18. So That's How They Did That
From the moment Star Wars begins, the effect is irresistible, with the scrolling prologue representing one of the franchise's most iconic and enduring images. It didn't so much matter what was written (though of course this presentation method was a good way of ensuring it translated across to the audience and kept their attention, rather than what could have been a boring voice-over,) because the look of the introduction was as good as any of the special effects. The magic is sucked out a little when you discover exactly how the scrolling was achieved, since back in the '70s, it was commonly held to be actual witchcraft.
17. Use The Force... Or Failing That, Just Stack Some Old Mattresses Up
The atmosphere surrounding the climactic light-sabre duel between Luke and Darth Vader in The Empire Strikes Back makes for one of the most iconic face-offs in movie history, and the staging for the fight adds a very real threat of either of the characters falling to their doom. Ultimately that isn't the case, as Luke gets his hand lopped off - following a trend in the Saga for gratuitous hand severing (in all, 16 hands and arms are chopped off across the 6 films) but the looming threat adds another element to the scene. Sadly, that threat is removed entirely by this pre-effects shot that confirms that Luke was never really in any danger, unless he suffered from an allergy to old mattresses. Noone wants the revelation that actors are so obviously protected - as cinema fans we want spectacle and a tangible threat of injury to add spice to scenes like this. And it wasn't just mattresses - if they weren't particularly handy, the stage hands could always bulk out the crash pads with some boxes...
