The motion picture industry is one of the most critical forms of cultural communication in the modern world. From the first silent film to the latest Shrek or Batman feature film it has entertained us, sometimes disappointed us, and every now and then, acutally lifted and educated us.

And of course film making is one of the more technologically innovative mass art forms.

As Leon Barsacq wrote in his seminal work, "A History of Film Design", "Special effects, requiring great care, patience, and especially inventiveness are contributing to the perfection of the cinematic idiom. They stimulate a search for ingenous solutions that re-create reality with new and relatively inexpensive means."

This creativity and innovative spirit largely defines the whole of the industry, or at least that is true of the best of the art and business of movies.