Companies such as Rhythm and Hues — who worked on Life of Pie for example — spend thousands of dollars on equipment and technology. A single piece of CGI (Computer Generated Imagery) equipment can cost as much as $5000, while studios such as Grumo Media would charge you $3000 to $10 000 to render just one minute of their product. And all just to make you believe that what you’re seeing is real. Here’s a before-and-after look at what it really looks like ‘behind the scenes’!
The life of Pi
There have been countless movies that have been made using CGI, but how will it affect the film industry in the future? Well, one of the most significant will be actors’ approach to a scene. Godzilla star Elizabeth Olsen, for example, said in an interview with Screen Rant, ‘The main difference is that in Godzilla you’re reacting to something that isn’t there, and in something like Avengers, you’re approaching and almost interacting with something that’s not there’.
Or maybe soon movie producers will simply use A-list stars and B-listers will lose their jobs to computers. Leonardo DiCaprio and Angelina Jolie would only have to interact and engage with greenscreens and inanimate objects fitted with motion sensing nodes or – god forbid – the attractive physique of popular actors could become redundant completely.
According to New York Daily News the late Fast and Furious star Paul Walker will be rendered using CGI. ‘They have hired four actors with bodies very similar to Paul’s physique and they will be used for movement and as a base.’ Might it then not be possible to replace Leonardo DiCaprio or Angelina Jolie with more accessible labour?
It seems my mom was wrong for telling me I should stop having imaginary friends. Nice one mom.
Is CGI the death of true acting talent? Comment your thoughts below or hit us up on Twitter @onesmallseedSA.
Words: Matthew Alexander
Life of Pi
The Avengers
Pirates of the Caribbean
The Walking Dead
The Great Gatsby
Oz The Great And Powerful
The Avengers
Prototype
