Plastic Reality

Special Effects, Technology, and the Emergence of 1970s Blockbuster Aesthetics

Nonfiction, Entertainment, Film, History & Criticism, Performing Arts
Cover of the book Plastic Reality by Julie Turnock, Columbia University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Julie Turnock ISBN: 9780231535274
Publisher: Columbia University Press Publication: February 3, 2015
Imprint: Columbia University Press Language: English
Author: Julie Turnock
ISBN: 9780231535274
Publisher: Columbia University Press
Publication: February 3, 2015
Imprint: Columbia University Press
Language: English

Julie A. Turnock tracks the use and evolution of special effects in 1970s filmmaking, a development as revolutionary to film as the form's transition to sound in the 1920s. Beginning with the classical studio era's early approaches to special effects, she follows the industry's slow build toward the significant advances of the late 1960s and early 1970s, which set the stage for the groundbreaking achievements of 1977.

Turnock analyzes the far-reaching impact of the convincing, absorbing, and seemingly unlimited fantasy environments of that year's iconic films, dedicating a major section of her book to the unparalleled innovations of Star Wars and Close Encounters of the Third Kind. She then traces these films' technological, cultural, and aesthetic influence into the 1980s in the deployment of optical special effects as well as the "not-too-realistic" and hyper-realistic techniques of traditional stop motion and Showscan. She concludes with a critique of special effects practices in the 2000s and their implications for the future of filmmaking and the production and experience of other visual media.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Julie A. Turnock tracks the use and evolution of special effects in 1970s filmmaking, a development as revolutionary to film as the form's transition to sound in the 1920s. Beginning with the classical studio era's early approaches to special effects, she follows the industry's slow build toward the significant advances of the late 1960s and early 1970s, which set the stage for the groundbreaking achievements of 1977.

Turnock analyzes the far-reaching impact of the convincing, absorbing, and seemingly unlimited fantasy environments of that year's iconic films, dedicating a major section of her book to the unparalleled innovations of Star Wars and Close Encounters of the Third Kind. She then traces these films' technological, cultural, and aesthetic influence into the 1980s in the deployment of optical special effects as well as the "not-too-realistic" and hyper-realistic techniques of traditional stop motion and Showscan. She concludes with a critique of special effects practices in the 2000s and their implications for the future of filmmaking and the production and experience of other visual media.

More books from Columbia University Press

Cover of the book Critical Issues in Child Welfare by Julie Turnock
Cover of the book In Their Own Voices by Julie Turnock
Cover of the book Wintry Night by Julie Turnock
Cover of the book Making Sense of Weather and Climate by Julie Turnock
Cover of the book How East Asians View Democracy by Julie Turnock
Cover of the book The Cinema of Steven Spielberg by Julie Turnock
Cover of the book Sex, Marriage, and Family in World Religions by Julie Turnock
Cover of the book Species Concepts and Phylogenetic Theory by Julie Turnock
Cover of the book From Da Ponte to the Casa Italiana by Julie Turnock
Cover of the book Movie Journal by Julie Turnock
Cover of the book Democracy, Islam, and Secularism in Turkey by Julie Turnock
Cover of the book The Columbia Guide to East African Literature in English Since 1945 by Julie Turnock
Cover of the book Specters of Slapstick and Silent Film Comediennes by Julie Turnock
Cover of the book Renegade Regimes by Julie Turnock
Cover of the book The Essay Film After Fact and Fiction by Julie Turnock
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy