Comparison between old film special effects and modern day special effects For my comparison I picked out the 1982 science fiction film Tron and its sequel Tron: Legacy released in 2010. Tron is about a computer hacker who is seized into the digital world. He is forced to participate in gladiatorial games with no chance of escaping except for the help of a heroic security programme (Lisberger et al., 1982). The reason I picked Tron is for its uniqueness in visual effects, as well as in other areas, such art direction, set decoration and more. It was one of the first films to be influenced by the video game obsession, particularly Pong, the first video game in history, made in 1972. Tron was the first live-action film to use CGI to a lengthy degree of about 15 to 20 minutes. In spite of using CGI, more traditional techniques, such as matte painting, are used in the film. For example, the glowing electric circuits on the costumes of the characters were hand-painted frame by frame. “It consists of superimposing transparent plates on the film, hand-drawn with landscape scenes.” (Mantovani, Porcaro, Villa, 2015) This technique was very widely used in films since it allowed the ‘making’ of sets and landscapes without the need to build them. Most of the scenes, backgrounds, and visual effects in the film were created using a traditional process called …show more content…
He meets his father's creation and an ally who was born inside this digital world (Kosinski et al., 2010). Tron: Legacy proves very interesting in showing how much progress has been made with CGI and technology since it’s predecessor. This film features various techniques such as “digital performance capture, advanced 3D cameras and sophisticated computer rendering of live actors into digital sets.” (Thompson, 2010) In fact, it’s said that 90% of the film is
In effect all the techniques mentioned above portray a society of individuals who are weary of the world they live in. They are rejects who lead a pitiful existence in a wasteland called earth because they are not fit enough to go the out-world colonies. Suppressing their own natural instincts for the sake of physically surviving they really the walking dead. Scientific progress conducted not for the best interests of humanity but for the best interests of business has effectively brought about the progressive degradation of society. By exploiting and destroying the natural world human can no more find solace or beauty so as to recuperate their weary minds and rekindle their dying spirits. In summary the techniques that are unique to film such as camera, lighting, costuming, colour and location works in conjunction with common literary techniques such as visual symbolism, irony and characterisation to effectively convey the relationship between humanity and nature.
consider to be more modern film techniques. Montage plays a key role in this film, as
An examination of videogames in popular culture is a complicated one. There is a large debate as to what is the very first video game. The supposed earliest known video game was created by Thomas T. Goldsmith Jr. and Estle Ray Mann on a cathode ray tube in 1947. The game was a missile simulator similar to radar displays from World War II, and overlaid sheets of paper were used for targets since graphics were unknown at this time. On May 5, 1951, the NIMROD computer was presented in Britain. It used a panel of lights for its display and was used to play a game called “NIM”. Later, in 1952, Alexander S. Douglas made the first compu...
Matsuji’s complexion was very dark; which proved all his hard outdoor labor. A key film technique was a...
These days more and more audience like to see their beloved actors and actresses portray superhero or heroine figure in spandex suit blasting laser beam from their eyes, turn into fire then fly away to outer space, or even a scientist who turn into a huge, green, car-throwing, head-smashing monster with indestructible pants when he transforms. But not small amount audience like films with classical-antiquity geographical and timeline set such as Ben-Hur, 300, Spartacus, etc. Antiquity and modernity always be an important part in filmmaking, whether in its screenplay, set design or character design. In some movies these aspect can be shown separately or combined in sort of a new way in filmmaking.
...successful collaboration of sound, colour, camera positioning and lighting are instrumental in portraying these themes. The techniques used heighten the suspense, drama and mood of each scene and enhance the film in order to convey to the spectator the intended messages.
As time and people are continually changing, so is knowledge and information; and in the film industry there are inevitable technological advances necessary to keep the attraction of the public. It is through graphic effects, sounds and visual recordings that all individuals see how we have evolved to present day digital technology; and it is because of the efforts and ideas of the first and latest great innovators of the twentieth century that we have advanced in film and computers.
Looking at today’s movies, we are met with vivid colors, fantastical landscapes, creatures from distant planets, and an augmented reality. Amazing, but all computer generated. So what ever happened to good old special effects makeup? Physical application and design were the “go to” methods for a long time in the film industry. SFX makeup set the foundation for today’s CGI. Computer generated imagery has evolved and spread throughout cinematography and the film world like wildfire. Although computer generated imagery offers countless creative opportunities, the art form of special effects makeup should be practiced and preserved, as just that- an art form.
One of the films most important and groundbreaking technology is the use of motion capture. Motion capture technology has the ability to capture more realistic eye movements. Special reflective markers are placed onto the actors, which are wearing tight suits. Cameras recognize these markers and therefore the movements of the actor can be recorded. The captured data that was recorded is transformed into a digital model and transferred to a 3D software which would show the characters moving exactly how the actors did when they were performing for the scene. The data is cleaned up and animators will bring the character to life, with movement, texture, skeleton and muscles. An advantage that is offered in motion capture is it is more rapid and producing the animate...
The film Cinema Paradiso was originated in 1988, it is a drama film that was directed by Giuseppe Tornatore and it’s original title was Nuovo Cinema Paradiso. The film was an inspiring way of exploring Italian Cinema and how it’s importance to viewers it truly is. Salvator, who is the main character looked up to Alfredo as a child, who was his best friend and teacher who taught him everything he knows about film making. In Cinema Paradiso the film dealt with several elements such as scenery, photography, editing, sound, lighting. Cinema Paradiso film showed specific understanding of the Italian and American traditions place in the history of this film. Cinema Paradiso is a film that not only is strong in Italian culture but also shows the significance
...have already begun to see – more as a means to playful firing visual fascination. The opposition of realistic film visual culture and non-narrative montage tradition has begun to breakdown. It is leading towards hybridization of realistic and stylized editing. Thus at one extreme there is a montage phenomenon of music video and on the other hand the editing technique of traditional cinema comes together. Montage is no longer a dominant aesthetic according to the new computer culture, as it was throughout the twentieth century, from the avant-garde of the 1920s up until postmodernism of the 1980s. New editing techniques like composting has emerged which combines different spaces into a single environment seamlessly creating a virtual space. Compositing is an example of the alternative aesthetics of continuity and it is considered counterpart of montage aesthetics.
The Matrix is a sci-fi action film about a computer hacker named Neo that has been brought into another world deemed “the matrix.” The Matrix is a prime example of cinematography. The film uses many different types of cinematography such as mise-en-scene, special effects, and camera shots to make it interesting and entertaining to the audience guiding their attention to the important aspects of the film.
One increasingly important type of animation is computer-generated imagery (CGI), in which the computer creates the characters and backgrounds and animates them without actually photographing either cels or figures. Films made entirely with CGI include Toy Story (1995), Antz (1998), and A Bug's Life (1998).
Computer Generated Imagery began with awkward and dull effects in the early 1980’s. The 1982 film “Tron” was a desperate attempt from Disney to jump on the CGI bandwagon and start a revolution in film making technologies (imdb.com). Although this film showed an attempt at something that had never been done before in the history of cinematics, it was weird and confusing. This broke the door down for other companies to start up and aid films in creating better and better effects that appealed to a larger market. Although the effects were not good in the early days, the general film going public was astonished by computer generated effects and flocked to the theaters to see these cheesy attempts to use basic technology that did not transfer well to the silver screen. It was not until later films like “Jurassic Park,” “Toy Story,” and “The Lord of the Rings” until CGI became a film making powerhouse and the killer application for high budget movies.
...still very much the same as they were many years ago, just with modern twists, like electricity for lighting effects and sound effects.