Special Effects Stage
Encyclopedia
Special Effects Stage is a new attraction at Universal Studios Hollywood
. The attraction serves as a new version of the park's former Special Effects Stages show, which was located in the Lower Lot area and was closed to make way for Transformers. The attraction takes guests through demonstrations of how movie special effects are created, including Motion capture
, Chroma key
, and Stop motion
techniques. It opened on June 26, 2010.
' films special effects, which are added during a film's post-production
. It includes interactive elements, and is similar to the original former Special Effects Stages version of the attraction. The live attraction has two hosts: an older, practical effects guru and a younger, digital effects artist.
used in The Creature from the Black Lagoon musical, Imhotep
from The Mummy
, and a baby triceratops
from Jurassic Park
.
's attractions Special Effects Stages and Backdraft
were closed to make way for the park's up-coming Transformers
ride, which is scheduled to open in Summer 2012. Shortly after the closures, the park announced that the Castle Theater, which had just housed the former, short lived Creature from the Black Lagoon: The Musical
show, would become home to a new (but temporary) version of the Special Effects Stages show, known as Special Effects Stage. The new facade for the Castle Theater installed during production of Special Effects Stage has caused the venue to change its name to Stage 56.
Universal Studios Hollywood
Universal Studios Hollywood is a movie studio and theme park in the unincorporated Universal City community of Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is one of the oldest and most famous Hollywood movie studios still in use...
. The attraction serves as a new version of the park's former Special Effects Stages show, which was located in the Lower Lot area and was closed to make way for Transformers. The attraction takes guests through demonstrations of how movie special effects are created, including Motion capture
Motion capture
Motion capture, motion tracking, or mocap are terms used to describe the process of recording movement and translating that movement on to a digital model. It is used in military, entertainment, sports, and medical applications, and for validation of computer vision and robotics...
, Chroma key
Chroma key
Chroma key compositing is a technique for compositing two images together. A color range in the top layer is made transparent, revealing another image behind. The chroma keying technique is commonly used in video production and post-production...
, and Stop motion
Stop motion
Stop motion is an animation technique to make a physically manipulated object appear to move on its own. The object is moved in small increments between individually photographed frames, creating the illusion of movement when the series of frames is played as a continuous sequence...
techniques. It opened on June 26, 2010.
Summary
The show takes guests through demonstrations of the design of Universal PicturesUniversal Pictures
-1920:* White Youth* The Flaming Disc* Am I Dreaming?* The Dragon's Net* The Adorable Savage* Putting It Over* The Line Runners-1921:* The Fire Eater* A Battle of Wits* Dream Girl* The Millionaire...
' films special effects, which are added during a film's post-production
Post-production
Post-production is part of filmmaking and the video production process. It occurs in the making of motion pictures, television programs, radio programs, advertising, audio recordings, photography, and digital art...
. It includes interactive elements, and is similar to the original former Special Effects Stages version of the attraction. The live attraction has two hosts: an older, practical effects guru and a younger, digital effects artist.
Set
On the stage there are multiple set pieces including the puppetPuppet
A puppet is an inanimate object or representational figure animated or manipulated by an entertainer, who is called a puppeteer. It is used in puppetry, a play or a presentation that is a very ancient form of theatre....
used in The Creature from the Black Lagoon musical, Imhotep
Imhotep (character)
Imhotep is a fictional character and the titular antagonist in the 1932 film The Mummy, and later featured in its 1999 remake and its sequel The Mummy Returns again as one of the main antagonists...
from The Mummy
The Mummy (1999 film)
The Mummy is a 1999 American adventure film written and directed by Stephen Sommers and starring Brendan Fraser, Rachel Weisz, John Hannah and Kevin J. O'Connor, with Arnold Vosloo in the title role as the reanimated mummy. The film features substantial dialogue in ancient Egyptian language, spoken...
, and a baby triceratops
Triceratops
Triceratops is a genus of herbivorous ceratopsid dinosaur which lived during the late Maastrichtian stage of the Late Cretaceous Period, around 68 to 65 million years ago in what is now North America. It was one of the last dinosaur genera to appear before the great Cretaceous–Paleogene...
from Jurassic Park
Jurassic Park (film)
Jurassic Park is a 1993 American science fiction adventure film directed by Steven Spielberg. The film is based on the novel of the same name by Michael Crichton. It stars Sam Neill, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum, Richard Attenborough, Martin Ferrero, and Bob Peck...
.
History
In April 2010, Universal Studios HollywoodUniversal Studios Hollywood
Universal Studios Hollywood is a movie studio and theme park in the unincorporated Universal City community of Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is one of the oldest and most famous Hollywood movie studios still in use...
's attractions Special Effects Stages and Backdraft
Backdraft (Amusement park attraction)
Backdraft is a fire special effects show at the Universal Studios Hollywood and Universal Studios Japan theme parks. The show is based on the film of the same name. Visitors can learn how the pyrotechnic effects were created and experience some of them first hand...
were closed to make way for the park's up-coming Transformers
Transformers (ride)
Transformers: The Ride is a theme park ride currently under construction at Universal Studios Singapore and Universal Studios Hollywood. It will be based on the film franchise of the same name and will employ 3D high-definition video and audio-animatronics.-Announcements:In 2007, early planning and...
ride, which is scheduled to open in Summer 2012. Shortly after the closures, the park announced that the Castle Theater, which had just housed the former, short lived Creature from the Black Lagoon: The Musical
Creature from the Black Lagoon: The Musical
Creature From the Black Lagoon: The Musical was a live performance show formerly located at the Universal Studios Hollywood theme park in Los Angeles, California. It debuted on July 1, 2009, replacing Fear Factor LIVE...
show, would become home to a new (but temporary) version of the Special Effects Stages show, known as Special Effects Stage. The new facade for the Castle Theater installed during production of Special Effects Stage has caused the venue to change its name to Stage 56.
External links
- Special Effects Stage at Universal Studios HollywoodUniversal Studios HollywoodUniversal Studios Hollywood is a movie studio and theme park in the unincorporated Universal City community of Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is one of the oldest and most famous Hollywood movie studios still in use...