I believe that CGI has given thousands of jobs to editors and created a new feild of expertise in film.
Some films have helped glorify companies, such as lord of the rings with Weta Digital working with Weta Workshop. They made a name for themselves because of the amount of work they put into the 3 films.
Much like Weta, George Lucas' Industrial light and magic company Did a great deal of work on his films and is one of the most well known companies for CGI today.
but I think that these companies have helped CGI improve the industry is by being competetive.
More CGI costs money and for those good at their work, they make alot of it. With these New GPU Computers coming into effects, it is making CGI far easier to do, with less skill.
'Technology and movie-making have always gone hand in hand but the latest breakthroughs are changing the very nature of the process.'
This quote is from the BBC news page, referring to the new GPU systems.
'The GPU is a specialised graphics processor that creates lighting effects and transforms objects every time a 3D scene is redrawn. These tasks are mathematically intensive and in the past were done using the brains of a computer known as the central processing unit or CPU.'
Now the surprising thing about this article is how this can change the industry further:
'"So now you have 24 days for a second's worth of film. By using the GPU for this rendering, you can literally reduce that to one 1,000th of what is was. So if it was say 24 hours to do the job, now you can do it in 24 seconds.'
This could well put people out of jobs, but in the film side of things, can be extremely useful for the film-maker. For example, if the director wanted to change the CGI in the film it would take alot of time and work and money. With this system it would be encouraged, and also makes sure the director gets the right effect he/she needs.
I believe that CGI has pushed it forward into the makebelieve, given us more abstract narratives to work with and has given many people well paying jobs.
Sunday, 22 November 2009
Wednesday, 23 September 2009
Continued...
I always found that in all the new films that are rated bad, mainly focus on special effects than the drama or time taken in making the film.
Most films get a great opening weekend, but seriously dissapoint people.
Some films are rated bad by the LACK of special effects, this is something that really dwells on my mind, Are people looking for special effects? Are they after narrative?
Harry Potter is a good example of this Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince.
When I came to watch this the film focused more on the drama aspect of the book rather than the dramatic action it involves. This is more like a british film making style in my view.Although it was great narrative wise, it did not fully catch the eye of the public.
'This is the least involving of the series so far, with an unclear storyline and action set-pieces that fail to convey the excitement of the book. '
This is an extract from Rotten Tomatoes from a fan that clearly did not like the film. Some people did not like the fact that the film Lacked CGI, which I did not think was the point of this film.
People think a film without CGI for it's genre is not good, and because all of the films that come out of the cinema as blockbusters include big CGI and explosions, as an audience we now EXPECT them.
The Matrix is an example I believe uses CGI to help the Narrative, much like many Sci-Fi films. They use CGI in order to portray the narrative, and the matrix was one of the examples of films that uses a good mix of film styles, from wire fighting, to tricky camera work (the slow motion BULLET TIME shot is a fantastic example of this).
I believe that the sort of films that are made solely for impressing the audience with CGI should be shoved in the bin. I think that modern day effects are ruining film because they are shoddy, do not fit the narrative, and do not work alongside the narrative to deliver the story and energy of the film.
Most films get a great opening weekend, but seriously dissapoint people.
Some films are rated bad by the LACK of special effects, this is something that really dwells on my mind, Are people looking for special effects? Are they after narrative?
Harry Potter is a good example of this Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince.
When I came to watch this the film focused more on the drama aspect of the book rather than the dramatic action it involves. This is more like a british film making style in my view.Although it was great narrative wise, it did not fully catch the eye of the public.
'This is the least involving of the series so far, with an unclear storyline and action set-pieces that fail to convey the excitement of the book. '
This is an extract from Rotten Tomatoes from a fan that clearly did not like the film. Some people did not like the fact that the film Lacked CGI, which I did not think was the point of this film.
People think a film without CGI for it's genre is not good, and because all of the films that come out of the cinema as blockbusters include big CGI and explosions, as an audience we now EXPECT them.
The Matrix is an example I believe uses CGI to help the Narrative, much like many Sci-Fi films. They use CGI in order to portray the narrative, and the matrix was one of the examples of films that uses a good mix of film styles, from wire fighting, to tricky camera work (the slow motion BULLET TIME shot is a fantastic example of this).
I believe that the sort of films that are made solely for impressing the audience with CGI should be shoved in the bin. I think that modern day effects are ruining film because they are shoddy, do not fit the narrative, and do not work alongside the narrative to deliver the story and energy of the film.
Thursday, 17 September 2009
Are Modern Day special effects Ruining film?
Recently I went to watch the film 'G.I. Joe, The Rise of Cobra'. Having said the film itself was cheesy and stereotypical, the effects where not bad, but on the other hand, it does not keep in the realism of film.
-Spoiler-
There is a main piece in the film where the main evil base is destroyed by Ice falling ontop of it and crushing it. Now what strikes me, is that the base is underwater.
Ice does not sink, the effects here are pretty good, but I think as a fan of special effects, we would have all settled with a nice big explosion to finish off the stereotypical 'we beat the bad guys' style of this film.
Another prime example I see if a classic example of the director thinking 'How much sound and effects can we cram into this film to make it work' is Transformers 2.
Transformers 2 is another example of trashy blockbuster cinema, which opens up with Megan fox straddling a bike like she is posing for FHM magazine.
Now, Noted this film holds the second-highest opening day gross of all time, but I felt as though this film had too much CGI and sound in to be taken seriously as a film. The CGI was neccesary for the film considering it's about robots, but I still felt as though it somehow ruins the drama for them.
-Spoiler-
There is a main piece in the film where the main evil base is destroyed by Ice falling ontop of it and crushing it. Now what strikes me, is that the base is underwater.
Ice does not sink, the effects here are pretty good, but I think as a fan of special effects, we would have all settled with a nice big explosion to finish off the stereotypical 'we beat the bad guys' style of this film.
Another prime example I see if a classic example of the director thinking 'How much sound and effects can we cram into this film to make it work' is Transformers 2.
Transformers 2 is another example of trashy blockbuster cinema, which opens up with Megan fox straddling a bike like she is posing for FHM magazine.
Now, Noted this film holds the second-highest opening day gross of all time, but I felt as though this film had too much CGI and sound in to be taken seriously as a film. The CGI was neccesary for the film considering it's about robots, but I still felt as though it somehow ruins the drama for them.
Tuesday, 8 September 2009
Shining the Spotlight
It makes us jump, it creates atmosphere and it's what helped create sci-fi and fantasy alike, it gives us the unreal. Special effects give films an extra edge. I remember hearing from my aunite about how she would hide whenever the cybermen were on doctor who. It looks rediculous and cheesy now, but back then to them it was scary.
From Harryhausen to Fritz Lang, many people have come up with new ways to use special effects. Some of the best films had unique effects which helped create the movie, for example, One of my favorite scenes from a film was the skeleton fight scene in Don Chaffey's film Jason and the Argonaughts, in which the heroes fight off the raised dead . adding drama/Live action alongside effects created an entirely new world, Harryhausen was unique, in which he made models and incorporated them into his films. His most famous being the early 1933 version of King Kong, the film that he was most famous for, The fight between Kong and the Tyrannisaurus which had the actress screaming on a piece of set in the front, whilst the two clay models battled it out in the back, people still rate that film to be one of the greatest to this day.
You could Argue that Modern effects are ruining films, as they focus more on the CGI than they do the actual drama of the film (one being Transformers 2,Michael Bay's so called 'blockbuster of the year' ).
Special effects can also help create shots, for instance, the famous silent black and white science fiction film Metropolios, shows how effects can help shape a film, like the tower of babel shown in the film, or Maria being Transformed
This film was so successful for this time it influenced other films such as blade runner, gotham city for batman, and even the famous C3PO in Star Wars was based on 'Rotwang's robot'.
In one of the books I am reading, a section in the 1990's Action and Disney films were at their height, disney gained the first best picture academy award an animated feature ever received and Terminator 2 Extended the possibilities of digital effects with it's impressive use of CGI. The opening to Terminator two is one of the best Opening scenes I have seen in film and it really captivated me and got me interested in the film, when it had only just started!
By this time, the American Film Industry was developing into the countries most profitable import!
Special Effects today are key to many successful films, and create a sense of realism in a fictional world. One of the greatest examples is The Matrix, one of my favorite films. What I love about films is that they bring unique things that inspire others, and can help shape it even better. I think for modern film the use of Bullet time in the Matrix and the way they used Camera (sticking to the 180 rule of cinematography as well!) has opened up a path to a whole new way of showing fight scenes, guns and other shots.
I found this video which shows the scene at the beggining of the Matrix where the character 'Trinity' Kicks a security guard. To me, this is how Special Effects SHOULD be used, with more immagination, style and originality, which this film shows. Slo Motion Kick
I think a good argument to put forward is 'Are Modern Day special effects Ruining film?' or even 'Too many Special Effects are crammed into films today, do you think using them less would gain more audience or lose them?'
I will carry on reading and exploring the timeline of effects, and Put forward my thoughts on those two arguments I have listed above
From Harryhausen to Fritz Lang, many people have come up with new ways to use special effects. Some of the best films had unique effects which helped create the movie, for example, One of my favorite scenes from a film was the skeleton fight scene in Don Chaffey's film Jason and the Argonaughts, in which the heroes fight off the raised dead . adding drama/Live action alongside effects created an entirely new world, Harryhausen was unique, in which he made models and incorporated them into his films. His most famous being the early 1933 version of King Kong, the film that he was most famous for, The fight between Kong and the Tyrannisaurus which had the actress screaming on a piece of set in the front, whilst the two clay models battled it out in the back, people still rate that film to be one of the greatest to this day.
You could Argue that Modern effects are ruining films, as they focus more on the CGI than they do the actual drama of the film (one being Transformers 2,Michael Bay's so called 'blockbuster of the year' ).
Special effects can also help create shots, for instance, the famous silent black and white science fiction film Metropolios, shows how effects can help shape a film, like the tower of babel shown in the film, or Maria being Transformed
This film was so successful for this time it influenced other films such as blade runner, gotham city for batman, and even the famous C3PO in Star Wars was based on 'Rotwang's robot'.
In one of the books I am reading, a section in the 1990's Action and Disney films were at their height, disney gained the first best picture academy award an animated feature ever received and Terminator 2 Extended the possibilities of digital effects with it's impressive use of CGI. The opening to Terminator two is one of the best Opening scenes I have seen in film and it really captivated me and got me interested in the film, when it had only just started!
By this time, the American Film Industry was developing into the countries most profitable import!
Special Effects today are key to many successful films, and create a sense of realism in a fictional world. One of the greatest examples is The Matrix, one of my favorite films. What I love about films is that they bring unique things that inspire others, and can help shape it even better. I think for modern film the use of Bullet time in the Matrix and the way they used Camera (sticking to the 180 rule of cinematography as well!) has opened up a path to a whole new way of showing fight scenes, guns and other shots.
I found this video which shows the scene at the beggining of the Matrix where the character 'Trinity' Kicks a security guard. To me, this is how Special Effects SHOULD be used, with more immagination, style and originality, which this film shows. Slo Motion Kick
I think a good argument to put forward is 'Are Modern Day special effects Ruining film?' or even 'Too many Special Effects are crammed into films today, do you think using them less would gain more audience or lose them?'
I will carry on reading and exploring the timeline of effects, and Put forward my thoughts on those two arguments I have listed above
Friday, 10 July 2009
CGI has changed the experiance of viewing film
Can you remember the silent films of laurel and hardy? Imagine them with CGI, when the ladder hits laurel, what if there was an explosion added? Well after a bit of time sorting out my main title, i have finally been given this one. It is a topic that can be researched through many films, hopefully this will be good when linked to my focus films, and I can research the multitude of attitudes and opinions towards our big special effects, how people see them, and how it can enhance their experiance of watching the film. Imagine Star wars without lightsabers, what would be the effect of that, how much would we see the film differently?
Wednesday, 8 July 2009
How has CGI changed film since the late 70's until now?
For a while now I have contemplated what I would consider a practical subject to go forth with . With CGI i found i could do a number of things relating to film like 'How has CGI changed blockbuster film!?' or 'How has CGI changed and helped fantasy film'. Well looking at that last title I can't help but notice that Fantasy film, Sci fi films and other fictional non-realistic film NEED CGI to progress the narrative of the story, or even help it!.
An example would be from my focus film's, the 'Star Wars' Trilogy (1977 ones, not the recent films) ,'Lord of the Rings' Trilogy and more recent films such as the Harry Potter films, and Star Trek! The one sole thing that befuddled me was 'Do they actually need CGI to tell the story'
These films field a variety of the use of CGI and i want to find out how they have changed film, the way we watch films and what we gather from them.
I have always been interested in CGI ever since i saw 'Toy Story' as a child. I loved the way people could create a world of imagination from just sitting at there desks and hammering away at their mouse and keyboard to create art and imagery.
We all know the massive fan base that the lord of the rings holds as well as the star wars films, and i couldn't help but wonder if they have a comparison. If it were not for films like Star wars, would we have had the technology to create films like star trek or harry potter?
What I hope to Achieve in doing this is to gain a broader knowledge about CGI, know how some effects are made, how the effects help film and why they are so important!
A couple of books I have found should help me in finding more about the subject than I would watching video's 20/4/7 and hopefully I can find some of the extracts in the book helpful towards the project!
Saturday, 20 June 2009
OK! This is my starting entry to this new blog for our FM Small Scale Research Project.
It's Been very difficult thinking about what i might do but i eventually came up with a few idea's... BASE... Ideas. things which could prove challenging to me, for instance i know someone is doing Horror, and things linked to horror.
So, being a fan of most film (and fantasy in particular) my current thoughts are to research:
'How has fantasy film developed since the 1960's'
'How has CGI (visual effects) developed and helped Fantasy film'
'How has Weta-Digital, Industrial Light and *Magic and other companies benefited from film'
* A Lucas Arts Company that is well re-known for it's work
'Auteur - Kevin Smith'
'Auteur - Steven Spielburg'
At the moment these seem a logical choice for the knowledge i have about film, i am yet to think up better idea's and/or develope the current ones i have, thanks for reading, more is yet to come!
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