special effect

[spesh-uhl i-fekt]

noun

Movies, Television.

1. Usually special effects a video or audio illusion in film or other media, created with computer-generated images, prosthetic makeup, pyrotechnics, etc. SFX

Word History and Origins

Origin of special effect¹

First recorded in 1940–45

Example Sentences

Directed by Burgess Meredith, who also plays a murder suspect, it adds a thrilling chase up the actual Eiffel Tower, no special effects required.

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Every year Halloween comes around, and with it those classic horror flicks, with their dated special effects and well-timed scare scenes that make us jump even though we know they’re coming.

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“I talked about our special effects coordinator on our show, whose name is Rob Nary, whose father was a special effects coordinator, whose grandfather was a special effects coordinator,” Wyle said.

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In the “Exorcist” maze, for instance, that means witnessing a full exorcism, complete with special effects that will have walls give way to demonic specters.

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The generative AI used in The Eternauts helped its production team to complete a sequence 10 times faster than if they had used traditional special effects tools, he said.

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