Movie Special Effects

Scenario

You have all been captivated and entertained by special effects in movies. The explosions, makeup, animation, and props in the “blockbuster” features take months and millions of dollars to put together. Many special effects are the result of the application of science and technology.
Your Active Chemistry class has been asked to participate in the production of a low-budget movie. However, to make the film exciting, the movie producer would still like to use some awesome special effects. You are being asked to write a simple scene in which you can incorporate some special effects. Of course, in addition to cost, safety is also a major concern.

Chapter Challenge

Your challenge is to create a story line and produce special effects based on the chemistry you have learned in your Active Chemistry class. You will need to demonstrate the special effects you created. Your special effects will be evaluated on their quality, interest, entertainment, and the knowledge of chemistry you exhibited in putting them together.

You will need to complete the following tasks:

• Write a script for a simple scene in a movie.
• Choose a special effect to include as part of your scene.
• Write a procedure on how your special effect is done.
• Demonstrate the special effect to the “producer.”
• Write an explanation of how the special effect works, including the chemistry behind the demonstration.

Using more than one chemical principle will strengthen your presentation.