References and Resources
Science Task – Helpful Visual Effects
History of visual special effects – Cat Harris presentation
This presentation is approximately 30 minutes long, but you can scan through and see some of the visual effects, including cheap, expensive, simple and complex examples. It includes explanations of effects used in Star Wars, Mary Poppins, 2001 Space Odyssey, Toy Story, The Matrix, Ben Hur, and more.
Svetlana. (2025, October 23). 34+ Interesting Facts about Forrest Gump. Your Daily Sport Fix.
Technology Links
Useful Books
YouTube videos, Blogs and Webpages
Cannaday, B. (2016, November 5). How to use a breadboard. Losant.
What is 3D printing and where is it used?
What is 3D printing and where is it used?
Free online CAD program with tutorials
Engineering Links
Engineering design process steps
Example of a giant camera dolly, as well as discussion on cinematic techniques from the beach scene of the movie Roma (2018).
Camera Dolly Ideas
Aldredge, J. (2017, January 19). DIY Hacks: 10 Cheap Tripod Dolly Options to Try at Home. The Beat.
Zhang, M. (2015, January 13). How to Build a Camera Dolly Out of LEGO Pieces. PetaPixel.
DIY Motorized LEGO Camera Dolly
Mathematics Links
Sample templates for film budgets
Online Graphing and Calculator tool (GeoGebra)
Excel hints and tips
Formulas and Functions in Excel
Camera tracking footage in the opening scene from Spectre (2015) shows a clever use of camera dollies, tracking, some well edited joins and a touch of computer graphics. Can you figure out where the scenes are stitched together from one tracking sequence to the next?
Desowitz, B. (2015, November 13). How They Pulled Off the ‘Spectre’ of Death Opening in Mexico City. IndieWire.
Simon, J. (2025, January 24). How to Create a Green Screen Video Effect. TechSmith.
How to make a stop-motion animation (Australian National Museum of Screen Culture)
Editing software suggestions
There are many free software programs, but beware of trial programs that let you edit but not save the final task.