Old School Visual Effects: The Cloud Tank (2010)

6 days ago

A cloud tank is a large water tank used to create atmospheric effects like clouds in films.
The technique involves filling a tank with salt water, adding a thin plastic layer, then fresh water, and injecting paint to create cloud-like formations.
Notable films using cloud tanks include 'Close Encounters of the Third Kind', 'Raiders of the Lost Ark', and 'Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan'.
The technique was unpredictable and required extensive resources, like 9 tons of salt for 'Raiders of the Lost Ark'.
Cloud tank effects were largely replaced by CGI in the late 1990s.
The article highlights the ingenuity and effort behind these old-school visual effects.

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