The age of computer effects and digital movie
universes is upon us, but the average moviegoer
might not realize just how much of the experience
is faked, or modified. With that in mind,
we're giving another dose of CGI trivia in
the latest edition of Screen Rant's Know Your
Movies: 20 Movies Scenes Before and After
CGI.
The Revenant
The scene in which Leonardo DiCaprio's character
is attacked by a bear made headlines fast,
but the whole event seems a lot less frightening
when you get a look at who played the bear:
along with the blue bodysuit and bear helmet
to complete the look.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens
George Lucas and his team practically invented
CGI with the original Star Wars, and there's
no better evidence of how far it's come than
the newest Episode, relying on a massive amount
of green screened action in almost every scene.
Gravity
Everyone knew that it couldn't have been filmed
in space, but few would realize that almost
all of Gravity was CGI - the stars only had
partial suits and a few white boxes to work
with for most of the production.
The Hobbit
Peter Jackson relied on forced perspective
and camera tricks for the Lord of the Rings
trilogy, but for The Hobbit, it was just green
screen used to put full-sized humans beside
half-pint Hobbits and dwarves.
Man of Steel
The physics-bending technology of the planet
Krypton was obviously the work of CG, but
so was the armor worn by General Zod - a full
size suit was never even constructed.
Inception
Audiences had enough trouble wrapping their
brains around dream-stealing, so they never
stopped to wonder how the actors navigated
the changing space - old fashioned tricks
and CG were the real answer.
Iron Man
Fas might dream of owning an Iron Man suit
for themselves, but so does Robert Downey,
Jr. - for most of the armored action, it's
red pyjamas and some mocap sensors, which
take a little bit out of the cool factor.
Life of Pi
The stunning visuals made this adaptation
unforgettable - that, and the tiger sharing
a single boat with the movie's hero. Even
more impressive since it was filmed in a pool
with only a stuffed blue bag playing a Bengal
tiger.
Deadpool
Slicing off limbs and a man made of metal
are only possible through CG, but even Deadpool's
more lighthearted antics were obviously a
blast on the set - even if they lacked the
explosions and flight.
Guardians of the Galaxy
Although the walking tree, Groot, was animated
from scratch, the furriest Guardian was filmed
on set, played by Sean Gunn. Which casts the
movie's sweeter moments in a whole new light.
X-Men: Days of Future Past
Quicksilver's superspeed sequence was the
standout moment of this time-bending adventure,
but the reality was were very different. It
looked great on film, which probably made
the days spent blasting the actor with an
air cannon in front of green screen seem worth
it in the end.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Mutant turtle martial artists could never
exist in the real world, but the animators
relied on the actor's real performances and
personalities, using their looks and mannerisms
to make each turtle unique.
Pirates of the Caribbean
Jack Sparrow battled the supernatural in several
forms, but Davy Jones takes the cake. But
he and his crew are a lot less intimidating
in their grey bodysuits and smudged make-up.
Planet of the Apes
Andy Serkis stole the show with help from
computer animators as the ape leader Caesar,
along with an entire cast of human performers
supplying the foundation for the CG artists
- no matter how different the species might
be.
Twilight
Not every special effect in the Twlight series
was successful, but the massive werewolves
were pretty impressive. Until you realize
that Taylor Lautner played his wolf form on
set, letting his co-star lovingly stroke his
very-human head. Good luck forgetting that.
I, Robot
It's easy to overlook the people who create
CG characters - or even the people who play them.
Will Smith took the spotlight of I, Robot,
but audiences might not even realize that
Firefly alum Alan Tudyk played the star robot,
Sonny, on set every day.
The Empire Strikes Back
Darth Vader slicing off Luke Skywalker's hand
before revealing he's the boy's father is
one of cinema's greatest moments, but when
you see the mattresses laid out underneath
the set, it starts to seem a bit less devastating.
Mad Max: Fury Road
George Miller may have delivered the most
gritty, practical action movie in years, but
fans never realized that most of the actual
setting was a CG creation. Forget the fact
that even the stunts were mostly pulled off
when the vehicles weren't moving.
Avatar
Everything aside from the actors was make
believe in James Cameron's 3D game-changer,
but the motion capture footage reveals just
how much the Na'vi cast gave the animators
to work with - with Zoe Saldana the best among
them.
Captain America
It's still staggering to see how well the
effects team made star Chris Evans seem sickly
small before his super-soldier experiment.
Filming Evans in each scene, then his small-scale
double Leander Deeny, eventually merging the
two together. The process is simple enough,
but even today, it's hard to believe they
pulled it off so perfectly.
Those are the CG tricks and masterpieces hiding
behind the spectacle of some of our favorite
films, but what about yours? Let us know in
the comments, and remember to subscribe to
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