Editing technique · used in 4 films
Using effects such as reverse motion, split performances or live action mixed with animation to place impossible things in one frame. The trick is part of the show.
Examples
Peter Jackson · 1987
Jackson plays both Derek and the alien Robert. The cliff fight uses shots filmed months apart, but careful editing makes it look like the two are fighting each other.
Where to see it: The cliff fight. Derek and Robert struggle on the ledge before Derek is knocked off.
Robert Zemeckis · 1988
Cartoon characters cast shadows, hold real props and move with the live camera. On set, puppeteers, rubber mannequins and robotic arms helped the actors react to something. Because the animation sits so firmly in the frame, you believe it.
Where to see it: The Ink and Paint Club: Eddie photographs Jessica Rabbit with Marvin Acme while the cartoon and human worlds mix in the same club.
Francis Ford Coppola · 1992
Some of Lucy's movements were filmed in reverse and processed backward to create strange vampire motion. The motion stays human in shape but is off in rhythm. Your eyes sense that something is wrong before you work out why.
Where to see it: Lucy after the bite. Once Dracula has turned her, her movements look like footage played the wrong way.
Denis Villeneuve · 2014
Enemy puts Jake Gyllenhaal on screen as both Adam and Anthony. A motion-controlled camera on a dolly was used for the scenes where the lookalikes meet, and a tennis ball helped him keep a consistent eyeline. The result is a duo you rarely question.
Where to see it: The first meeting. Adam and Anthony stand in the same room for the first time.
Questions