What are Zoptic Special Effects?
Over the years, many different styles of special effects have been used in the production of films. In fact, some of the earliest uses of special effects date back nearly 50 years when filmmakers first started to incorporate 3-D processes to create the illusion of movement in depth known as zoptic special effects. The zoptic special effects became rather popular, especially for the time, but what was it?
What was Zoptic Special Effects?
Invented by cameraman Zorian Perisic. Zoptic special effects involved the use of a camera system. And a projector that utilized synchronized zoom lenses to create the illusion of movement with depth.
The use of front projection as the main method of shooting zoptic scenes represented an entirely new refinement in which zoptic special effects would become increasingly popular.
How were Zoptic Special Effects Created?
To produce zoptic effects, a zoom lens was placed on a movie camera and on a projector. Both lenses were then synchronized so that they would zoom in simultaneously with one another in the same direction.
The projection lens would zoom in to project a smaller image on the screen and the camera lens would simultaneously zoom in at the same time, to the same degree, such that it would capture the projected image in a way that would appear unchanged.
The result, whatever the subject was would appear to move closer to the camera to produce the zoptic effect. Zoptic special effects represented the analogous opponent to the dolly zoom effect. The process became incredibly popular, but wasn’t always easy to achieve.
Films that Used Zoptic Special Effects
Over the years, several different films that were incredibly popular would use zoptic special effects.
The most common films to incorporate zoptic special effects included the Superman sequels, specifically the first, second and third shows but not the fourth because there were budget constraints that prevented the special effects from being included.
Additional films that would incorporate zoptic special effects included:
- Return to Oz
- Radio Flyer
- Deal of the Century
- Megaforce
- Greatest American Hero (TV Show)
Essentially
While many other more advanced special effects have come about since Zoptic special effects were introduced in the 1970s, for the times, this was an incredible 3-D like experience that was really nothing like anything we had ever before seen on the big screen.