The final award we're calling for considerations for is one I'm most excited about. The Most Real Unreal Award goes to the show that, during the 2007-2008 television season, displayed the most impressive and realistic example of special effects.Now, before you go assuming we're limiting this to purely science fiction shows, step back for a moment and consider some non-scifi shows that might be fit for such an award. Lost, though with its scifi elements, is considered a drama series, though it's shown some impressive effects this season. Pushing Daisies is another. How about House or the ill-fated Moonlight?
Take your pick amongst the sci-fi and supernatural shows we cover, and I'm sure any one of them could be a great fit for this category: Battlestar Galactica, Eureka, Stargate. What shows would you like to see nominated and what specific aspects of those shows are the most impressive examples of making the "unreal" look real?















Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
5-23-2008 @ 4:23PM
Dave said...
CSI when they follow the path of a bullet and such.
Reply
5-23-2008 @ 6:16PM
nattyff said...
SUPERNATURAL, despite the low budget they pull of great effects, camera angles, suttle noises, some times a glimpse of the monster of the week does the trick. Have to say that dean death was incredible.
REAPER, they make very cool scenes, and i don't think they got the budget too, but they pull it off just fine.
Reply
5-23-2008 @ 6:42PM
Bash said...
Clarification question: are you considering S/FX in the traditional sense (live action stuff like stunts, explosions et cetera) or in the form of "this is where the magic happens" and a hunk of computers are pushed in an do all the work (-> post production work).
Because I think these are two totally different fields and some of the incredible stunt work that is done on shows like "Lost" can not be put into the same category as the CGIs they do on the same show - or on BSG for instance.The one is involving actual stuntmen (or stuntpeople) putting their lives on the line and the other is a fat guy eating chips in front of a graphics workstation. It's not quite the same.
Or is all this only in the sense of "Wow that looked fantastic"?
Because then I would nominate some surgeons for a couple of tits.
Reply
5-23-2008 @ 8:08PM
Keith McDuffee said...
The awards for a show that shows moments or a moment where the special effects were so good they looked real or very believable.
5-23-2008 @ 8:12PM
Morjana Coffman said...
Definitely nominate Stargate Atlantis -- for any of its episodes. Their special effects are marvelous (well, except for that last ten second segment in last season's "The Last Man").
Morjana
Reply
5-24-2008 @ 10:44AM
James said...
Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles had some really really nice SFX when they showed scenes from the future and scenes with the terminators.
Reply
5-24-2008 @ 12:48AM
Keith said...
BSG...I am always in awe of the long shots of the fleet, and then the zoom in...in Hi-Def it is almost 3-D!
Reply
5-24-2008 @ 2:16AM
CaseyJ said...
I like BSG for the out-of-this-world battle scene effects, and Stargate SG-1 (the Stargate puddle alone is just phenomenal! Plus the later battle scenes... very cool stuff!)
Reply
5-28-2008 @ 5:35PM
Alicia said...
YES!! Stargate SG-1!
5-24-2008 @ 2:18AM
CaseyJ said...
Oops... you said 2007-2008 series. Darn. I guess that puts Stargate SG-1 out the running.
Reply
5-25-2008 @ 12:00AM
Naila said...
I'm surprised no one has mentioned Heroes yet - maybe because it's a given?
Reply
5-25-2008 @ 8:18PM
nattyff said...
The surgeries on Nip/tuck
Reply
5-27-2008 @ 7:47PM
Dorv said...
BSG's space scenes are out of this world...
(Sorry.. really, I am)
Reply
5-28-2008 @ 9:22PM
Vito said...
Absolutely Pushing Daisies should be in. They completely capture the appearance of an elaborate film production on a TV show budget. Sure, the pilot was expensive, but is it really that far off from the other episodes in terms of special effects and camerawork? Besides, if you're talking real unreal, I don't know how you can top the scene in the first episode where he kisses Chuck in silhouette atop green hills in the sunset? That shot is easily one of the most surreal and prettiest ones ever on television.
Going the other way with it, Lost has done a bang-up job of making the most insane sci-fi effects and experiments look like they were all so normal they were done in the 1970s.
Reply
5-29-2008 @ 12:22AM
mimiluchak said...
Stargate: Atlantis - Season 4 - The most and best effects on TV today
Reply
5-29-2008 @ 2:38PM
Charstin said...
Supernatural - for exactly the same reasons that nattyff gave
Reply
5-29-2008 @ 5:41PM
misskathy said...
Moonlight!
Excellent special effects and modern day portrayal of vampires walking amongst us.
Reply
5-29-2008 @ 6:07PM
Moonlight UK said...
Moonlight have great special effects, the vamping out scenes especially... the way it looks when they vamp and then change back looks wicked!!!
- Moonlight UK :)
Reply
5-30-2008 @ 3:27AM
Barbara said...
Moonlight...their special effects are so totally believable...like Mick and Josef's morph into vampire mode!
Reply
5-30-2008 @ 7:33AM
Meg said...
Moonlight is an amazing show! Special effects are very believable, story line is awesome. It's so well written, funny, and dramatic at the same time. So definitely - MOONLIGHT!
Reply