practical effect

[ prak-ti-kuhl i-fekt ]

nounMovies, Television.

Usually practical effects . a special effect that is created live on the set of a film, using real-world objects.

Origin of practical effect

First recorded in 1980–85

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

I've never seen a film series do a better job stringing together such artfully crafted stupidity over so many hours, all aided by scripts full of big heart, and action sequences full of sensational practical effects.
Fast 9 film review: Fast and furious enough, but buckle up for potholes | Sam Machkovech | June 24, 2021 | Ars Technica
The immediate practical effect of the recommended pause was limited because the overwhelming majority of the 192 million shots administered in the United States have been made by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna using a different technology.
CDC vaccine advisers seek more data on rare blood clots before deciding whether to resume Johnson & Johnson shots | Lena H. Sun, Carolyn Y. Johnson | April 14, 2021 | Washington Post
The creative team used practical effects for the most part to bring the so-called pouffes to life on-screen, manipulating them in ways inspired by the facehuggers seen in Aliens.
Inside ‘Save Yourselves!’—a socially distant comedy for our times | radmarya | October 1, 2020 | Fortune
The new guidelines, scheduled to go into effect in January, 2014, may in fact have little to no practical effect.
Behind the Scenes of the E.U. Settlement Announcement | Noga Tarnopolsky | July 22, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
But for practical effect, you'd be better off trying to explain the fundamentals of tensor calculus.
Why Not Make Social Security Benefits Even More Generous | Megan McArdle | March 8, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST

The debate might have been held in any of the last dozen Sessions, with as much practical effect.
Sir Walter Ralegh | William Stebbing
The actual practical effect with her is that she succeeds often in wisely deceiving, while intending to be perfectly sincere.
Ester Ried Yet Speaking | Isabella Alden
The practical effect of such an adjustment is to make the tide-agitated body turn a constant face towards its tormentor.
Time and Tide | Robert S. (Robert Stawell) Ball
practical effect was to be given to this principle by the Court before proceeding to divorce.
The Law and the Poor | Edward Abbott Parry
He issued his commands and it was for the gens du mtier to give practical effect to them.
Oscar Wilde | Leonard Cresswell Ingleby

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