Of course, today’s youngest movie fans don’t remember a time before visual effects were created digitally. What might give us pause even more is that at this point in film history, most of their parents don’t even remember that. Steven Spielberg’s jurassic parkThis film, featuring once impossibly realistic (and still perfectly acceptable) CGI dinosaurs, debuted 32 years ago. In other words, we may have to admit to the realm of “classics” those kinds of paintings that retain their entertainment value despite, or perhaps because of, their period-established qualities. Equally spectacular, but longer canonized, classic works pose a greater challenge to the imaginations of young viewers, and we can hardly fathom how they were made “before computers.”
After looking at the notable example provided in new primordial space video abovethey will certainly understand one thing: it wasn’t easy. Even a seemingly simple effect, like a pen drifting gently through a weightless cabin, 2001: A Space Odyssey It required some ingenuity. One might naturally assume that a 1968 filmmaker would have achieved that with a few pieces of Scotch tape and fishing line, but that would have led to unacceptable tangle problems, not to mention the difficulty of making the line literally invisible. Instead, Kubrick’s team ended up attaching the pen to a glass plate. The glass panes have no doubt been carefully cleaned to eliminate the possibility of streaks, but they are large enough to take up the entire frame and are unnoticeable to the viewer. It was then slowly rotated by a crank rotation assistant.
several different effects 2001 You’ll be guided through the entire video, including the multiple exposure photography that allowed for shots of the spaceship passing through the planet, and the psychedelic “stargate” sequence towards the end. Although some of the equipment used in these processes was assembled solely for production, the underlying technology had already been evolving for more than 60 years. In fact, many pioneered Georges Mélièspreviously featured in Open Culture. journey to the moon The first science fiction film in 1902. This video provides a behind-the-scenes look at last year’s work. L’Homme a la tête en caucheor man with rubber headFor this piece, Méliès didn’t use much of a zoom lens to capture shots of his skull bulging out.
More examples taken from various popular movies big city to mary poppinsshows an originality born from sheer technical limitations at a time when filmmaking was completely analog. In some cases, the effects these works achieved using miniatures, prisms, and mirrors 60, 80, and 100 years ago look just as good as what Hollywood projects on screen today. In fact, it seems more than that because the innate physicality behind it makes it feel more “real.” Perhaps unsurprisingly, the sponsor of this video’s Artificial Intelligence course refers to the endless visual possibilities available to those who master the technology. So it’s not impossible that we’re currently on the cusp of a revolution in visual effects that’s at least as good and bad as CGI. If so, we should be prepared to hear questions from children born today about who made movies before AI and how.
Related content:
How did Georges Méliès journey to the moon Became the first science fiction film and changed cinema forever (1902)
The art of creating special effects in silent films: Ingenuity before the age of CGI
1927 movie big city Create a dystopian vision of what the world will be like in 2026 – and it will become reality
How Stanley Kubrick made it 2001: A Space Odyssey: 7-part video essay
how 2001: A Space Odyssey “Kubrick’s most difficult film”
Why movies no longer feel real: A closer look at changing filmmaking techniques
Based in Seoul, Colin Mbemust write and broadcastIt’s about cities, languages and cultures. His projects include the Substack newsletter books about cities and a book Stateless City: A Stroll Through Los Angeles in the 21st Century. Follow him on the social network formerly known as Twitter. @Colinbemust.
Source: Open Culture – www.openculture.com
