Introduction
We have seen film production evolve because of the advent of visual effects or VFX in the last couple of years. Its speed accelerated after the COVID-19 era. The VFX in film production now enables filmmakers to recreate scenes and add more appealing content on the screen.
It literally makes the life of an editor and filmmaker easy when they do not have to always go on the shoot. Many of the scenes get created with the help of CGI technology. The boring and mundane scenes come alive and provide an immersive experience with the help of VFX.
If you’re one of those people who are fond of VFX and want to make career there, enroll in a full-fledged course from Frameboxx 2.0. Otherwise, let’s dive deeper into the topic of how VFX is reshaping the filmmaking and film production concept.
A brief era of VFX in film production
It began its hold in the late 19th to the early 20th Century with films like A Trip to the Moon. Georges Méliès was a French filmmaker who made that film in 1902. He started using stop-motion and miniatures in the film.
That approach helped him bring fantastical scenes to life. He was able to crash a rocket onto the Moon’s eye. This created a historic benchmark for the special effects sector in filmmaking.
The golden age in visual effects brought forward the evident use of practical effects. This was a period from the 1950s to the 1970s when we saw a lot of monster- and sci-fi movies.
One of the prominent and renowned animators of this time and era was Ray Harryhausen. His some of the known works in the VFX world of filmmaking include Clash of the Titans, which came out in 1981, and then there was The 7th Voyage of Sinbad, which released in 1958.
Stanley Kubrick was another designer of miniature art who took the practical efforts era forward in the 1960s-70s. He used miniatures for the space sequences in his movie 2001: A Space Odyssey. This was a 1968 release.
We saw filmmakers pushing their mental boundaries in this era. There was more use of practical effects for creating sci-fi movies and sequences. The artistry in the VFX of time and age was impeccable and put the view in trance.
Audiences were literally in awe and wonderment watching movies like Star Wars during this period.
The era which has been the best turning point for VFX in filmmaking and film production is this one. This era started back in 1985s to 2010s.
Movies like Tron have been made because of CGI technologies, where filmmakers went beyond the usual imagination to create filmmaking experiences digitally.
Then, it’s the Jurassic Park, Games of Thrones, and Avengers-like movies that have transformed the VFX era.
After 2010s, CGI became the core part of VFX in the filmmaking process. Directors like Christopher Nolan embrace the usage of VFX for movies like Inception, Tenet, and Interstellar.
Such projects have landed well for worldwide audiences. We have seen what could happen and how could a human’s world look like when we try to deny and bend beyond the laws of physics.
Today’s VFX in filmmaking is making audiences expect more and delivering even better at the completion of each project. We never know what to expect from the next project that comes out of the convergence of VFX.
The result is always astounding and astonishing. In fact, Indian cinema is also picking up the speed to converge traditional filmmaking techniques with VFX for films like Brahmastra, RRR, Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2, Pushpa etc.
Core VFX Technologies that Impact Worldwide Cinema in the 21st Century:
Let’s learn about these technologies below to understand how VFX is making an unforgettable mark in our day-to-day lives as a filmmaker:
CGI:
It empowers filmmakers to create characters and objects on the computer without having to produce or shoot them in real life. These creatures and characters give you a real-life or lifelike feel when they appear on the screen after final editing.
Mocap:
Motion capture or mocap helps to copy the movement of the actors in real life and implant the same moves on the CGI characters/animations. It helps to make the characters more realistic and relatable.
3D animation:
This technique allows filmmakers and editors to create 3D objects, characters, and worlds with incredible detail. It can bring even the most complicated characters and designs to life on the screen with matte appearances and fine-tuned detailing.
Digital compositing:
This technique empowers and equips editors to bring together multiple digital objects and elements on one screen. It is useful in creating more nuanced, layered, and complicated scenes on the screen.
Compositing software allows the VFX editor to compose smoother scenes even when the objects are brought together from different mediums. It can help editors to blend objects over and beneath one another.
More Examples of VFX in Indian Cinema
One of the blockbuster movies, Krissh 3, involved VFX greatly in its production. Reportedly, it had about 3500 shots of VFX, including all the flying, action, and superhero sequences.
Then there was Bahubali in 2015, which won the hearts of Indian cinema nationwide with its amazing sets, stimulating battle scenes, incredible sceneries and architecture.
Son of Sardar is one of those movies which used 3800+ CGI shots. Whereas South Indian movies like RRR used 2800+ VFX scenes and Bigil had about 3100+ VFX scenes.
Currently, we have Red Chillies and Dharmatics in India who are renowned for bringing forward the increasing involvement of VFX in film production.
Future of VFX in Film Production for Indian Cinema
India’s animation and VFX industry was anywhere around 83 billion USD in 2021. It will reach around 180 billion by the end of this year, as per industry projections.
According to the latest research by BCG, India is going to be the 2nd largest producers in the world in the entertainment market in the coming years. It has a serious drive and potential to grow at a rate of 20-25 percent per annum when it comes to AVGC market.
Conclusion
In the post above, we learnt a lot about the evolution of VFX in film production and how it has shaped the industry as we see it today. Get a better hold of this industry and sector with a comprehensive course from academies like Frameboxx 2.0.
Harness your passion and convert it into a full-time profession in no time after graduating from the course!