Don Levy: A cinematic journey through visual effects

It's been 110 years since George Méliès sent a spaceship slamming into the eye of the man on the moon. So how far have visual effects come since then? Working closely with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Don Levy takes us on a visual journey through special effects, from the fakery of early technology to the seamless marvels of modern filmmaking.

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[tygra]

This compilation of Movie clips is beautiful. Something like a Loving tribute to the entire cinema.

[brodman]

To be honest I liked the point that films could represent dreams. The fact we can make an entire reality on a screen, makes me realize I've taken movies for granted. They are pretty amazing the fact that they exist.

I don't know if that is what this dude is trying to say, but it's pretty awesome. Films are super cool, I don't know ANYONE who plain doesn't like movies

[SoeaOu]

You're right. There is a small rectangle in the right lower corner labeling the effects. I didn't noticed it the first time.

[RiderfBuffalo]

Levy didn't mention, perhaps to avoid digression, the urban legend that during a screening of L'arrivée d'un train en gare de La Ciotat audience members were overwhelmed by the motion part of the picture and jumped to the back of the room as the train bore down on them. It takes a lot more tricks to do that these days.

[katekate]

I simply enjoy it cause I haven't seen some of these movies and will do after this wonderful introduction.

[SpaceBirdHatStore]

@Pikaroth the e in Ted stands for entertainment. Showing people a bunch of cool clips from different points in time that try to how essentially the same thing is super cool.

[Kalahan]

And the best way to learn that to the viewer is by a series of movie clips stringed together?

I'm pretty sure your average movie-watching person is well aware how good special, effects have become.

[Russbear]

Wait. So you're saying that special effects are trying to trick me, have evolved over the years and are cool? Thank God for this TED talk, I'm going to go share this "Idea Worth Spreading".

[drchaffee]

If only Levy had named his presentation "Distilled Spectacle Exposed as Utter Yawn". Would've made it a think piece.

[sth]

They aren't random. They are specifically chosen to showcase and compare films decades past and the technology we have now.

[Talon]

Wasn't there a video just like this on TED before? Only better because it showed the progress made over the last one hundred years and not just randomness?

[ICutTheCake]

Maybe it could have been enhanced a bit, but this was still interesting for what it is: a very brief overview of cinematic effects. Not the best TED, but interesting, nonetheless.

[pseudogenesis]

The presentation was to show how far the art of cinema has come. Is that so difficult to understand?

[Lindethiel]

I am disgusted that Star Wars wasn't in that reel. The curve ILM learned on that rebooted visual effects into what we know today.

[BrotherWoody]

More?! Just as it started to get interesting, it was over!

[lednerg]

The E in TED stands for Entertainment, a subject which absolutely includes film.
Get a grip, people.

[nextblain]

taken! hell yeah! no stupid comments! awesome talk!

[Petert]

Would've been quite better if they showed the clips in order of their release dates.

[serenitypro]

that was pretty informing for a 5 min talk

[Pikaroth]

Gave this a thumb up simply because of the film clips - but really, what's this doing on TED?