Visual illusion created by camera, editing, or production technique — stop-motion, double exposure, in-camera effects. Everything the audience sees that didn't actually happen.
You film a scene where your protagonist suddenly disappears—and the audience is meant to believe it was real. That's the trick: a cinematic illusion created through the camera, editing, or practical means on set. It's not what happened in front of the lens that counts, but what the viewer sees in the finished film. A trick is not a deception—it is the essence of filmmaking.
On set, a trick works through three levers: camera timing, practical construction, and editing. Stop-motion, for example—an actor sits at a table, you shoot, then they leave the spot. Next take: empty chair. Glued together in the edit, they seem to have vanished. Double exposure works similarly: two exposures on the same film material or in digital post-production are superimposed. An actor appears twice in the frame, even though they were only there once. The camera was their accomplice.
Practical tricks on set are often the most reliable. A miniature set to exact scale, a trapdoor in the stage floor, an explosive charge that detonates precisely on the cut—these are all tricks. They require planning, trust, and an understanding of physics. Nothing digital can replace the authenticity that the film records. The camera perceives what is really there, even if it only exists for a second.
In modern film, traditional tricks blend with digital means. You plan an explosion—practical in front of the camera, but with CGI enhancement in the edit. It has always been this way: the trick itself is a means, not an end. The end is for the viewer to believe. That's why tricks are not mere play—they are craft. You need to know how the camera lies, when editing deceives, which practical effects are sustainable. A bad trick is seen through. A good trick is invisible.