History Main / StopTrick

* For the original ''Film/{{Star Wars|ANewHope}}'' this was how they achieved the lightsaber ignition/deactivation effect. A better budget resulted in a smoother transition effect in subsequent films.

* Used for ''Film/StarWarsANewHope'' when Luke Skywalker ignites and de-activates his lightsaber. A higher budget meant InCameraEffects were instead used for the sequels, and CGI for the prequels, resulting in a smoother transition.

* Used for ''Film/StarWarsANewHope'' when Luke Skywalker ignites and de-activates his lightsaber. A higher budget meant in-camera effects were instead used for the sequels, and CGI for the prequels, resulting in a smoother transition.

* This is used in ''Film/ANewHope'' when Luke Skywalker ignites and de-activates his lightsaber. A higher budget meant in-camera effects were instead used for the sequels, and CGI for the prequels, resulting in a smoother transition.

* This is used in ''Film/ANewHope'' when we first see Luke Skywalker turn off his lightsaber.

* Used in ''Film/BlueVelvet'' during the [[AnythingThatMoves "I'll fuck anything that moves!"]] scene.

* Whenever Pitch the devil pops in and out of existence in ''Film/SantaClaus'', it's done with a stop trick. Extremely obvious in crowd scenes, where the extras will dutifully stop walking until the shot resumes.

* Noticeable in the early ''Franchise/PowerRangers'' series, mostly in the giant monster fights when the enemy exploded. In fact, it's still being used in ''Franchise/SuperSentai'' (and various other {{tokusatsu}}) ''today''. As shown in unused scenes from some ''Franchise/KamenRider'' shows, this is how they handle transformations: a shot is taken with the actor, then one with the costumed stuntman in the same position, and finally the two shots are combined as a simultaneous fade out/fade in with a CGI TransformationSequence covering up the transition.

* OlderThanTelevision: According to one legend, the trick was accidentally developed by pioneering filmmaker Creator/GeorgesMelies in 1896. The story goes that Méliès was filming a street when the camera jammed, and had to stop filming to fix it. Watching the footage, he saw a streetcar suddenly turn into a hearse at the point the camera stopped. Whether or not this is true, Méliès ''did'' use the trick extensively in his films, including in his groundbreaking ''Film/ATripToTheMoon'' in 1902.

* This was the very first special effect in film. It was used in one of Edison's early films not long after the movie film was invented in the first place. The film depicted the execution of a historical queen. Many viewers thought the poor actress had actually been killed. (Dying for your art?)
* Featured near the end of Akira Kurosawa's ''Film/ThroneOfBlood'', when [[spoiler:Taketori Washizu is shot through the throat.]]
* Used to hilarious effect in ''Film/AnchormanTheLegendOfRonBurgundy''. A disheveled Ron Burgundy goes into the men's room... and comes out clean cut with superhuman speed.
** ''Film/TommyBoy'' utilizes the same trick for Richard's split-second wardrobe change in the airplane restroom.
** Lili Von Shtupp does it as well in ''Film/BlazingSaddles'', when she changes into something "more comfortable".
* Used in the beginning of ''Film/SecretWindow'' to make it appear that Johnny Depp's character has driven through a parking lot with the camera on the hood and then backed away from said camera in the same shot.

** Speaking of (the real) Franchise/StarWars, this is used in ''Film/ANewHope'' when we first see Luke Skywalker turn off his lightsaber.
* Early black-and-white horror films such as ''Film/TheWolfMan1941'' staged their transformation scenes like this, using progressive stages of makeup.
* This is how Morbius' protective shutters in ''Film/ForbiddenPlanet'' open and close.

* ''Film/{{Hugo}}'' shows a film shoot that uses this trick, letting us see how the shot is changed as well as how it looks in the finished scene.
* Similarly done in the film version of ''Film/{{Bewitched}}'', where we see the trick done from 'behind the scenes'.

* Used in ''Film/BlueVelvet'' during the [[ExtremeOmnisexual "I'll fuck]] [[AnythingThatMoves anything that moves!"]] scene.

* Creator/EdgarWright movies do this for passage of time.
** ''Film/HotFuzz'' has one with Angel lying down on his hotel bed at night. Cut to the next morning with the bed empty as Angel goes out on his morning jog.
** ''Film/ScottPilgrimVsTheWorld'' has one to illustrate Wallace having a hangover.
* The 1962 film version of ''Theatre/TheMusicMan'' has an end credits sequence that uses stop tricks to transform the River City Boys' Band into an actual marching band.

* Used extensively in the ''WebVideo/BenMcYellow'' series, as well as [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-ojOrV6sSE The Wrath of Manos]], another video by the same creators, whenever someone teleports.

* In ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory'', Andy runs into the closet to change into a spaceman costume: the camera remains perfectly still, but the shadows on the wall just next to the door have moved during the cut (obviously deliberately, since it's animated), and there's no implication that the change is supposed to be instantaneous.