The Timeless Art of Special Effects: From Renaissance Stagecraft to Extended Reality
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Date
2025
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
The Eurographics Association
Abstract
Special effects are often perceived as a product of the digital age, yet the fundamental concept of special effects has been present throughout history. In fact, 15th-century sacred performances in Florence were much more than religious events: they were sophisticated immersive experiences born from the integration of art, mechanical engineering, and scenotechnical creativity. Polyhedric figures such as Filippo Brunelleschi profoundly innovated the language of spectacle-the principal form of mass communication until recently- by introducing mechanical, visual, and audio solutions that prefigure contemporary immersive technologies (CGI, AR/XR). These techniques aimed at arousing emotional involvement through multisensory stimuli, establishing core principles now validated by cognitive science. The effectiveness of such devices is analyzed through neuroscience and embodied cognition theories, explaining the link between sensory stimulation, empathy, and emotional participation. Florentine sacred representations, therefore, anticipated strategies for spectacularization now applied in digital heritage. Our comparative analysis confirms how the interaction between technical innovation and audience emotional response persists across eras. Although digital technologies have radically transformed visual effects' execution, their fundamental role in creating resonant cultural experiences remains unchanged.
Description
CCS Concepts: Applied computing → Media arts; Applied computing → Performing arts; Human-centered computing → HCI theory, concepts and models; Human-centered computing → Mixed / augmented reality; Human-centered computing → Virtual reality; Human-centered computing → Collaborative interaction
@inproceedings{10.2312:dh.20253382,
booktitle = {Digital Heritage},
editor = {Campana, Stefano and Ferdani, Daniele and Graf, Holger and Guidi, Gabriele and Hegarty, Zackary and Pescarin, Sofia and Remondino, Fabio},
title = {{The Timeless Art of Special Effects: From Renaissance Stagecraft to Extended Reality}},
author = {Falvo, Perla Gianni and Manera, Giovanni Valeri and Saari, Michael and Guidi, Gabriele},
year = {2025},
publisher = {The Eurographics Association},
ISBN = {978-3-03868-277-6},
DOI = {10.2312/dh.20253382}
}