it first came on HBO), right when the head pulls itself down off the table, then sprouts legs and starts walking away, I said to myself (seriously not joking) "you got to be kidding me" right before the character did. I remember I laughed when he repeated it.

I was already interested in movie special FX and makeup by that time and these types of effects were still relatively new back then. For me, it was perhaps a reaction to not only what the "thing" was doing, but also to the effect itself. Blew my mind. I never saw anything like it. Still amazing.

[awandererfromys]

_Little Shop of Horrors._ Rick Moranis acting at half speed with a fullsize Audrey II puppet, all that choreography, is just mindblowing. I don't know if it counts but still. Such a fun movie as well.

[charlietheunicorn]

The movie that blew me away was Metropolis from 1927. The effects and creative use of camera "tricks" really sold this future world.... made at the dawn of cinema nearly 100 years ago now.

[curseyoujordanshow]

When it comes to in-camera effects, the all-time greatest has to be 2001: A Space Odyssey.
The movie is awe-inspiring enough on its own, but it reaches another level of mind-blowing when you realize everything you're seeing on screen was exactly what the camera saw.

[tyleryoung]

I'm in my mid-30s and somehow didn't watch The Thing until about 3 years ago, and I was blown away by how good that movie is. Truly a masterpiece and I'm glad Adam has such a love for it.

[saiyansomething]

Adam Savage just made my day. First he talks glowingly about Brazil, one of my all time favorite movies. Then he gives props to the best practical effects movie ever, The Thing. Rob Bottin was on fire back then and that dog scene was truly spectacular. Once it started transforming, it didn't stop until Childs hits it with the flamethrower. Hideous and mesmerizing at the same time.

[ursaminorjim]

Genuinely gasped when you said *_Brazil_* came out a couple years after *_Batman._* But then I knew there was NO POSSIBLE WAY you hadn't meant to say "before."

[jasyynnoe]

You talked about Alien, but I was hoping for AlienS. The queen puppet is my favorite practical effect. A 9 foot animatronic with 2 puppeteers inside, 4 more outside, and a crane permanently attached to its back (which is kept off-screen through framing)? Yes please, that's what I'm here for.

[cliffordkirk]

That iconic chestburster scene in Alien was the best. The authenticity in the actors reaction came from them not knowing it was going to happen. They were told a creature would emerge from John Hurt's character - No further details were shared.

[luddite]

Space Precinct was one of many Gerry Anderson productions, and that's a name that definitely deserves credit for his model work; Thunderbirds, Captain Scarlet, plus the live action shows UFO and Space 1999 all showcased his expertise and imagination with miniatures.

[emessar]

I love that you giving some love for Brazil. It was my favorite movie for 25 years (until Scott Pilgrim vs the World came out). One note ... Brazil (1985) was actually 4 years before Tim Burton's Batman (1989).

[MichaelTotin]

Some of my favorite practicals;

1. The tremor breaking into the survivalists' gun room in Tremors. A beautiful back and forth between miniature and live action. Near perfect.
2. The killing of Lestat in Interview with a Vampire. The slitting of his neck after drinking dead blood and the draining of his body. So fantastic.
3. The full flying car scene in the beginning of Blade Runner.
4. The uncut flying into the estate in the opening scene of Citizen Kane.
5. The blowing up of John Ratzenbergers head in the opening of Outland.

[Paleomaker]

I had a moment of stunned silence when, after showing my daughter Raiders of the Lost Ark, I asked her what she thought, and she said "It was kinda boring"

[faville]

That shot of DeNiro’s character zip-lining has always stood out to me from the first time I saw it in the late 80s. It looks so unique and cool and always makes me ask “man, how did they make it look like that!” It is movies like Brazil and Time Bandits (the camera scroll going over Evil’s castle, whew!) that made me disappointed to see Gilliam dip into digital weirdness like in Dr. Parnassus, but maybe it’s time for a rewatch.

[Fyrmer]

Showing your favorite movies to kids isn't just for parents, as I can attest. I've had the honor of introducing _Labyrinth, The Dark Crystal_ and _E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial_ to my two nephews a few years back.
My younger nephew cried during the scene where E.T. was dying.

[bluplacebo]

"Brazil" is one of my top three movies of all time. I have watched it probably 30 times and I still find something new every time. It and "Time Bandits" have an amazing density of detail and imagination by Terry Gilliam and his crew. I truly love those movies.

I worked at a movie theater and drive-in theater in my teens through college and had the privilege to see some classic movies before they actually opened, at midnight screenings to "make sure there weren't any problems with the print". Die Hard, Batman, Batman Returns, Terminator 2, Jurassic Park, Pulp Fiction. It was fantastic to see them without having any idea what to expect.

That said, I also saw the endings of many, many movies before I saw the rest of the movies before I saw the full movie and spoilers really don't bother me. It's not about what happens in the end, it's how it happens that matters and the journey to get there.

[GnappyAssassin]

"There's this moment when everything stops-"

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Just hilarious

[LogicalNiko]

I think best makeup for TV, I generally think Star Trek TNG and DS9, Farscape, Babylon 5, and the walking dead. While those characters are not always blow you away amazing I think something has to be said for consistency across different actors and day-in-day out complexity. TV has a unique challenge when you are running for years and years of shooting to not make mistakes and deliver consistent skin tones and placements of prosthesis. As well as having to be faced with new actors and different characters on a potentially weekly basis. That is extremely difficult to get right.

[The_ElectricMonk]

Brazil has been on my top 5 since I saw it when I was in highschool. The aesthetics of that movie are just incredible.