A Brief History of Movie Special Effects

The Lord of the Rings — Motion Capture
Gollum was easily the most memorable creature of Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy. Though the precious-obsessed being was digitally created by director Peter Jackson's FX team, Gollum's performance was driven by actor Andy Serkis. Donning a specially created motion-capture suit, Gollum was digitally created by using 13 cameras pointed at different sensors attached to Serkis' costume. These sensors produced a 3-D image of Serkis' movements, allowing animators to create a more realistically moving character. This and the films' other colossal effects earned Jackson and his team Academy Awards for each of the Rings films.

• James Cameron's Best Special Effects