Expert: Aaron Smith - 12/7/2004

Question
Hey, I thought I would ask a question because I loved the movie Van Helsing and was just curious about the way in which the movie has been made so that you get the whole action adventure feeling. The editing of shots, special effects, the way the camera moves, the colours, costumes all those types of things. This type of stuff I find really interesting how certain things are done in the film and how you get the connotations and that. You opinions, thoughts etc would be really appreciated , thanks! Jess

Answer
I to love that movie, as much as people either loathe or love it. I felt that the movie was well done. I feel that the costumes that they wore allow you to put your mind into that time period, as where if they were to wear what we wear nowadays it would have been tougher to put it into that time period. The special effects were well done, to my knowledge were lent by the genius company ILM (Industrial Light and Magic). In most cases Special Effects are added in later, with the actors either acting beside a block of wood or something that will later be created into an effect. The blue screen is also another way of adding effects into the picture. When it comes to Van Helsing, I felt that special effects were necessary to carry the movie because in our reality there is no such thing as werewolves and Dracula or vampires. So in order to create such an illusion special effects are indeed needed here. Now if special effects are used too often then they take away from a movie and cause distractions. However, that wasnt the case from Van Helsing.

Unfortunately I cannot go into great detail in how the movie was made but I suggest picking up a copy of Van Helsing or renting it, as it has amazing dvd extras on how it was made.

Thank you for your question and sorry about the lateness, if you are in further need or wish to chat more about these types of movies dont hesitate to ask