Week 1

Guess the movies class task

An American werewolf in London by John Landis (1981)
Total recoil (1990)
Tron Legacy by Joseph Kosinski (2010) The de-aging of jess bridges was done by the make up a artist who worked on ‘An American werewolf in London’. The post  production team used Mova Contour and only mova Contour for the de-aging.

  space Odyssey (2001) 2) The Abyss by James Cameron (1989) Jason and the argonauts by Don Chaffey (1963)

Pirates of the Caribbean by Gore Verbinski (2003)

Luxo Junior(1986)Tron by Steven Lisberger (1982) Trip to the Moon GeorgeMellow (1902)Lord of the rings by Peter Jackson (2001,2002,2003)King Long by Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack (1933)

Terminator 2 by James Cameron (1991)

Interstellar by Christopher Nolan (2014)

Raiders of the lost ark by Steven Spielberg (1891)

Young Sherlock Holmes by Barry Levinson (1895)

What is your favourite Visual effects shot?

Dr.Manhattan from Watchmen

 

What is your favorite Special effects shot

Star wars a new hope, specifically the space battles. Models would be used for these scenes as visual effects wasn’t evolved anywhere near where it is today.

What is the difference between visual and special effects?

Visual effects – Is a combination of using real life sequences with computer graphics. Great examples are the terminator 2 second terminator sequences. Avatar is filled with visual effects throughout the film.

special effects – Is a combination of using real life sequences with non computerised effects. These effects include stop motion simple sequence editing to create mesmerizing effects.

Through the looking glass: Philosophical Toys and Digital Effects (homework)

After reading through all of the ‘Through the looking glass’ I now understand the meanings of the text displayed in the booklet, discussing the idea of camera lenses as well as the impacts of visual effects in films.

The beginning of the booklet talks about the coexistence of scientists and movies. How it’s important for Visual effects to get opinions on the physics of fictional object or characters. An example of this is ‘The Abyss’. ILM is a visual effects company that worked on a ground breaking scene (at the time) involving water. Water was something that was still in it’s infancy when controlling on digital programs, the company set out to collaborate with a university and it’s scientists to figure out how the physics of the water would work. Because ‘The Abyss’ was a fictional supernatural film that included a scene involving water that is impossible to occur in the real world. Regardless the post production company ILM wanted to understand the movement and response the water would have in the requested scene that James Cameron wanted the company to replicate. The scene involved water being manipulated by a fictional unknown entity, constantly moving around and making shapes that water wouldn’t naturally make, this work was known as ‘vorticity’. This example of film relying on scientists opinions was necessary to get the best result possible on screen. Especially since the scene was ground breaking and had nothing to go off of. Water had never been manipulated in such a way in the history of film. Reading this from the article, in my opinion I think it was absolutely necessary for ILM to reach out for a second opinion. The second opinion were scientists that understood the way the water would play around and so they were experts in the theory of how the scene would play out. Personally I do think that the extra layer of realism makes a tremendous impact on visual effects.

The article/booklet then begins to explain that films don’t always rely on real life physics to achieve their goals in storytelling, ‘Cheating reality for dramatic purposes’. They reference ‘Avatar’ as an example of this. ‘Avatar’ cheats physics according to this article by changing the natural coloring of light. Naturally fire light would have made the Navi, who are blue characters grey making them darker. James Cameron decides to break the laws of physics so that the characters don’t become as hard to see during the movie. This color lighting law that James Cameron breaks is called ‘spectral compensation’.

‘Avatar’ and ‘The Abyss’ both share the same director James Cameron. In my opinion I think they made examples of one director using opposite techniques so the reader is reminded that although physics is important to directors for visuals to look real, there still needs to be a story told. What I mean by this is that although visual effects needs to look as convincing as possible to the eye it also needs to tell a story. If the Navi (blue aliens) did appear grey around firelight then darker scenes would make it very hard for the human eyes to navigate the scene and storytelling from James Cameron. It’s an understandable decision to make for a film.

Perceptual Realism

Perceptual realism is the art of digital or special effects following the the dimensional world rules in the film/on camera. The dimensional rules are laws of physics that the effects must follow to capture this false realism on screen.

• size and positioning of objects in space
• texturing and apparent density of detail
• behaviour of light as it interacts with the physical world
• principles of motion and anatomy
• physics involved in dynamic systems (water, clouds and fire)

Through the looking glass uses Steven Spielberg’s ‘Jurassic park’ as a reference for following these rules of physics. The rules principles applied make the scenes credible and realistic because it follows the same observable laws of physics as the world they inhabit, according to the chapter of Perceptual Realism. It then goes on to say that despite the films looking realistic by eye the factual basis of the ‘dinosaurs are referentially false’. Regardless the fake designs create this realism through the rules of a three-dimensional world, persuading viewers of their existence on screen evoking perceptual realism. Although viewers know of the dinosaurs non existence in present day, viewers could still be sensually persuaded perceptually in the fiction. The paper goes on to explain the old fake films involving extinct or non-existent creature would rely on the three dimensional world laws to convey false perceptual realism. This is because traditional effects have been limited in their ability to create realism.

Towards the end of Perceptual Realism the article goes on to explain that old films such as Godzilla in (1925) and King Kong (1933) broke one of the perceptual rules of reality when trying to create fictional creatures. Both used models that would be brought closer to the camera and would be stop motion so that the characters could appear huge and move around. One down side that this paper goes in to is how the beings couldn’t interact with the actors in the film physically, breaking the dramatic space of the screen’s action. Causing scepticism to the viewers. This can trigger reality checks during the film causing false belief in the fictional world the story is trying to convey.

This section of ‘Through the looking glass’ focuses on the importance of belief in visual and special effects. In order to do that the physics of the effects need to follow the real world’s laws, in order to deceive the eyes of audiences. If the effects aren’t convincing enough then the audiences can loose belief in the world building of the story.

Orthodox assumptions about Visual Effects

Orthodox assumptions about Visual Effects questions the narrative side of films when using visual effects. Specifically the scene of the brachiosaur near the beginning of Jurassic park. Michelle Pierson (2002) ‘writes that the film’s narrative (in Jurassic Park) stops dead so that the digital effects can be showcased at length. Describing that there’s a massive build up in score and character reaction in a visual spectacle just for its own sake. Her view goes on about how the scene is just to show of the visuals as being something cool and not for the benefit of the story. Another opinion that argues that the visuals slows the plot of the movie down is by Andrew Darley. Commenting that ‘the story becomes the display; and the display becomes the story. The spectacle halts motivated movement’. He then comments that it exists for itself’.

The chapter then goes on to flesh the belief of pointless visuals even further through highly influential scholars arguing over early cinema. Believing that early cinema was less interested in narrative and more in visuals and cool shots.

Tom Gunning’s work in the early age of film helped build ‘the cinema of attractions’ as a core idea. Taking a narrative turn from the old silent films that would be the norm in the beginning of film. Hollywood would support this idea. An essay would be written about the point of cinema titled cinema of attractions. This is where the ‘Cinema of attractions’ name came from, arguing that cinema was a spectacle rather than something that was filled with great stories.

Overall this chapter question the point of visuals and Hollywood’s movement with the film industry. Briefly going over the evolution from silent film in to narrative and now going in to an age of technology and visuals. This new age is seen to be a negative movement in ‘Orthodox assumptions about visual effects’. Seen to have taken away the acing and storytelling of a movie, using Jurassic park as the articles key film reference. Even going on to say ‘digital effects is partly a manifestation of the legacy of an anti-narrative’. describing that the effects in visuals goes against the story completely almost ruining it. I disagree with this take on ‘Cinema of attractions’, specifically on Jurassic park. I think the opening scene of the first dinosaur introduced to the franchise was absolutely necessary for the reason of storytelling and not just a visual spectacle. The scene perfectly captures the shock of the characters to give a sense of reality. The reactions from the main characters are essential for the sake of the storytelling and the belief in the world building for that scene. It’s the first introduction for the audience in to the world of Jurassic park.

The eye is an optical instrument

The eye is an optical instrument covers the purpose of the camera and the history as well as reasoning for its invention. Designed to work similarly to an eye using lenses and stop motion tape that would loop infinitely, the camera is mentioned a few times to be ‘a bridge between art an science’. Covering the impact that philosophers and scientists impact on cinema, following the creation of the camera as well as the physics behind movie scenes. In 1968 a man named Hemholtz wrote along the lines that the eye is an instrument, explaining the different flaws in the eye and how it can be manipulated/tricked explaining blind spots and gaps in the retina. In 2001 Nicholas Wade and Stanley Finger used this same thinking for eyes to that of a camera. ‘Both devices being capable of focusing on variable distances’. The rest of the chapter follows the specifics of tricks and physics that apply to a camera the same of that an eye. The origins of the camera descend from scientists and art as well as light and the interaction of reflections. Tricks to the eye began to take shape, projection systems designed to exploit the eye were studied. Examples of this are fast moving images that would cycle round. Origins of the camera are looked in to and the camera is referenced as a ‘philosophical toy’.

I found this section of the paper intriguing. It followed the history of scientists and the inventions of cameras as well as film that would eventually go on to shape Hollywood and have a dual function of entertainment and science.

Realism and Digital Visual Effects

The entertainment side of visual perception were originally popular in fair grounds playing with the perceptions of fast moving objects and light. It was the first form of visual film that could be shown before movies. It was seen to be scientific experimentation. 1895 was when the emergence of popular film culture broke through taking over. The chapter explains that decades later a new era of cinema has taken over with a toolbox available for digital effects, creating artificial realms that wouldn’t be possible to make in the past is now possible. Creating perceptual arts of realism with faces, objects, environments and creatures. Realism and digital effects uses film references for this new age of film. Using ‘The Zodiac’ to demonstrate the digital methods the films took in order to achieve the look of the movie. Methods such as scene recreation, manipulating real places to be as historically accurate as the real life counterpart story was in real life. This chapter also use Benjamin Button and its de-aging tools combined with the make up as well as set re-design.

The chapter proves that digital effects is necessary for this new age of film to make these new beloved films. Even if the film isn’t an action genre and stays in the same realm as we live in with the same physics, visual effects is still needed even for basic purposes like set re-design. I really like the way Through the looking glass ends. In Orthodox Assumptions about Visual Effects the idea of visual and special effects being necessary in film is put in to question. Is it needed? Does it slow the narrative down with over the top pointless digital scenes? The final chapter Realism and Digital Visual Effects comes full circle talking about pop culture films with digital effects and how important the effects of modern technology has in film. I enjoyed reading the booklet as it questions the idea of importance for digital media.

End of ‘Through the looking glass’

 

 

 

 

Week 2

Spectacle effects – What is spectacular effects? It is the idea or purpose of exaggerated effects being added to the scene specifically for the visuals. It isn’t necessary from a narrative stand point and exists for the idea of being nice to look at. Examples of this are action sequences with lots of explosions and dragged out scenes.

Sherlock Holmes uses spectacle effects in an action sequence in the woods. The scene follows exaggerated actions and explosions. It doesn’t offer too much narratively as in my opinion the scene is dragged out to look cool. The unnecessary nous of the explosions are an act of spectacle effects as it offers no real purpose other than to look cool.

 

Invisible effects – What is invisible effects? It is the subtle but necessary adjustments a scene requires for the look of the story.  Invisible effects are usually added in film and tv that are set in the past. Invisible special effects are often used to change the background or setting of places. What will usually happen is a location will no longer exist or be too hard to get permission to film. The invisible effects will make changes to the location so it will fit the narrative, especially if the stories following a historic event.

The walk is a historic event that takes place on the twin Towers in Ney York. The statue of Liberty and New York was re-made digitally to fit the buildings and look of the city for when it took place in real life.  The film is trying to look as historically accurate as possible. This is an example of invisible effects.

 

Beyond Spectacle – introduction

The writer explains in a ‘Beyond Spectacle’ that special effects is considered in the present day to take away the narration in films. Pausing story telling for the viewers and serving the purpose of being just a spectacle. Stating ‘for many people, visual effects calls to mind gaudy spectacle. overstuffed blockbusters and overwhelmed good story telling’. The writer acknowledges the hatred and misconceptions of visual effects in storytelling. On the second page of the introduction they argue that digital effects has a higher purpose than what it’s usually conceived of doing, which is fantasy action spectacles. That higher purpose is to complement the narrative, quite literally the opposite of what some people think of visual effects having a negative impact on film making.

The writer goes in depth on page 2 of Beyond Spectacle about the crucial role of digital effects in some films, most notably ‘Avatar’ and ‘Toy story’. Both films use visual effects throughout the movies and are staple films in Hollywood. Also that other films that don’t require nearly as much visual effects than those two examples still benefit from the subtle invisible effects for a narrative purpose. However the writer briefly acknowledges the times where digital effects takes away from the story telling on page 3. Also they go in to detail about the common misconception between visual and special effects and the history of the Oscar awards categories being changed because of the introduction of visual effects.

Page 4 goes in to the purpose of visual effects. How it complements performances rather than getting in the way or being something completely different to the live action performances. Such as special effects which can be hard to interact with for an actor. James Cameron directing Avatar is used as an example for breaking the boundaries and attaching live performances with motion capture, an art of digital effects tracking the positioning of real objects as well as people. Described to live “coextensively with narrative film making”.  This page acknowledges the argument that visual effects is hated on for pausing or destroying the narrative of films, regardless the page argues that digital effects helps establish the narrative transforming the film production.

Page 5 goes in to the history of optical printers, making layers of film that would be altered and placed over the original movie film for effects. That this way of film making is off for the viewers, being described as ‘susceptible’. Computerized graphics does this technique in a far more superior way with more realism and being less susceptible.

Page 6 covers the impact of Jurassic park, taking visual effects center stage and gaining more recognition from the public. That the introduction of digital effects broke limitations and allowed for longer shots for directors. It also introduced the debate between spectacle and narrative effects.

Page 7 talk about the three ways an actor can be implemented in a digital world. 1) motion capture. 2) composited in a digital world and 3) create a digital character performing as an actor. How the implements of actors being represented in the digital world can be shown in a number of films such as ‘Wall-E’ and ‘Lord of the rings’. This page also discusses how the environments on sets can be manipulated to the narration of the story. Making it easier for viewers to watch films without questioning the realism of the locations in the theatres. These effects can completely re-invent locations allowing for filmmakers to successfully create whatever they desire to film, creating almost no limitations. It also discusses the realism of digital characters and how the audience can been irritated by the look of something if it doesn’t look natural.

Page 8 is similar to what I mentioned on the previous page, going in to detail about the limitations being broken allowing for fully immersive 3 dimensional sets to be made for films creating pretty much any set a director or producer wants. Digital effects allows for filmmakers to craft anything digitally in persuasive ways, having greater credibility than any other techniques seen in the past such as optical printing.

Page 9-10 go in to detail about the use of visual effects. Saying that it is not something new, that the concept of manipulating images has been used for a century and is something that continues to keep developing itself. These new effects are now used digitally by computers. Although computers carry out these actions of creating and rendering users are the one’s that are in full control and have the creative power. Through the art of digital effects worlds such as James Cameron’s Avatar (Pandora) are fully immersed and fleshed out for viewers. Worlds can be so detailed and textured through computers that audiences can be fooled by the realism of the effects.

end of introduction

 

 

 

Week 3

Principles of illusion

• Assumption
• presumption
• context in reality

Lumiere brothers were the first film makers ever. Originally they just created film as a demonstration to others in fun fair during the late 1890’s. The films would be simple scenes with no stories, just captures of people getting on to a train. This early era is known as “Cinema of attractions”, being made as a spectacle for people to see images brought to life, of boring daily things that people would see. The amazement came from the idea alone, not what was being filmed.

 

The rapid movement of picture frames created the illusion that an image was moving, that’s one of the most popular tricks during this time. The frames needed to change consecutively with correct frame rates for people to understand and fully grasp what was playing. This is used for zoetrope. Zoetrope’s are wheels that spin, a mechanism that creates a movement with the use of strobe lights. They spin very quickly creating frames for the strobe lights to put together.

Persistence of vision – Afterimage is thought to persist one twenty fifth of a second on the retina.

 

Eadweard Muybridge is a famous person who studied the galloping of horses with cameras and pictures. He would study how horses would move at speed.

George Melies – Producer, director and actor, considered to also be the father of filmmaking. He was a artist/magician turned filmmaker that recorded miniatures and art work to create the first forms of special effects. Captivating the cinema audiences that would watch his work. He was one of the first to go in to the fantasy worlds. Martin Scorsese has said that Melies invented it all. Born in Paris 1861 and died 1938 (from cancer) he pushed the boundaries of film making and belief, birthing a history of special and visual effects in the film industry. “A trip to the moon” is one of his most famous pieces of work. A film about some men going to the moon and experiencing a journey like no other. A lot of his work weren’t too in depth in the narrative but the visuals. Creating science fiction worlds as well as fantasy.

 

Metropolis 1927 was a succession of Melies work with science fiction. The film went in to the future, showing what life could be like in 100 years or so.

 

 

King Kong task compare between original and remake

(research scenes from Kong 1933 and Kong 2005 tell the differences in own time)

(128) KING KONG (1933) ending scene – YouTube

(128) King Kong | Climbing Up (and Falling from) the Empire State Building – YouTube

The two scenes I used to compare are from the end of each movie. King Kong is climbing the Empire state building and battling against the planes. First of all I will list the key most noticeable differences. The original uses special effects and the 2005 remake uses visual effects. This massive difference can be seen as limitation for the original movie. Using special effects for the model’s stop animation prevents a lot of touch and dialogue from the actors to the Kong. This breaks the realism rules of communication to the audience.

I think it’s interesting how each film went on for in time length. What much of that time was used to show. What angle were the two movies trying to achieve.

The next difference I will go over is the style in storytelling. The remake uses a lot more dialogue and screen time to convey story for the characters. It uses the screen time to show empathy between the kidnapped girl and the beast. Uses more sound throughout the scene compared to the original 1933 film. I found this version to be more visual/spectacle than narration. Less dialogue was used. Whether this was a limitation from the model or for the story or even for the spectacle I’m not quite sure. It would be fitting for this film to follow the movies of spectacle since the age of it is very old. I believe this was a massive cultural film when it first came out. Pushing the boundaries of effects. I do think these two movies prove that films have approached a more narrative side today. Or at least for the 2005 version.

 

The cinema of attractions reloaded

The cinema of attractions is about the history between the narrative and spectacle in film. The introduction to “the cinema of attractions” goes on about the success and thrill of films before 1906. How the purpose of filmmaking was something that started to fade away over time. That film making had adopted literature as well as theatre causing it to loose the purpose of excitement.

The booklet goes on to investigate two famous directors that shaped cinema in the early years. One was called Lumiere and the other Melies. Both were very famous and respectable in their own fields. However, the two had very different reasons for creating films. Lumiere was a man that focused towards the storytelling of his films, staying more towards the real world. He would be a big factor for the move of narrative. While Melies created his films around the tricks and camera techniques he could perform. Inventing new ways of storytelling that would be used in decades on decades later.

The author also mentions that in early cinema the cinema of attractions age often played with the audience. Breaking the fourth wall with actors looking and smirking at the camera. Tom Gunning (the author), mentions that this type of cinema collapses the fictional world being told. Erotic films included this technique, one example used for this was “Correction” by Noel Burch.

Films before 1906 were an attraction, using many tricks to gain as much attentions as possible. Many of these movies were plotless, solely focusing on the look. These movies didn’t need plot to engage viewers and if they did it would be loose plot. Plot that would be very simple so that the tricks would suit the scene. Theatres would produce sound effects over the soundless pictures producing a fun fair feel for cinema. The cinema of attraction means to have the spectators attention. Using motion and simple effects such as splicing together separate clips gave life to an age of film making and enjoyment. The term for attractions came from Sergei Mikhailovich analyzing the industry of theatre.

From 1907 to 1913 the narrativities of the cinema took over. Film used the theatre as a model for what could be implemented to improve the industry. In this time film drastically changed in style. Effects that would be deemed as tricks turned in to displays of dramatic expression as well as the world of fiction and supernatural. The author argues that the system of attraction is still an essential part of filmmaking.

 

 

Week 4

Ray Harry Helson is a famous stop animation animator. He’s considered the best and most iconic stop motion animator, recognized in film as a “titan”. Someone who has made a massive impact in the movement of special effects. His first film was called evolution. About dinosaurs and the evolution of the planet. He grew his passion from watching King Kong in a Chinese Theater on Hollywood Boulevard. Finding the way King Kong was made in a magazine and taking photography to create his own animations in his shed. Evolution was a great movie credit that he was able to use to branch to different films in Hollywood. Another film he made was one called “beneath the sea”. He would animate the films monster, the Octopus. During the film the budget had gone down from the studio so he had to remove two tentacle to fit the budget. Helson would often think about the models characteristics when animating. He struggled to do this for flying saucers for the movie “Earth vs the flying saucers”. “20 million miles to Earth” was another movie where he tried to introduce emotion in his characters. He created a character that was a lizard that had similar features to a human. He was originally going to make it have one eye and be a lot more different but considered the emotion of his work, so he changed to something more similar and relatable to people. Helson also gained interest in the score from King Kong, so much so that he composited some of his work. He was very aware and picky of what music would play over his scenes.

When making films with live action scenes Ray Harry Helson would have projections of the live action displayed on a screen so he could know what to animate. He would also place boarders to block out some of the camera so he would know where to not put the puppets/figurines. This would be used for the Dynamation technique.

Dynamation –

Dynamation was a name that Harry Helson came up with for animation for adults. Critics for the movies started saying how the adults would be the one’s to leave the theater because they thought the movie would be for kids. The motion would be less cartoonish and more fluent. It would be used to combine stop motion with real life footage. Using a projector to display the shot footage and placing it over a stop motion set. Black borders would be placed over the projection screen so that the stop animation wouldn’t cover certain places in the film.

 

What is digital cinema?

The introduction explains the movement of special effects and how it’s now transitioning digitally for this new age of modern cinema. It goes in detail about the problems of this movement, how the process of digitalization is harming the film industry. The first point Lev Manovich (the writer) points out is that computers are powerful enough to create its own scenes, replacing the physically filmed sets and acting from the camera. That technology can re-create what an actor would do on camera.

The second point Lev Manovich makes is that the digitalization of scenes ruins the craftsmanship. He explains that computers change pixels of recorded scenes, changing frame by frame to the point where the live action footage is reduced to just another graphic. The third point he makes is if scenes were left raw (unedited by digital effects) then films would have a more natural pleasing to the eye look. Using Forest Gump’s opening scene with the feather as an example for his argument. Leaving special effects to take a bigger role in film. His 4th argument is that the art of editing is taken away from the digital composited scenes. Editing becomes a far more simple and linear task. The tasks of an editor as well as a digital artist start sharing the same roles. Re-ordering and changing the pixels on screen. Modifying parts of an image. Lev argues that the differences between the roles are thin, sharing the same tasks. The 5th and final point that is made talks about how digital effects makes the processes of modifying and creating new images almost the same. With new technology visual effects artists can create entirely new sets as well as characters while also being able to change an actual footage of a set, sent from a studio. Since each image, regardless of it’s origin goes through a number of programs before the final film. Each program manipulating and changing as many pixels and frames as the director wants.

The writer goes back to the question “What is cinema?”. Immediately answering with digital Cinema is a particular case of animation which uses live action footage as one of its many elements.

He then goes on to talk about the difference between special and visual effects. That Special effects would use raw footage and film over it with its own hand crafted work. Whereas visual effects manipulates the footage given to the artists on a computer.

The film Apollo 11 is used as an example for the art of visual effects. How the digital effects artists would create buildings in a city as well as a launch pad that would be 3D rendered. This work would be referenced through real life images that would be taken in thee location the film was based. This work is explained by Manovich to be “manipulated easily and very rapidly by computer”. Talking how this way of creating in films makes photographing and painting no different in this field. The work brings us back to the origins of cinema in the 19th century. In this time images would be manipulated in scenes one by one and the same is happening here in frames by computers.

Week 5

Compare remake with original task or sequel (star wars 1980 – 2019)

Star wars space scenes are very different now compared to what they originally looked like in the original trilogy. The popular use of special effects back when Star wars was being made is a massive reason for this change in visuals. Visual effects was not advanced enough back then to where it is now so film makers relied on sometimes models. Star wars is one of these many objects that relied on miniatures for the space battles, putting the models on to railings or have it move on itself like an animatronic.

Millennium Falcon Asteroid Field Scene – The Empire Strikes Back 1980 (1080p) – YouTube

Compare this to the Visual effects current day examples in rise of Skywalker, the differences are pretty big.

Lando’s Fleet Arrives! |Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker HD Movie Clip – YouTube

The latest main entry in the Star wars films shows a lot more advancement in the details and movement in the scenes. Though it still keeps the same technique of editing as the original did. Switching back and forth constantly to the cockpits of each ship to create a narrative. There’s still a lot of detail of the miniature models but the movement for these look very linear and straight compared to all the turns and maneuvers the other ships accomplish in the rise of Skywalker. Personally I still prefer the originals since the latest scenes move pretty quickly so there’s a lot more to take in such a short amount of time.

The main difference for this comparison is really the fluentness of the ships movement. Although I prefer the original scene I do think the physics for the movement is more natural.

(talk about Alvy ray smith, Loren Carpenter, John Lasseter and Edwin Earl Catmull. Also read a booklet for homework and write about it)

Alvy Ray Smith

Alvy Ray Smith is one of the reasons for the upbringing of visual effects. He was hired in the 80s in Lucasfilm, the digital side as a director. Hired by George Lucas to develop new digital technology with a team of highly educated professionals in computers. He would develop paint systems with his colleagues. Bringing technology out to create spectacles that are seen everywhere today. These paint systems would help to create realism in his work. Him and his team would create revolutionary scenes and projects such as the Wrath of Kahn digital scene for Star Trek.

Loren Carpenter

Loren Carpenter is the co-founder of Pixar. He is the inventor of the Reyes rendering algorithm. A system that simplifies lots and lots of Miro polygons. They become  textured creating a complex image. He has made a short film that revolutionised some of the technology for animation earlier in his career called Vol Libre. This new technology would boost the industry and show the leaps that digital effects could take.

John Lasseter

John Lasseter is an American filmmaker, animator and voice actor. Currently head of Skydance animation. He helped Disney Pixar with revolutionary (at the time) technology for animation. Best known for Toy Story 1, first computer digital film. His passion for animation grew as a kid after reading on how Disney’s beauty and the beast was created.

He attended the California institute of arts which were offering animation courses taught by Disney veterans. Graduating in 1979 John took an opportunity at Disney working on films such as ‘Fox and the hound’ as well as Mickey’s Christmas Carol. Lasseter had been at odds with his superiors, having an immense passion for his work he would argue with his bosses. Later he would be fired in 1983. John would be then picked up by Lucasfilm digital graphics. Where he would direct an animated short film, ‘The adventures of Andre and Wally'(1984). One of the first movies to introduce digital characters. Later he would be picked up by Apple in a new company called Pixar selling animation software. 1991 Pixar would create movies for Disney starting with the movie Toy story. Which would show the power and work of digital effects.

Edwin Earl Catmull

 

Edwin is an American computer scientist who co-founded Disney Pixar, one the biggest animation studio. He’s also the president of the Disney animation. He always dreamed of working with Disney animations. He would study at Utah university doing physics and computer science. After completing both courses he then  Finished his school’s Phd in computer science 1974.

Edwin would experiment with the limitations of computer graphics, creating a digital version of his won hand, he would do this doting the completion of his doctorate. This would be used in Hollywood for the movie ‘Futureworld’, a sci-fi thriller. Utah was a big school at the time for the industry of computer science. Because of this reputation as well as Edwin’s creation on a working hand he was working at the New York institute of technology by 1975. In 1979 Edwin was hired to work for Lucasfilm by George Lucas. He was tasked to set up a new team for the digital effects team, setting up with a group of digital effects artists. George Lucas wanted to create a film purely made by digital effects. He helped work on a visual effects breakthrough when working on ‘Star Trek the Wrath of Kahn’. Creating a scene which would show the birth of a world. Him and his team made this scene to show the world as well as George Lucas the potential in visual effects. Creating a new invention called motion blur for the scene. Something that would create realistic effects and using camera movement that would not be possible for a real physical camera.

 

Graphics remembrances George Lucas discovers computer graphics by Alvy Ray Smith

 

Alvy ray smith starts off his written piece by stating that three individuals changed his life. These individuals are named the accidental visionaries by Alvy. These three people are Alexander Schure (patron of the New York institute of technology lab), George Lucas and Steve Jobs. Sating that all three saw the potential of visual effects and invested in the experimentation of digital effects its development. Helping Ray Smith work on the movement and evolution on effects. He states that the potential of the project was bigger than what everyone expected. How their funds are the reason for visual effects today (at his time of writing). Alvy states that the reason he calls them accidental visionaries is because they didn’t understand the full power that the industry would offer, nevertheless they are the reason for the success.

The writer talks about George Lucas hiring him and Ed Catmull as the directors of Lucasfilm computer graphics branch. He questions his employment and what George Lucas imagined for this new branch. Asking them to develop digital printers (Pixar), digital audio synthesisers and a digitally controlled video editor. Black and white vector images were visual effects that were used in the original Star Wars for the Death Star plans.

Ed Catmill his co-worker agreed with the writer that George Lucas didn’t understand the technology they were developing. He goes on to state that in the empire strikes back he thought the new technology would be implemented. Although, no digital effects would be used whatsoever in this film. George Lucas invested in a team of the best computer tech people in the world to develop new technology that wouldn’t be used in his greatest projects of all time.
A big break for the visual effects department would come from ILM, the company next door. At the time a new Star Trek film (the wrath of Kahn) was in development and requested that a spectacle scene would be made from new technology, visual effects. ILM who were a special effects company at the time referenced the digital team apart of Lucasfilm.

Alvy Ray Smith talked about what this new scene may look like and how it would work with the director. The scene would show the destruction and creation of a planet. Ray stated that the director did not know the limits with this new technology and what the team and Lucasfilm (digital effects) had been working on. So the writer gave them ideas of what he thought him and his team were capable of showing on screen. His team were able to make a demo and convince the company allowing Ray Smith to direct his first film sequence. The writer would spend all night coming up with the concept. One that would be 6-seconds long. He had to keep in mind his teams discoveries for this project, such as the Carpenter factual mountains. That were created from an airplane simulation where all the mountains were made out of triangles (small polys) and built up to create a sense of realism. He knew the team had the knowledge to create something big. Smith wanted to prove the potential of visual effects so George Lucas would realize what technology he had. To do this he had to create something that would engage the viewers in the storytelling, instead of making them think about the new technology. He instead said to the team that he wanted to make an advanced scene where the camera would move in a way that was impossible for a beginner to replicate as well as a spectacle for George Lucas. Something that no physical camera could and would help the story telling.

The idea was that the camera would act as a spacecraft flying past a moon-like planet. While fire catches on to the planet and the camera proceeds to accelerate and decelerate. This planet would then go through evolution transforming in to a Earth like habitat world. This triggered a reaction from Lucas. After a private screening (the first showing) Lucas came in to Alvy’s office and said great camera movement and then left. The team would be brought on to do Return of the Jedi (start wars episode 6) and then Young Sherlock Holmes by Steven Spielberg. After that the team augmented with a new animator, John Lasseter. Creating a new 100% computer generated film, Toy Story.

 

Week 6 – Uncanny Valley

 

The uncanny valley is a name that is used to identify the gap between realism. If something like a robot is trying to appear more human there can be noticeable differences. It’s the look of something being human. This can be found in dolls and toys. People can find dolls quite creepy because of this Uncanny Valley, they are trying to look like people.

I put this Luke picture from star wars in because the image is his face deepfaked on to another actors. I think this is a good example of the uncanny valley done right so I wanted to show the realism.

This graph is something that a Japanese researcher made called Mori. He made the graph to show the kind of things that made people feel eerie. Things that look like humans in a way or copy mannerisms. Everything that would make reactions if it’s trying to be human.

I made my own version based on digital 3D characters. Some like the Luke Skywalker comparisons involve using people to create the look. Mandalorian found actors who already looked similar to Mark Hamill (the actor for Luke) and rendered over his face the mapping of Mark Hamill’s younger self with visual effects artists. Where some others are purely digital.

The Mark Hamill deep fake has two examples. One of from Mandalorian which people had some criticism about and the other is from the book of Bobba fett. The second one was much more successful in getting the fans to appreciate the old look of Luke Skywalker

 

 

Uncanny Valley

Sense of Affinity

The writer of ‘The Uncanny Valley’ (Masahiro Mori) who’s a robotics professor that’s investigated the vision of robots becoming more human like. He begins with ‘The Uncanny valley’ talking about the current stages of robots as well as the complexity to making something act human. How Robots or machinery are commonly used in factories with no similarities with humans physically. The look of current day robots are built to suit the single tasks they’re designed to achieve. Ultimately making the machines look unidentical to us as people.

Industrial robots are closer to humans than general machinery, plotted at the origin on the uncanny graph that the writer Masahiro Mori made.

Instead if we plotted a toy robot who’s function is to look cool or appealing to people, then the toy would be market higher on the uncanny graph. Because the purpose of it is to look nice rather than fulfil a task the similarities between us and the toy become higher. Likely two have a humanoid body; two legs, two arms and a head.

Robotics is an industry that hopes to perfect artificial humans to better perfect humanity. Helping disabled people with missing limbs and replacing them in disguising fully working ways. Like creating fully functional arms that look real. To achieve this models place wrinkles, veins and fingernails to create this realistic effect. Though the colour of the fake hand is often the give away for it being fake, carrying a pinker colour to it. Once people find that the hand is prosthetic they can feel this sense of eeriness. A natural instinct when finding something isn’t real when it’s trying to be. Masahiro states that in mathematical terms this effects is known as a negative value. Placing it near the bottom of the graph he designed.

Masahiro then goes on to talk about his positioning of the puppet in his Uncanny valley graph. That the puppet itself doesn’t look to similar to a human. With its size and exaggerated features separating the look of it. Although in theatres or plays the puppets are brought to life. We don’t see them as puppets and instead characters or people. With hand and eye movement being shown from the puppets.

The effect of movement

The effects of movement have a big effect on the uncanny valley. People can not just find the appearance of something off but the movement of it too. If someone notices a strange movement that is trying to look real they will have a eerie feeling trigger. When an industrial robot is switched off it’s just a greasy machine. But when it’s turned on the movement of the machines hand can have some resemblance to that of a persons hand. Increasing the level of affinity we feel to the machine.

The writer says that prosthetic hands look almost real (apart from the color), once it starts to move the sensation of eeriness intensifies. Only the best and most recent models for fake hands can move on their own at the time of the paper (June 2012). These can detect electrodes from the skin when taking in commands. Hover this doesn’t change the feel of the hand. If someone were to shake their hand they would feel an eerie surprised feeling. Since the look, movement and feel are a negative value. Not all three qualify to being similar to that of a humans hand.

At the 1970 world exposition in Osaka, Japan. Plans for robot construction was highly encouraged. One robot had 29 pair of artificial muscles to give human like movement. The designer for the robot said that the timing for the muscles movements were crucial to creating a sense of realism. So the movement is key.

Escape by design

Mori states that he hopes to make all of his future robots and prosthetics hands that don’t fall under the uncanny valley. Recommending to others that are pursue designers to a moderate degree of human likeness or try to stay away from achieving a human like design. Believing that the more you try to make something human the more off putting it can make other feel when looking at it.

An explanation of the uncanny

Healthy people are listed near the top of the graph whereas unhealthy or dead people are at the bottom of the graph. The look of unhealthy people puts others off. The resemblance can be off, depending on the look or severeness of the illness. Also the movement of those that are unhealthy especially dead people are taken away. All of this creates the eerie sensation. An instinct that it natural to humans.

Cite them right – website use for Harvard referencing.

 

Week 7 – Disney

classic pictures:

• Aladdin
• sleeping beauty
• Peter Pan
• snow white

The nine old men are the original Disney animators

Describe the 12 principles of animation:

 

 

 

Squash and stretch – Squashing and structing a material when it’s moving. This is done to characters when moving a lot, it gives emotion.

 

 

 

Anticipation – The charge before an action, getting ready before making an action makes animation believable.

 

 

 

Staging – Clarity in direction of action. The form and colour of characters and consistency of features. The physical look must have meaning and be thought out. The position of something will be purposely positioned in a way that show the emotion of the drawing.

 

 

 

Straight ahead action and pose to pose – Plotting the main action down on paper  and then adding the effects in later. Setting the pose, when something is going to happen like an action.

 

 

 

Follow through and overlapping – Momentum will carry out on to parts like hair. Gravity needs to have an effect on the physics of objects and characters. The reaction for a characters physics.

 

 

 

Ease in ease out – Speeding up and slowing down is a natural look. Acceleration and de-acceleration

 

 

 

arcs – Objects need to follow an arch trajectory. The physics of movement needs to make sense.

 

 

 

secondary action – Supporting actions for posing/motion. The personality in the poses that are less noticeable like tails and other features like eye brows.

 

 

 

Timing – Number of frames, individual frames used in scenes. If there is a lot of action or expression then more frames will be displayed. This can often change the energy in a scene. The more the higher. Theatrical timing – Choices of timed actions. More frames less speed, less frames more speed.

 

 

Exaggeration – This changes the energy of a character forcing the Squash to be stretched more. This is to enhance the emotion making the actions bigger. The bigger the action the more emotion that can be conveyed.

 

 

Solid drawing – Designed characters from shapes or object. The anatomy is understood and has defined proportions from solid structures. Drawing characters at an angle rather than straight on gives a 3D depth.

Appeal – Combination of all the other techniques. All the principles used well and working in harmony, making it appealing for everyone. The movement overall is nice to look at, carrying charisma.

Week 8

Physical compositing – Is the use of adding separate parts of an image in a single frame. this can be used by placing glass artwork over a camera and taking a picture. Ultimately creating a photo with footage from a camera and art work placed over it.

Partial models – Big models that fit footage from a camera. Combined built miniature sets with real life footage to give this realistic location look.

Glass paintings – A matte painting. Painting on glass leaving transparent gaps to go over a camera. Same as the physical compositing idea I gave.

Multiplane camera – A camera Disney developed and used that would film composites that were layered over each other to give a more realistic look to the environments. The camera would be above layers of art work that were placed on top of each other. The camera would look down and film the art work that would move forwards and backwards and side ways to create an illusion of a moving environment. A camera operator would be in charge of the multiplane camera making sure the layers are moving fine. These layers of artwork were sometime painted glass, or transparent in some other way.

Matte paintings – Transparent backgrounds with painted art on the layer. Used in Star wars like some of the death star scenes and Cloud city. Also Indiana Jones Raiders of the lost Ark. Used in real scenes to add more depth in the locations that are being filmed.

Williams process – Foreground Background blue screen technique. A blue and yellow frame would be filmed. With one filmed scene having a blue background. The effects would result in a cutout frame being played over another photographic filmed scene.

 

 

 

Digital Compositing – Mixture of using 3D tools to get the depth of buildings and environments as well as real life photographs to get the texturing. Creating 3D rotatable locations. Similar to physicals compositing with similarities. More advanced technologies. Layering can still be used this way, usually displayed on a time line. Built from lots of different layers and designs. Different tools like Alpha channels, masks, filters.

Green screen – Is used to allow actors interact and enter the composites. Green is a color that’s far away from most colors commonly seen in clothing or people.

Compositing as a whole –  is the combination of two or more images to create a scene. Used in both physical and digital compositing.

 

VFX breakdown task – 

The scene I will be reviewing the break down of is from ‘The Last of us show’:

The Last of Us | VFX Breakdown | DNEG – YouTube

This scene was taken from a show that is based in a post apocalyptic show. As you can see this building shot has been created and composited over a real life shot of a town. The reason for this scene is to show a building that has collapsed and left rubble in the scene scattered all over the place. It was most likely edited and filmed this way because it would be expensive to show a real life collapsed building that lives in the environment the Director want to follow in the narrative.

This way of filming is cheaper than to create a real life destroyed building set. It has been digitally composited with a 3D modeled destroyed. This scene wasn’t green screened, half the scene was cut with a created model. In some ways this style is similar to the matte painting effects with half the scene cut, or layered. Also safer and  better for a location to not blow up a building. Added abandoned rusting textures to create an apocalyptic style.

Not using a green screen makes the scene fit in to the location of filming. The creators probably had a location in mind on using for the series and wanted to keep the realism rather than just making a 100% digitally composited layer. This choice of filming also means less work for the VFX artist(s). Keeping in half a real composition. Very realistic scene, keeping some real elements from a town/set. I’m not sure if the actors were green screened in from a studio. Could be another addition composited in.

 

Week 9   Assessment 2 plan

For the next assessment we will have to pick a question and talk about it using quotes and evidence which is out sourced. We have to use minimum three references that we will to Harvard reference for the assessment.

For the second assessment in Principles of VFX I want to try and tackle question 1. Asking how visual effects can be a good thing for the narrative in filmmaking as well as the debate for visual effects just being a spectacle. I think this would be a cool interesting debate for me to investigate. I’ve always been a fan of movies, particularly the films which primarily focus on writing and story telling rather than the general super hero films. The one’s which focus on things looking cool rather than plot. I do think these movies are quite common. I can understand the arguments, for and against. I’m not a big fan of Marvel or DC films unless the material is for the films is done right. I think an example for this is the 2022 The Batman. I think it goes further than being your typical Marvel or DC film having that nice blend of narrative as well as spectacle.

I share this passion and view. I think question 1 is a great debate to be tackled. It’s perfect for me and what I love, enjoying films for the development of characters and storytelling.

Through the Looking Glass by Stephen Prince is something I want to reference for my question. I think the material is very much involved with the question. I’m already familiar with the booklet.

Above are three more books that I have on my radar that go in to detail about Spectacle and narrative. Texts that go in to more depth about this subject. All of these are on the reading list for the module. I want to use these as examples and find quotes/texts that go in to some closer detail for the work that I want to talk about. Some of these I have already read, some I have only read a few texts.

 

Using films that have aged (such as James Bond)

Another thing I want to potentially do is use the superman movies as an example of spectacle. The superman films have been going on before digital effects and therefor have examples of films before just becoming a cool spectacle. They relied on storytelling, writing for the entertainment. They had stories and character development. Where as now big studios are making the characters look cool. Leading up to big final battles, lots of effects and destruction. I think this is a cool way of showing the growth and evolution of the character.

Visual effects business model

The visual effects business model has a few factors that help make the work sustainable. One factor is the contract bids. Studios will let VFX companies know that they need a certain amount of shots to be made by a certain dead line. Companies will try to low ball each other offering lower amount of money in the contract. These companies competing are likely to have places located near the studios so that information and meetings can be done more directly. Because of this artists can sometimes move locations to do work.

A company known as ‘Rhythm and Hues’ is a visual effects company, before declaring bankruptcy the company won an Oscar for best VFX in ‘Life of PI’. This company found their project to be unsustainable when taking on contracts. Low balling companies to try and get work while going past deadlines and having to pay their artists out of the companies own pocket. The industry and other company projects have become much more sustainable now with the industry becoming more competitive as well as more lucrative.

Visual effects companies can merge or even collaborated with one another to share work. Companies in visual effects have merged together in the last 10 years and have proved that this approach in business has helped them to remain in the industry.