Most Popular Visual Effects Techniques of Filmmaking

Visual Effects in Filmmaking

Visual effects are used in the process of filmmaking to create imagery and add to live action shots that are recorded. While in the past visual effects were seen mainly as an extension of the practical special effects (Special effects are illusions or visual tricks used in the movie, television and video game to simulate the imagined events in a virtual environment.) used in filmmaking, now it is a blend of digital effects and practical both used during post-production and recording.

Below are some of the most popular visual effects techniques used in filmmaking:

3 Most Common Visual Effects Techniques

Click on below Video: 7 Movies before and after Special Effect

1. Computer-Generated Imagery

Computer-Generated Imagery (CGI) has shown tremendous growth over the last decade in the visual effects field. CGI has become synonymous with visual effects, as CGI is widely used throughout in many blockbuster films in extreme form.

In a few cases, CGI is used to accentuate videos or in other entire CGI environment or characters are created and added in the films.

Always CGI has come into its own there has been an extensive debate over the line separating film and animation – which is frequently becoming nonexistent.

2. Chroma key

Chroma key is post-production and visual effects techniques for digital compositing where two images or video streams together. The technique has been used in various fields to remove a background from the subject of a photo or video – especially the motion picture, news casting and video game industries. A color range in the foreground footage is created transparent, allowing separately shot background footage or a static image to be added into the view. It is also referred to as color keying or various terms for particular color-related variants such as blue screen and green screen – chroma keying can be done with backgrounds of any color that are distinct, but green and blue backgrounds are more in use because they differ most distinctly in hue from human skin colors.

3. Prosthetic Makeup

In Prosthetic makeup sculps process cosmetic effects were created and actors world frequently go through the lengthy session during which the sculps were applied before filming. But today prosthetic makeup is a far away from that and often more comfortable to apply while looking more realistic.

Despite facing an existential threat due to the prevalence of computer-generated imagery, prosthetic makeup continues to be favored by film producers. Often prosthetic makeup is used in the initial filming and computer-generated imagery is then blended in to touch it up or perform modifications during the post-production process.

Alien Transformation with Special FX Makeup | Artist Residency

In a few cases, prosthetic make-up artists design the initial model that is then transformed into a CGI model and techniques such as motion capture are used to animate it.

In many of these visual effects require sizable budgets, they are getting easier to create all the time.

Now CGI certainly manages the visual effects scenery, due to its versatility and ability to craft any imagery. In the future, its usage is entirely likely to expand further, as advanced algorithms and developments process in computer learning makes it possible to create far more realistic imagery.

Career in Animation and Visual Effect Industry

Movies and video games have always been about presenting illusions to the audience. What has changed over the years is the level of illusions that theatre and gaming can include in their narrative. It has been only due to the high growth of animation and visual effect industry.

In films, visual effects would have to be painted directly on to the film reel, which was extremely risky. But with the coming of the digital era and the boom in the animation and visual effect industry have become an integral part of movies and gaming industry.

Animation and Visual Effect Industry is the Right Career for You?

Animators and VFX Artists are required in the fields of film, gaming, and advertisements. You have to continually adapt your product as per the needs and requirements of the client. In the case of freelance work, you need to be ready to face the risk of being out of work for extended periods. The life of an animator and VFX artist can be very hectic as you are required to work for long hours. If you are successful, you will be paid well, but you will have to work creatively and hard for it.

If you can be creative but grasp technical knowledge quickly, and if you like creating illusions through drawings then this job is perfect for you.

Basic Difference Between Animation and Visual Effect Industry

Animation uses 3D software such as After Effect or 3D Studio Max to create animated characters and environments that are then blended by Animation Compositors to produce a shot. Example of an Animation movie would be ‘Shrek'.

Click on Below Video: Career in Animation

VFX uses the same software, tools and methods but to create elements that are photorealistic and go well live action. Example of a VFX movie would be 2012. VFX is considered a much more complicated job to bring the feel of ‘reality' as computer-generated Imagery is blended with real-life action.

Click on Below Video: How to Start Career in VFX

Skills Required to become Animator and VFX Artists

Working as an animator and VFX artists is not easy. You need to have technical knowledge about software and related subjects and also need to be creative enough to create things that don't exist in reality. One needs to be good at drawing and sketching, and have a vivid imagination so that you can visualize and create things that match your visualization. You need to be patient and persistent, as this job requires one to work on films and animations cartoon frame by frame, so you may end up sitting in front of a computer screen for too long. Also, you need to learn new techniques and software as the field of animation is changing rapidly.

Click on Below Video: What Skill is Important Animation and VFX

Eligibility to Pursue the Course

To be eligible for animation and visual effect course, you need to have passed the class 12 and have the basic knowledge of computers. Most institutes also take an aptitude test to gauge student potential, among other potential requirements.

Jobs After this Course

After completing this course, you might be able to start a career in a studio as an animation/vfx film developer, develop e-learning content, create advertisements or develop gaming and TV-based visual effects.

Difference Between Animation and Visual Effect (VFX)

While so much has been talked about animation and visual effects in today's entertainment world. Both animation and visual effects are similar in their artistic effects in a sense both tend to give life to a static visual. But both have there some differences at the same time. Let's take a look at the difference between animation and visual effect (vfx).

What is Animation and Visual Effect (VFX)?

Animation

Animation is a process in which static image is used to create an illusion of motion by moving those image in a particular sequence. A static image can be animated using image creation software and 3D modeling. In this era of Technology, we have High-Performance Workstation, which helped artists to produce high quality and more realistic animations. Some common examples of animation are the cartoon which you watched in your childhood like Chhota bheem, little Krishna, chamki ki duniya, Ek tha jungle and etc. Animated movies like Lion King, Hotel Madagascar and so many others are best examples of today's animation. 

Click on Below Video: Easy Way to Animate for Beginners 

Different Forms of Animation: 

1. Traditional Animation (cell animation, frame by frame drawings) 

2. 2D Animation (vector animation: a sequence of mathematical statements that place lines and shapes in a given space) 

3. 3D Animation (computer animation) 

4. Stop Motion Animation (Claymation, Whiteboard, cut-outs, etc.) 

Visual Effect 

On the other hand, visual effects is the process of combining the existing image with the computer-generated imagery to create a sense of realism. The process of creating and manipulates such imagery and combines it with live shots. Common use of VFX includes the creation of fire and explosion in action movies that deal with natural catastrophes, explosions, sky replacement, logo removal, fictional characters (dinosaurs, transformers, straight, gentle and sane men, etc.) and creating other environmental effects. 

Different forms of VFX: 

1. Matte Painting 

2. Live Action 

3. Imagery 

4. Digital Animation 

Click on Below Video: VFX Core Concepts 

Categories of Animation and Visual Effect (VFX) 

Animation can be traditional, stop-motion or computer animation. Each category follows different ways of creating, animating and manipulating static images into realistic scenes. 

On the other hand, VFX can be divided into three categories, namely Matte Painting, live-action effects, and digital animation. VFX is one of the most important aspects of film-making, and it comes into play during the post-production stage. But it is choreographed much ahead during the planning stage. 

But just like vfx, animation has also become an integral part of today's entertainment media. 

Conclusion:

Animation is something, where the modelling artists create a non-existing character with computer and story, is framed by some other artists such as the lighting artists, rigging artists, texturing artists and so on. Whereas, Visual effects (vfx) are the various processes by which imagery is created or manipulated outside the setting of the live action shot by artists such as compositors, rotoscoping artists, matte painters, keying artists etc.