Visual Effects
What is Visual Effects?
Visual Effects (VFX) is the processes which imagery is created on digital software/hardware and manipulated in the context of a live action shot film.
History of Visual Effects
Smokes and mirrors were the first visual effects tool used in the beginning of movie making to create Effects. The smoke and mirrors with the help of tricky camera techniques startled the audience. This was achieved with the help of human inability of vision, that they will see sequence of images as they are in motion and not as single images. These was scientifically called as the persistence of vision.
Saul Bass
(may 8, 1920 - April 25, 1996) was a graphic designer and filmmaker, known for film posters and title sequence. 40 Year career worked for hollywood's greatest filmmakers, including Alfred hitchcock, Stanley Kubrick, Otto Preminger.
Maurice Binder
Was a film title designer best known for his work on 14 James Bond films including the first, Dr.No in 1962. Born in NYC, but mostly worked in britain from the 1950's onwards.
Software
Adobe After Effects -
Adobe after effects is a very popular software used to create visual effects/animations and much more. The big advantage using adobe after effects is if you use any other adobe program to edit etc like adobe premiere pro all the special effects are easy to transfer over. After effects is also good for doing basic visual effects to advance visual effects, company today still may use after effects to do some of their visual effects/cgi.
Why we use Visual Effects
The reason we use visual effects give the writer full freedom to do anything including having their main character turn into a giant cockroach. Myths from around the world describe actions and creatures that don't exist in real life. Meaning you can add any fictional character, add any new weapon etc into a film and make it come to life.
This it more interesting for the audience to watch and makes for a lot more of variety films.
The visual effects team works closely not only with the director but also the cinematographer. Working with the production designer we can expand the sets that are built or build sets that would be impossible to build for real. Working with the stunt team we can remove their rigs (car ramps, wires), help to provide the visuals needed while trying to maintain reasonable safety and can extend or create a stunt if it’s not possible.
This video shows what some films looks like without visual effects added to it. Some use placement holders for the visual effects they will add in later while some have to make the whole environment from scratch with visual effects. Some of the films with visual effects today wouldn't be around today without visual effects as the whole film realize on it.
How Visual Effects can be used
- Creating entirely virtual shots
- Changing the background
- Creating the background
- Adding actors, characters or creatures
- Changing actors
- Adding objects or props
- Removing objects
- Obscuring objects
- Specialized speed changes
- Fixing problems on the set, adding eye effects, removing wig netting, etc.
Visual Effects used differently
Title Sequence -
Catch me if you can is a all animated title sequence meaning there are no live action shots used. Catch me if you can title sequence is simple but also complex at the same time, this is because they show you the whole storyline of the film in the title sequence but you would realise or understand until you watched the film not giving away any spoilers.
TV Idents -
TV idents are the small clips advertising the channel during the ad break. This is an animated tv ident for the tv channel Cartoon Network with no live shots. This tv ident applies to the target audience (Young) by making the animated characters out of material what looks like play dough and making them look silly/creative.
Music Video -
Visual Effects in music videos can be used in many different ways, they can be simple, complex or the whole music video. With this video they combine visual effects and live shots to make this video. The visual effects used seem to relate to the lyrics of the song. What creates a story and a better picture for the audience.
Movies -
Visual Effects in films can we also used in many different ways, simple, complex or a whole visual effects film. With this clip from Guardians Of The Galaxy it shows some of the visual effects used in the film. The film is mostly all visual effects, creating the environment, characters, props etc. Visual effects in films allowing to make a wider range of animated and visual effect films.