A Brief History of Movie Special Effects

The Hurt Locker — Explosions
Fans might flock to a Michael Bay flick for the pyrotechnics, but in 2009 it was director Kathryn Bigelow who changed the landscape of film explosions with her Academy Award–winning film The Hurt Locker. Using the high-speed Phantom camera, Bigelow's team was able to break down every detail of an IED explosion with the device's 2,000-frames-per-second capability. With the HD footage slowed, the audience is able to focus on any detail of the seconds-long explosion, bringing a much celebrated degree of authenticity to the film.

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