A list of notable people involved in the creation of visual or special effects.
Can overlap with Production Design.
Companies/studios
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Active
- Animal Logic
- Base FX
- BUF
- Chiodo Bros Productions
- Cinesite
- Digital Domain
- Double Negative VFX
- Framestore
- Ghost VFX
- Hybride Technologies
- Image Engine
- Imaginary Forces
- Industrial Light & Magic
- Jim Henson's Creature Shop
- Makeup And Effects Labratories
- The Mill
- Modern Video Film/Point.360 Studio
- Moving Picture Company
- Mr. X
- New Deal Studios
- Rhythm & Hues
- Rising Sun Pictures
- Scanline
- Shirogumi
- Sony Pictures Imageworks
- Stargate Studios
- Tippett Studio
- WETA
- Zoic Studios
Defunct
- Apogee Productions
- Asylum Visual Effects
- Available Light Productions
- Blue Sky Studios
- Boss Film Studios
- Cafe FX
- Dream Quest Images
- Fantasy II Film Effects
- Four Ward Productions
- The Howard Anderson Company
- Illusion Arts
- Live Bait Productions
- Matte World Digital
- Metrolight Studios
- The Orphanage
- Pacific Data Images
- Pacific Title
- R/Greenberg Associates
- VIFX
- Visual Concept Engineering
Individual creators
- Ken Adam - Production designer and set designer best known for his work on Dr. Strangelove and seven James Bond films.
- Eric Allard - A notable Stuff Blowing Up technician and robotics developer, best known for Short Circuit, Stuart Little and the Energizer Bunny campaign. He also created Nickelodeon's famous slime geyser at Universal Studios Florida.
- Ramsey Avery - is an American production designer best known for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Star Trek Into Darkness and The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power
- Rick Baker - Best known for his creature effects across a wide variety of projects, including An American Werewolf in London, Men in Black, and The Ring.
- Rob Bottin - Best known for the design of the titular "Thing" in The Thing (1982).
- James Franzen - Online visual artist and animator, better known as RadioGosha or GoshaDole.
- John Dykstra - Special effects and CGI pioneer, best known for Star Wars and Spider-Man 2.
- Ray Harryhausen - Unsurpassed Stop Motion genius whose contributions to popular culture include The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms, The 7th Voyage of Sinbad, Jason and the Argonauts and Clash of the Titans.
- Joseph Kosinski: His experience with CGI modeling landed him the directing job on TRON: Legacy, though he's focused on directing since.
- Georges Méliès - The grandfather of film special effects, best known for Voyage Dans La Lune (A Trip to the Moon, 1903).
- Tim Miller - Created the opening credits of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and effects in Scott Pilgrim vs. The World.
- Willis O Brien - Famous for creating the dinosaurs in The Lost World (1925) and the giant ape in King Kong (1933). Ray Harryhausen's idol and mentor.
- Carlo Rambaldi - Famous for creating the mechanical head for the Xenomorph in Alien and the animatronic puppet for the title character in E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, both of which earned him an Academy Award.
- Tom Savini - Famous for many gore effects in horror films, including Friday the 13th (1980) and Dawn of the Dead (1978).
- Patrick Tatopoulos - Production designer and special effects creator behind the aliens of Independence Day, the 1998 version of Godzilla, the robots of I, Robot, Batman's vehicles in the DC Extended Universe and many more.
- Douglas Trumbull - Co-creator of the special effects in 2001: A Space Odyssey, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Blade Runner and The Tree of Life.
- Eiji Tsuburaya - Brought Godzilla, Rodan, Mothra, Ultraman, and many other Kaiju to supersized life. Considered the "God of Special Effects" in Japan for having effectively created Tokusatsu.
- Stan Winston - Famous for bringing The Terminator and the dinosaurs of Jurassic Park to life.
- Kevin Yagher - Famous for some of film's most iconic horror stars including Freddy Kruger, Chucky and the Cryptkeeper.
- Karel Zeman - Czech artist frequently referred to as Georges Méliès's Spiritual Successor.
