GUEST EDITORIAL: 3 Advanced Film Technologies and the Movies that Use Them Best
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3 Advanced Film Technologies and the Movies that Use Them Best
by Kevin Gardner
Drizzle a little extra butter on your popcorn and get settled in for a movie night! Everyone loves a good movie that keeps your attention. But, while you are caught up in action, you may not stop to think about the advanced levels of technology used to create the stunning visual effects, the supreme editing or the breathtaking views.
Technological advances have shaped the way films are created, edited and viewed. This has resulted in amazing effects, captivating world-building and scenes most could not even dream up, further enhancing viewing pleasures for movie fans. Here are technologies reshaping the film industry and the movies most notably featuring these advances.
1. Computer-Generated Imagery
Digital applications have increased capabilities in many ways. Some implement adaptable and communicative service mesh to level up applications. For example, computer-generated imagery (CGI) uses computer software to create or add to footage. Almost anything can be generated with CGI, from huge crowds for scenes to dramatic battles to a fantasy world setting. Practically every film created now relies on CGI.
Jurassic Park featured one of the most notable and well-done uses of CGI to create a realistic scene with the dinosaurs and the actors. Most people know exactly which scene this is, but if you don’t, you can search the T-Rex attack in Jurassic Park to see just how impressive the usage of CGI made this scene. This was nearly thirty years ago, yet it is still considered one of the best uses of CGI to date.
Avatar and The Titanic are other fantastic examples of films that CGI was successfully and masterfully utilized to create maximum visual effects. Avatar was filmed in 3D, and a large portion of the film is CGI. The sinking scenes of The Titanic were convincing, emotional and extremely believable thanks to this technology.
2. Drones
Drones are helping to remove limits on filming, giving the crew the ability to capture aerial shots or capture a scene in a small or hard to get to space that helicopters cannot. From the Harry Potter series to many war movies, drones have been a staple in capturing dramatic scenes from great angles.
The Expendables 3 is a great action movie featuring a large number of drone shots. The footage captured from drones proved especially effective in high-intensity scenes. In addition, drones added an extra element to action-packed scenes featuring chases, explosions and so much more.
3. De-aging Technology
De-aging, or changing the age appearance of the actors, is a tricky effect to pull off but can be extremely convincing when done well. This editing effect is often prevalent in movies with flashback scenes to enable the same actor to appear younger for the memory. To do this, editing and CGI are used.
The Irishman is a recent example of good de-aging technology. Robert DeNiro played the role of a man who is nearly three decades younger than him. Brad Pitt starred in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, where the film relied heavily on aging technology. This technology works both ways. The characters can appear younger or older. Avengers: Endgame used aging technology to show Chris Evans as an older man. Aging is beneficial when extra actors of different ages would be required to try to encompass the same character’s persona, movements and style. The ability to use the same actor at different ages eliminates any variances in speech, actions and movements that may occur when multiple actors play the same character.
Technology is revolutionizing the way we live our day-to-day lives. Tasks small and large are affected by advances, and most have become automated or more straightforward. One of the most notable changes is to the film industry. Moviegoers reap the benefits of these advances. Expansive war scenes, impressive explosions, realistic fictionalized events and characters and so much more are all able to be portrayed in believable manners that leave the viewers awestruck. These techniques are featured in just about any film you can think of, whether you realize it or not. These advances and the movies that have used them successfully have shown us the possibilities are endless!
