FS4 Research Update

Question: Creating Realism in Science Fiction: CGI vs. Physical Effects

The films I will be using for this project are: The Thing (1982), Alien (1979), Terminator 2 (1991) and Avatar (2009).

I will use The Thing as my main focus film because of the alien effects, which were all created physically. Although they were impressive for the time, I believe that the effects still hold up well today, despite the recent emphasis on CGI. My main focus will be on the big transformation scene, and I will also discuss the deleted stop-motion scene, which was cut because it didn’t look realistic enough. I chose Alien for the same reasons, especially for the ‘chest-buster’ scene and for the design of the alien itself. I also think it would be good to compare the actor’s relationship with the effects (as opposed to pretending they’re there and being added in post-production), and if this has any effect on the audience or realism. I might also refer to Prometheus briefly, because it would be interesting to compare the effects of a similar film made more than 30 years later.

I chose Terminator 2 because it uses both physical effects, such as prosthetics, and CGI. It often combines these two methods, for the sake of creating realism and not just for spectacle or convenience. For example, the ‘knife arms’ of the T1000 were prosthetics, until they morphed back into real arms. The T1000 is the main reason for choosing this film, as it was one of the first fully rendered animations of a person to be used in a major film. However, animatronics and other physical effects were used throughout the film, with the opening futuristic battle being a key point of discussion. I also think that it would be interesting to look at how models were used, such as the Terminator ships and the nuclear bomb scene. I might also refer to how the Nostromo ship from Alien was used in a similar way.

I thought that T2 would bridge the gap nicely between the physical effects from The Thing and Alien to Avatar, of which the vast majority is CGI. One of the main appeals of Avatar was its ground-breaking computer generated imagery, which I calculated would take over 2000 years to render on a regular computer! I will look at how particular effects were created, such as the use of motion capture, as well as the digital process. I will also research how this could affect the film’s budget and the industry, and possibly the audience, in terms of rising cinema prices. It would also be good to directly compare the CGI of Avatar to T2; bringing the T1000 to life cost $5.5million and took 8 months to produce, which ultimately amounted to just 3.5 minutes of screen time. This clearly shows the technological leap within less than 20 years; CGI is used in some way in almost every shot of Avatar.

This area of film appealed to me because I am interested in both science fiction and special effects, and how they are made to look realistic. The genre is probably more reliant on CGI than any other (apart from perhaps fantasy), but science-fiction needs to be plausible and have a basis in reality. Therefore, the effects should be realistic and be believable to audiences. A good quote to use from Rod Sterling (the maker of The Twilight Zone) is: "it is said that science fiction and fantasy are two different things. Science fiction is the improbable made possible, and fantasy is the impossible made probable”.

By the end of the project, I would like to have a clear list of advantages and disadvantages for both physical and computer generated effects, and what impact they have on realism. I would like to find out some of the technical processes, as well as what effect they can have on the audience and the industry as a whole.

Some of the books I will be using are:

'Special effects: the history and techniques'

'From Alien to The Matrix: reading science fiction film'

'Performing illusions: cinema, special effects and the virtual' actor

'Science fiction cinema: from outerspace to cyberspace'

'Alien: the special effects'

Other sources at the moment include:

-Film commentary (director’s quotes)

-Empire feature: 30 Years of Alien

-Website articles
-DVD documentary - Terror Takes Shape