Contents Dante's Peak: Dante's Inferno: For his epic disaster movie, Dante's Peak, director Roger Donaldson was determined to simulate on film a massive volcanic eruption that was both dramatic and realistic. Engaged to deliver the goods were visual effects supervisor Patrick McClung of Digital Domain and special effects supervisor Roy Arbogast. Article by Rita Street.

The Relic: The Calisto Effect: In The Relic - directed by Peter Hyams - a genetically mutated beast prowls the dark recesses of a cavernous natural history museum looking for human prey. Charged with designing and fabricating the monster were the creature creators at Stan Winston Studio, abetted in the digital realm by effects artisans at VIFX. Article by Rita Street.

Star Trek: First Contact: The eighth offering in an enduring franchise, Star Trek: First Contact marked the first film carried solely by The Next Generation crew, and the feature directing debut of cast member Jonathan Frakes. Supplying effects were series regulars Industrial Light & Magic and makeup creator Michael Westmore. Article by Kevin H. Martin.

Star Wars Trilogy: Everything Old Is New Again.

Turbulence: Terror in the Skies.

101 Dalmations: Puppy Proliferation.

The Sixth Man: Hoop Schemes.

Crash McCreery: Doing Dinosaurs and Such.

Contents Men in Black: Basic Black: For director Barry Sonnenfeld's science fiction comedy Men in Black - about shadowy government agents who oversee extraterrestrial activities on earth - makeup effects artist Rick Baker produced a variety of imaginatively conceived aliens, supplemented by computer generated creations and other effects concocted by Industrial Light & Magic. Article by Janine Pourroy.

The Lost World: On the Shoulders of Giants: When it came time to select an effects team for The Lost World, director Steven Spielberg turned promptly to character creator Stan Winston, visual effects supervisor Dennis Muren of Industrial Light & Magic, and special effects supervisor Michael Lantieri - the trio that had written effects history on Jurassic Park - to once again push the boundaries of artistry and technology. Article by Jody Duncan.

The Fifth Element: Elemental Images: To impart an epic quality to The Fifth Element - his whimsical science fiction adventure about a New York cab driver who is called upon to help save the universe from annihilation - director Luc Besson turned to Digital Domain and visual effects supervisor Mark Stetson to create an array of futuristic cityscapes and distant worlds through a blend of traditional and digital imagery. Article by Ted Elrick.

Con Air: Skyjinks.

Anaconda: Snake Charmers.

Classic Restoration: The Lost World - Found!

Contents Batman & Robin: Freeze Frames: For Batman & Robin - the fourth feature in the Batman Series and the second for director Joel Schumacher - visual effects supervisor John Dykstra drew upon the specialties of several effects houses to produce a series-high four hundred effects shots. Article by Mark Cotta Vaz.

Volcano: Toasting the Coast: Tasked with unleashing the ultimate scourge on Los Angeles for the Mick Jackson film, Volcano, visual effects supervisor Mat Beck oversaw the creation of volcano and lava effects achieved via practical, miniature and digital means. Article by Rita Street .

Spawn: With a Little Help From Our Friends: To bring the comic book sensation Spawn to the screen, a trio of young upstarts from Industrial Light & Magic donned production hats and engaged in guerrilla filmmaking in the digital realm to create a lavish effects film on a slender budget. Article by Jody Duncan.

Contact: Close Contact With effects ranging from earthbound to cosmic, Contact marked the seventh collaboration between director Robert Zemeckis and visual effects supervisor Ken Ralston, now head of Sony Pictures Imageworks. Article by Kevin H. Martin.

Speed 2 : Crusing Speed.

John Chambers: Maestro of Makeup.

Contents Titanic: Back to Titanic: Titanic is an apt title for the latest film from director James Cameron, denoting not only the subject matter of the picture, but the scope of the endeavor, as well. On his odyssey to bring the story of the 1912 maritime disaster to the screen, Cameron went to the bottom of the North Atlantic to photograph the actual Titanic wreck, then reconstructed the celebrated ship, almost full-size - and sank it ! - at a studio built expressly to house the massive production. Article by Don Shay .

Titanic: Ship of Dreams: Convinced that total verisimilitude was essential for Titanic, Cameron challenged Digital Domain and visual effects supervisor Robert Legato to blur the line between full-size photography and miniature work by constructing an enormous model of the ship, then placing it in a digital ocean environment and populating it with computer generated people to capture, in intimate detail, the expansive elegance of the liner at sea and the horror of its untimely demise. Article by Don Shay.

Titanic: Titanic Aftermath: During principal photography and into postproduction, as the visual effects workload for Titanic increased from 150 shots to more than 500, a production-level effects department was established to assign and monitor the overflow workload, which was farmed out to seventeen separate facilities collectively contributing everything from complex compositing and miniature photography to matte paintings and computer animation. Article by Jody Duncan.