digital effects Flashcards
when was the first use of visual effects?
1902 - ‘a trip to the moon’ - hand painted effects
how did star wars, jurassic park and avatar change cinema?
1977 - ‘star wars’ - motion controlled cameras, advanced miniatures, dynamic cinematography. set a new standard for blockbuster filmmaking
1993 - ‘jurrasic park’- CGI dinosaurs with animatronics, groundbreaking visual effects - changed how filmmakers approached visual effects
2009 - ‘avatar’ - photorealistic CGI, 3D technology, immersive alien environments. pushed boundaries of VFZ and set the stage for modern virtual production - highest grossing film of its time
what is CGI?
- computer generated imagery
- CGI distracts the viewer from the story and possibly bad writing
- people always want better or more, so CGI is constantly improving
- modern products use more CGI because they are often cheaper, faster and safer than trying to pull off big moments in-camera
difference between SFX and VFX
- visual effects (VFX) is the creation or manipulation of any on-screen imagery that does not physically exist in real life. can create environments, objects, creatures and even people. VFX are added after shooting
- special effects (SFX) are achieved in real-time, during filming. for example pyrotechnics, fake rain, animatronics and prosthetic makeup
controversy surrounding CGI
- some people argue digital effects is cheapening film and should be avoided
- some argue that digital filmmaking is only beginning to emerge
- critics of film productions see VFX as one of the least desirable production/postproduction techniques available to directors
directors that dislike CGI
‘anything you notice as technology reminds you that you’re in a movie theatre’ - christopher nolan
nolan is a well-known advocate of shooting on film as opposed to digital, and for minimising his use of CGI
George Lucas - difficulties with CGI
- shot on a green screen for a huge amount of the star wars prequals
- actors only had a vague idea of what they were acting with, which is very difficult
- george often hadn’t decided on the details of the film, so Ewan and Hayden didn’t know if they were filming an ironic moment or whether they were about to die
Guardians and DFX (crew)
- two main characters are entirely in CGI, the setting is vast space and earth like environments
- VFX featured in 90% of the film
- army of artists from 13 companies
Guardians - ROCKET
- Sean Gunn filled in for Rocket so actors could have someone to interact with
- special effects (David White) also made two life-size versions of Rocket
- gives a good indication of where the editing team need to put him in
- had to study racoons - very tactile and therefore Rocket can be seen playing and touching things through the film
- had to carefully look at what the human actors were doing, so the animated characters weren’t overdone, and their face shapes were minimal and natural
Guardians - Groot
- want to maintain the characters human qualities
- wanted human emotions, but made him seem likes he’s made out of rigid metal
- eyes make him seem human
- has wisdom in his face
- looked carefully at what the human actors were doing
Guardians - MORAG
- vast landscapes, part set and then extensions by MPC
- inspired by a place in Egypt called the white desert
- built some of the set so that the people were acting in a real environment, had to find the right balance between real and green screen
- contrast of beautiful sky and a gnarly environment - not ugly - but aggressive, and contrasting ground that together seems beautiful
Guardians - XANDER
- based on Singapore
- one of the main buildings was actually a train station in Belgium that was scanned and photographed, used stuff from the real world and modified it
- setting that makes sense, but at the same time would have an edge and sometimes that would make you believe it was extra-terrestrial, and not just out of bounds
Pride - relying on realism
- filmmaking technique to create the illusion of reality, seeing the film as real
- used in film to create intimate stories that connect to the audience
- relies on both narrative and visual realism - story must be grounded in reality and the visuals must match
- no escapist fantasy that is typical of a Hollywood blockbuster
