10 Films That Revolutionized
Computer Graphics
#2 - The Star Wars Prequels to
Download PDF
Overall, it was a lot harder to narrow this second half down to five films, and I think there are only three in this section that absolutely couldn't be argued against: The Lord of the Rings, The Matrix, and Avatar. Those films stand on a level with Terminator 2 and Toy Story in terms of both influence and innovation, and in no circumstance could they have been left off.
Overall, it was a lot harder to narrow this second half down to five films, and I think there are only three in this section that absolutely couldn't be argued against: The Lord of the Rings, The Matrix, and Avatar. Those films stand on a level with Terminator 2 and Toy Story in terms of both influence and innovation, and in no circumstance could they have been left off.
The
hardest film not to include was Pirates of the Caribbean 2, because to
this day Davy Jones is one of the single greatest 3D characters ever to appear
in a live action film. Ultimately however, Pirates' greatest
achievement is something that The Lord of the Rings had done years
earlier and every bit as well—therefore Dead Man's Chest was omitted in
favor of Benjamin Button.
6. The Star Wars Prequels (1999, 2002, 2005):
Quite possibly the most anticipated movies of all time, and
undoubtedly some of the most polarizing. No matter who you were you
wanted to like the prequels, because heck, it's Star Wars after
all! But there were things you just couldn't ignore stiff acting, clumsy
scripts, and a certain character we won't name.
This
isn't a film review however, and I own the art books for each of the three
prequel installments. Simply put, they're one of the most awe inspiring
collections of concept art I've ever seen one look at the drawings, paintings,
and pure imagination on display in those volumes, and it's immediately clear
that any shortcomings the trilogy might have suffered had nothing to do with
the artists who designed the films.
And
ILM, bless their souls, had the chutzpa to digitize it all and bring it to
screen. If the stunning vistas of Tatooine, Naboo, and Coruscant look
good in a 12 by 8 hardcover, they were revelatory when you saw them on a 70
foot screen. The Phantom Menace is the first movie that used
computer graphics pervasively for set extension and replacement approximately
90% of the film's shots used CG in some way, and there are over 60 digital
characters in the film.
Attack
of the Clones upped
the ante with a spectacular space battle and some of the most stylistically
diverse digital environments ever seen. That film in particular has been
criticized for having more style than substance. But
it did have style.
Paved the way for: Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow (2004), I, Robot (2004), Sin City (2005)
Of
course, none of this was good enough to earn Episode I 1999's Oscar for
visual effects. That honor went to: Photo
Shop: Register www.shiksha.com/Photo+Shop+TrainingFind Top Training Academy in India. Get info on
Courses,Admission,Fees.
Polyester
Film kaverimetallising.com/Polyester FilmMfr. & Supplier of Best Polyester Film, Competitive
Price. Contact Us
Packaging
Film www.alibaba.com Supplies Made to Order from World's Largest Supplier Base.
Top Deals!
7. The Matrix (1999):
Although
we've been witnessing The Matrix's influence for over ten years now,
when this movie came out its cinematography was something nobody had seen or
done ever before. The Matrix grabbed the world's attention
with some of the most remarkable action sequences ever put to celluloid, as
Keanu Reeves' Neo defied time, gravity, and the very fabric of reality.
The
key sequences in The Matrix were filmed with a circular array of
cameras, which allowed the "bullet-time" camera panning that took the
world by storm. Computer aided interpolation was used to fill in gaps,
and because cameras were visible in most shots, backgrounds were populated with
3D models. In a CGSociety & 3D World poll that featured input from
over 6,000 industry professionals, The Matrix ranked as the number one
3D effects film of all time (Jurassic Park was second).
One
final note, and something oft overlooked: The Matrix VFX team was
incredibly efficient considering how groundbreaking their work was.
Compared to some of the mega-budget blockbusters on this list (a few costing
upwards of $200M), The Matrix was completed for a relatively cheap $62
million. Of course, District
9 takes the cake for frugality,
costing only $30M 2009 dollars and looking better than many films that cost
five time that how about a round of applause for Image Engine.
Paved the way for: The One (2001), 300 (2006), G.I. Joe (2009).
8. The
Lord of the Rings Trilogy (2001 - 2003):
Firsts: First use of MASSIVE crowd simulation for battle
scenes, most advanced performance capture work up to that date.
Paved the way for: Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006), the 20 films that've licensed MASSIVE.
One
of the most accomplished and beloved trilogies of all time, Peter Jackson's
interpretation of Tolkien's masterpiece absolutely dominated the Academy Award
for Visual Effects in the early 2000s, taking home the high honor three years
in a row from 2001 to 2003.
The
films are gorgeous, a thrilling testament to what can be accomplished when
ambition crosses paths with talent and vision. They also played a pivotal
role in two of the most important advancements in visual effects to come out of
the early 2000s.
The
first, and most iconic is the unprecedented motion capture system used to bring
the fully computer generated Gollum to screen. Played by Andy Serkis, Gollum is
WETA digital's crown achievement and stands to this day as one of the most
lifelike performances ever put forth by a digital character.
The
second masterstroke was a little piece of software called MASSIVE (Multiple
Agent Simulation System in Virtual Environment). The software enabled thousands
of digital characters to act and react independently to the characters around
them, providing the underlying framework for the enormous battle sequences
Jackson used to cap off his second two films. MASSIVE has been used in over 20
films since the trilogy ended, including 300, Happy Feet, and most recently
Avatar.
Paved the way for: Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006), the 20 films that've licensed MASSIVE.
9. The
Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008):
Firsts: Broke new ground in photorealistic facial animation, 3D scanning, and performance capture. Probably the first feature film to
look the uncanny valley in its metaphorical face and say, "not
today."
Paved the way for: To my knowledge these techniques haven't been duplicated since Button. Captain America springs to mind, but their technical workflow was actually quite dissimilar.
Benjamin Button
might end up being one of the more contentious films on this list, because when
you think of typical effects films a David Fincher fantasy-drama doesn't
immediately spring to mind. Indeed, there are probably films I could have
chosen instead of this one that are more outwardly impressive one of the
Pirates of the Caribbean movies, or Transformers (for the staggering
complexity of the robot models).
The
reason I chose Button is because it succeeded where so many have tried
and failed photorealistic facial animation. Most attempts at
photorealistic human characters prior to Benjamin Button were relatively
impressive for their day, but ultimately plagued by a phenomenon known as the uncanny
valley. Previous tries, like Final Fantasy, Beowulf,
and The Polar Express were "off" just enough to be creepy.
But
as they have so many times in the past, Digital Domain got it right with Benjamin
Button. A huge majority of Brad Pitt's facial shots in the film
employ some sort of digital manipulation, and most shots containing the
digitally aged Pitt feature a fully computer generated head replacement. A
technical triumph subtle, but groundbreaking.
Paved the way for: To my knowledge these techniques haven't been duplicated since Button. Captain America springs to mind, but their technical workflow was actually quite dissimilar.
10. Avatar
(2009):
Firsts: First live-action film to be shot in native 3D (as
opposed to post-converted), with stereoscopic camera rigs.
Paved the wave for: The current resurgence of 3D, How to Train Your Dragon (2012), and a slew of second-rate imitators capitalizing on the trend....
The
final entry on our list is also James Cameron's third to make the cut. Avatar
is notable for many things, not the least of which was it's utterly
inconceivable box office totals. But years down the road when all the
records have been broken, Avatar will be remembered for its complex
world-building and its status as the film that brought stereoscopic 3D to the
forefront.
Avatar
may have been relatively derivative in its storytelling it's a tale we've seen
played out in film and in history over and over again for the better part of
two millennia. Where the film succeeded most was in the vivid digital
world of Pandora. The planet's lush, bio-luminescent jungles are a sight
to behold, and WETA used Mari to achieve some of the most exemplary character/creature
texturing in recent memory.
And
of course, the whole experience was elevated by Cameron's groundbreaking
stereoscopic 3D camera rigs. What would otherwise have been a gorgeous
effects film in an era when great effects are expected, became the highest
grossing film of all time an instant classic that ushered in an entire new era
of cinema.
Paved the wave for: The current resurgence of 3D, How to Train Your Dragon (2012), and a slew of second-rate imitators capitalizing on the trend....
0 comments:
Post a Comment