Seven Times New Technology Was Created to Make a Film

It's easy to watch a blockbuster film like "Spider-Man: No Way Home" or "Avatar: Way of Water" and lose sight of how much brand-new technology was required to bring those pictures to the big screen. From computer generated imagery (CGI) to underwater performance capture cameras, innovation is the driving force behind these cinema hits.
Seven Films Made Possible by Newly Created Technology
But cinematic innovation didn't begin with the advent of the microchip. Long before computers — and at all stages of film history — directors and their crews used cutting-edge technologies to bring their visions to life. And when the right technology didn't yet exist, these filmmakers created the tools they needed. Here are seven films in which filmmakers broke the mold and invented the technology they needed to create cinema magic:

1. "The Gulf Between" (1917)
2. "The Jazz Singer" (1927)
3. "Metropolis" (1927)
4. "King Kong" (1933)
5. "Citizen Kane" (1941)
6. "Rainbow" (1996)
7. "Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace" (1999)
8. How Technology Impacts the Modern Filmmaking Process

Many films now use 3D printing technology to create interesting props, designs and sets. The emerging 3D technologies often make it cheaper to print a prop than to acquire the real thing.