Practices of physical and digital special effect practices of physical and digital special effects making : an exploration of similarities

Abstract

This paper looks at practices of physical and digital special effects making in the context of the growing use of digital technologies in movie making. It develops a theoretical framework based on Lévi-Strauss's notion of bricolage and applies this framework to direct and indirect sources in order to develop an understanding of the elements and processes that characterize the making of special effects. After discussing the usefulness of bricolage as a perspective for organizational analysis, the paper concludes with the authors' views about the evolution of special effects making practices