Practical Effects, For a Change
/Digital visual effects have gotten, quite literally, spectacular. If you've done some reading on this topic, you know that they still rely heavily on real world resources. In fact, many VFX producers and engineers have spoken loudly about the importance of working with plates (raw, unedited, photographic footage) and physical 3D models. In other words, the real is still an integral component of even the most fantastic visual effects sequences.
What we talk about less is the role that practical effects play in contemporary cinema. You'd be surprised (I constantly am) by how many amazing sequences are shot with real people or objects in real places. This video provided by Screen Rant (by way of Boy Genius Report), demonstrates examples of current and recent (by that I mean the last 20 or so years) examples of astonishing practical effects. Fun fact: the two actors pictured above are being held up by wires! From BB-8 (a real robot!?) to men dropping from a plane, onto another plane in Inception, this video provides a solid array of impressive practical effects.