Where The Evolution Of Visual Effects Has Taken Us

Movies and television have been dependent on visual effects since their beginning. From the “Voyage to the Moon” to the current crop of Hollywood movies, the evolution of visual effects has gone from simply editing someone out to computer-generated images, allowing creators to better match their visions. Just looking back at the evolution shows a long line of technological innovations and growth of techniques, allowing today’s creators to do things that their forebears could never have imagined. It should be interesting to see what tomorrow’s creators come up with using technology and techniques that have not even been dreamed of today.

The Early Years

Most of the original special effects were theater effects writ large, such as flashpots, flares, and mechanical effects. When directors became more familiar with the technology, editing and back screens were added to the repertoire of tricks. Stop motion animation and models were soon added, as well as forced perspective; it may sound minor, but these innovations allowed science fiction and fantasy movies to prosper. Also, the use of mechanical gadgets and animatronics really helped to create more realistic entities, especially when combined with prosthetics and make-up effects. Almost anything that could be imagined could be shown on the screen.

The Advent of CGI

In the 1970s computers went from being mere adding machines to imaging. In the beginning, this meant simple games and better ways to picture information, but eventually it meant that graphics could be created and given some sort of animation. This meant that backgrounds could be created completely digitally, as well as some objects; while originally they could not be added to the same scenes as actors or models, that limitation would soon be overcome and that would lead to the dinosaurs of Jurassic Park. At that point, emboldened by what was possible in the digital realm, directors began to really have fun; there was virtually nothing that they could not accomplish with the proper planning.

By combining each of these techniques, filmmakers can do pretty much anything that they imagine. However, the evolution of visual effects is hardly over; if anything, it has just begun. While there is no way of knowing where it may lead, it should be interesting to see where the journey leads cinematographers. With all that we are seeing now in video games, people are getting more excited as we see the future in our games and in online communities, making for a very interesting future.

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