Special Effects in Animation and Live Action
INTRO
a. Visual effects have been a present feature in films, both animated and live action, for many many years. For this paper I will be comparing the visual effects of water/sea storm from two Disney films: Pinocchio (1940) and Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End (2007)
BODY
I. Pinocchio (1940, animated) – Monstro the Whale scene
- Water waves and effects (bubbles, ripples, splashes etc). was hand drawn and painted by animators and visual effects animators.
- Waves closest to the camera had thicker line quality and those furthest had thinner line
quality. This gave the illusion of depth.
- Cell paper would have the waves traced on it. Visual effects animators would then shade the waves with blue and black pencil leads to give the waves a sculptured look/feeling.
II. Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End (2007, live action) – Maelstrom scene
- Shot in a large warehouse with life scaled ships (for actors to use)
- Used real water effects for rain, large splashes, etc. as much as they could in order to a) make it feel real (if you want it to look real, use real elements) and b) so the actors felt as if they were in a real storm (i.e. acted with that element; not having to mime it).
- Digital Effects
* ILM Studios (750 shots in 5 months) and Digital Domain (300 shots)
* water fx
* Maya
- Given this is a live action film and having more resources helps for a more authentic “real” look.
CONCLUSION
a. Both films are successful, in my opinion, in creating these water effects. In Pinocchio I believe there can be more credit given to the fact that it was hand drawn, even if it does have a “fake” look to it as it is cartoon. In Pirates of the Caribbean, having some real water elements and using 3D, computer effects help give a more realistic setting. However using 3D and computer graphics can also be an obvious use of its “artificial-ness.”
b. Throughout the years, visual effects in films have come a long way. Visual effects then were limited the resources available and most of the time were hand drawn. Today we have many computer programs that help with creating better looking/realistic effects. Both methods are successful and do have their flaws but are nevertheless amazing and deserve much credit for their creations.
a. Visual effects have been a present feature in films, both animated and live action, for many many years. For this paper I will be comparing the visual effects of water/sea storm from two Disney films: Pinocchio (1940) and Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End (2007)
BODY
I. Pinocchio (1940, animated) – Monstro the Whale scene
- Water waves and effects (bubbles, ripples, splashes etc). was hand drawn and painted by animators and visual effects animators.
- Waves closest to the camera had thicker line quality and those furthest had thinner line
quality. This gave the illusion of depth.
- Cell paper would have the waves traced on it. Visual effects animators would then shade the waves with blue and black pencil leads to give the waves a sculptured look/feeling.
II. Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End (2007, live action) – Maelstrom scene
- Shot in a large warehouse with life scaled ships (for actors to use)
- Used real water effects for rain, large splashes, etc. as much as they could in order to a) make it feel real (if you want it to look real, use real elements) and b) so the actors felt as if they were in a real storm (i.e. acted with that element; not having to mime it).
- Digital Effects
* ILM Studios (750 shots in 5 months) and Digital Domain (300 shots)
* water fx
* Maya
- Given this is a live action film and having more resources helps for a more authentic “real” look.
CONCLUSION
a. Both films are successful, in my opinion, in creating these water effects. In Pinocchio I believe there can be more credit given to the fact that it was hand drawn, even if it does have a “fake” look to it as it is cartoon. In Pirates of the Caribbean, having some real water elements and using 3D, computer effects help give a more realistic setting. However using 3D and computer graphics can also be an obvious use of its “artificial-ness.”
b. Throughout the years, visual effects in films have come a long way. Visual effects then were limited the resources available and most of the time were hand drawn. Today we have many computer programs that help with creating better looking/realistic effects. Both methods are successful and do have their flaws but are nevertheless amazing and deserve much credit for their creations.
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