archived-videos Movie Magic - The Progress of CG

I am so unimpressed with computer graphics that call attention to themselves. What impressed me was Black Swan, where I had no idea there were computer graphics. That's what I want. Pure seamless imagery that isn't shoved in your face to justify the cost.

Link to Black Swan VFX reel:

http://lookeffects.com/works.html

I don't want my movies to look like video games.
 
Nice editing, Bailey!

I like FX spectacles. I'm surprised you didn't use the Enterprise ascending through the clouds of Jupiter! Looking forward to the plethora of sci-fi and fantasy coming out, this summer.

Regarding BLACK SWAN, I just watched the special features, last week. 300 FX shots, mostly unnoticed. Honestly, I didn't care that much for the movie, until I watched the featurette and saw the amount of work done. That happens to me on a lot of movies - I see some extraordinary work, then appreciate them.

Not CG stuff, but I saw the behind the scenes for THE KINGDOM and was blown away that they constructed an Arabian neighborhood outside of Phoenix, AZ. They put highway signs in Arabic on the freeway.

Even more mind blowning were the foam constructed caves for THE DESCENT. Never (not even the initial rope descent) were they in a real cave!

Like anything, I like to see the tools - Makeup, Sets, FX used and edited in a way that makes me believe what I'm seeing - much like that rotating set in INCEPTION. With the right direction and story, they can be awe inspiring. Of course, it all can come off like crap, so the reverse is also true.
 
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Polfilmblog: I also like vfx that go unnoticed. However, how do you NOT call attention to transforming robots that are battling on a freeway? I love cg, and I love the simple tricks too. But not to worry, cg is getting better and better. We're simply in that middle phase between "that's definitely fake" and "wow that's perfect." It's a fun time to be in because we get to watch the evolution of a truly marvelous industry. So, I say: just enjoy it! :)
 
I agree with you, Scoopicman. I too love the movies where the cg goes unnoticed. Many TV shows these days have entire shots of ordinary sets (like an outside street), where the characters are simply in a green room. Crazy stuff. But, like a lot of us, I also enjoy the over-the-top cg that is visually stunning. Take the T-rex/King Kong fight scene. It's absolutely ridiculous, but very fun to watch. Or how about the hugely long, but very enjoyable, battle at the end of Transformers 3? Absolutely gratuitous, but incredibly amazing. So, yeah...there can be a huge amount of effort that goes into both the subtle and the not so subtle cg. I love them both. :)
 
I just saw TRANSFORMERS 3. I have to admit that I love popcorn moments like those. I also liked the wingsuit jumpers - those were real! I was watching a special about how they would base jump from a tall building (Sears tower?) and glide down streets and alley ways.
 
Yes, the skydiving scene was awesome. It was very cool when the camera followed them for a while, definitely a great popcorn moment, like you said. Of course, the incredible amount of stuff that was flying around during that battle was just crazy. Not to mention the long camera shots showing sweet robot action. I think it was a very good battle scene. All too often movies restrict their cg shots due to budget constraints, but TF3 didn't seem hindered by that. :)
 
Really nice editing choices. And me being a CG junky (and hobbyist) I loved the video...

And it's right...it's only just begun.
 
polfilmblog said:
I am so unimpressed with computer graphics that call attention to themselves. What impressed me was Black Swan, where I had no idea there were computer graphics. That's what I want. Pure seamless imagery that isn't shoved in your face to justify the cost.

Link to Black Swan VFX reel:

http://lookeffects.com/works.html

I don't want my movies to look like video games.
Click to expand...

I understand, but it's hard not to call attention to yourself when your on another planet flying planes that don't exist against a horde of aliens that are riding flying dragons...

That's going to call attention to itself because it's not real (yet). Our minds immediately know it's not possible, so it's scrutinized in comparison.

I think, however, that movies like Avatar, Star Trek, Matrix, etc, have a ton of CG that is impeccably done...reeeeeally close to the ultimate goal: photo realism. That phrase has been thrown around for almost a dozen years...and now it's pretty much true.

How else are we suppose to see a fire breathing dragon? It has to be CG. And it will never not bring attention to itself...it's a fire breathing dragon!!!
 
Hmmm, I'm dealing with this issue in my current project.

I think you want to be able to do all the CGI you absolutely need, but you also want to do as much as possible without it.

I worked on CGI for a long time, but these days I'm spending more time figuring out how not to use it.

For one thing, you can't as an adult, get scared of a CGI monster. Just doesn't happen. So It's outright ineffective there. Then it's costly and difficult. So factor that in.

Might note here that I think good compositing of real on real is great, and am not talking about that when I say CGI.

Ultimately, though I do a lot of it, I think ultimately it's not that I like looking at CGI as much as it is that I can't live without it. Setting off a nuke in a rainforest would be, you know, prohibitively expensive.
 
I think there are CG characters out there that look just as good as practical characters. Right now they are far and few between...but the good companies know how to eek out a truly photo--real effect (ie. Weta).

The beauty of good CG is to know when to use it. Like Peter Jackson had some amazing CG with the Orcs and such...from far away they were CG, and when you pulled in for a CU the character was practical. Love it.

Avatar had some amazing CG. Totally believable.

The thing is. I don't get scared by any movie now'adays in terms of monsters or CG. I know they are fake even if they are perfectly practical and done by the best makeup team in the world. I DO, however, get scared by movies like Paranormal Activity. Which had very very little CG in the film...but the CG worked.
 
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