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Visual effects
 
 
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Visual effects (commonly shortened to Visual F/X or VFX) are the various processes by which imagery is created and/or manipulated outside the context of a live action
Live action

In film, theatre and video, live-action refers to works that are acted out by human actors, as opposed to by animation. As it is the norm, the term is usually superfluous, but it makes an important distinction in situations in which one might normally expect animation, as in a Pixar film, a video game or when the work is adapted from an anim...
 shoot. Visual effects often involve the integration of live-action footage and computer generated imagery (CGI) in order to create environments which look realistic, but would be dangerous, costly, or simply impossible to capture on film.






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Visual effects (commonly shortened to Visual F/X or VFX) are the various processes by which imagery is created and/or manipulated outside the context of a live action
Live action

In film, theatre and video, live-action refers to works that are acted out by human actors, as opposed to by animation. As it is the norm, the term is usually superfluous, but it makes an important distinction in situations in which one might normally expect animation, as in a Pixar film, a video game or when the work is adapted from an anim...
 shoot. Visual effects often involve the integration of live-action footage and computer generated imagery (CGI) in order to create environments which look realistic, but would be dangerous, costly, or simply impossible to capture on film. They have become increasingly common in big-budget films, and have also recently become accessible to the amateur filmmaker with the introduction of affordable animation
Animation

Animation is the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2-D or 3-D artwork or model positions in order to create an illusion of movement. It is an optical illusion of Motion due to the phenomenon of persistence of vision, and can be created and demonstrated in a number of ways....
 and compositing
Compositing

Compositing is the combining of visual elements from separate sources into single images, often to create the illusion that all those elements are parts of the same scene....
 software.

Timing

Visual effects are frequently integral to a movie's story and appeal. Although most visual effects work is completed during post-production
Post-production

Post-production occurs in the making of film, television program, radio programs, videos, sound recording and reproduction, photography and digital art....
, it usually must be carefully planned and choreographed in pre-production
Pre-production

Pre-production is the process of preparing all the elements involved in a film, Play , or other performance....
 and production. A visual effects supervisor
Visual effects supervisor

In the context of film and television production, a visual effects supervisor is responsible for achieving the creative aims of the director and/or producers through the use of visual effects....
 is usually involved with the production from an early stage to work closely with production and the film's director to achieve the desired effects.

Categories

Visual effects may be divided into at least four categories:
  • Models: miniature sets and models
    Miniature effect

    In the field of special effects a miniature effect is a special effect generated by the use of scale models. Scale models are often combined with high speed photography to make gravitational and other effects scale properly....
    , animatronics
    Animatronics

    Animatronics is the use of electronics and robotics in mechanised puppets to make them appear to be alive. They were first perfected by Walt Disney Imagineering and used at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California for the The Enchanted Tiki Room attraction....
    .
  • Matte painting
    Matte painting

    A matte painting is a painted representation of a landscape, set, or distant location that allows filmmakers to create the illusion of an environment that would otherwise be too expensive to build or visit....
    s and stills: digital or traditional paintings or photographs which serve as background plates for keyed or rotoscope
    Rotoscope

    File:US patent 1242674 figure 3.pngRotoscoping is an animation technique in which animators trace over live-action film movement, frame by frame, for use in animated films....
    d elements.
  • Live-action effects: keying actors or models through bluescreening and greenscreening.
  • Digital animation: modeling
    3D computer graphics

    3D computer graphics are graphics that use a Cartesian coordinate system#Three-dimensional coordinate system representation of geometric data that is stored in the computer for the purposes of performing calculations and rendering 2D images....
    , computer graphics lighting
    Computer graphics lighting

    Computer graphics lighting refers to the simulation of light in computer graphics. This simulation can either be extremely accurate, as is the case in an Application software like Radiance which attempts to track the energy flow of light interacting with materials using radiosity computational techniques....
    , texturing
    Texture mapping

    Texture mapping is a method for adding detail, surface texture, or colour to a computer-generated imagery or 3D model. Its application to 3D graphics was pioneered by Dr Edwin Catmull in his Ph.D....
    , rigging, animating, and rendering
    Rendering (computer graphics)

    Rendering is the process of generating an image from a 3D model, by means of computer programs. The model is a description of three-dimensional objects in a strictly defined language or data structure....
     computer-generated 3D characters
    3D computer graphics

    3D computer graphics are graphics that use a Cartesian coordinate system#Three-dimensional coordinate system representation of geometric data that is stored in the computer for the purposes of performing calculations and rendering 2D images....
    , particle effects, digital sets, backgrounds.


See also

  • Animation
    Animation

    Animation is the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2-D or 3-D artwork or model positions in order to create an illusion of movement. It is an optical illusion of Motion due to the phenomenon of persistence of vision, and can be created and demonstrated in a number of ways....
  • Computer-generated imagery
    Computer-generated imagery

    Computer-generated imagery is the application of the field of computer graphics or, more specifically, 3D computer graphics to special effects in films, television programs, Television commercials, simulators and simulation generally, and printed media....
  • 3D computer graphics
    3D computer graphics

    3D computer graphics are graphics that use a Cartesian coordinate system#Three-dimensional coordinate system representation of geometric data that is stored in the computer for the purposes of performing calculations and rendering 2D images....
  • Matte painting
    Matte painting

    A matte painting is a painted representation of a landscape, set, or distant location that allows filmmakers to create the illusion of an environment that would otherwise be too expensive to build or visit....
  • Physical effects
    Physical effects

    Physical effects is the term given to a sub-category of special effects in which mechanical or physical effects are recorded. Physical effects are usually planned in preproduction and created in Filmmaking....
     — another category of special effects
  • Bluescreen
  • Front projection effect
    Front projection effect

    A front projection effect is an in-camera effect visual effects process in film production for combining foreground performance with pre-filmed background footage....
  • Rear projection effect
    Rear projection effect

    Rear projection is an in-camera special effects technique in film production for combining foreground performances with pre-filmed backgrounds. It was widely used for many years in driving scenes, or to show other forms of "distant" background motion....
  • Compositing
    Compositing

    Compositing is the combining of visual elements from separate sources into single images, often to create the illusion that all those elements are parts of the same scene....


External links


  • - Visual Effects Portal


Further reading

  • T. Porter and T. Duff, "Compositing Digital Images", Proceedings of SIGGRAPH '84, 18 (1984).
  • The Art and Science of Digital Compositing (ISBN 0-12-133960-2)* Mark Cotta Vaz; Craig Barron
    Craig Barron

    Craig Barron is an Academy-Award winning visual-effects supervisor who specializes in seamless matte painting effects. He is also a filmmaker, entrepreneur, and film historian who is co-founder and head of the visual effects company, Matte World Digital....
    : The Invisible Art: The Legends of Movie Matte Painting. San Francisco, Cal.: Chronicle Books, 2002; ISBN 0-8118-3136-1
  • Peter Ellenshaw
    Peter Ellenshaw

    William "Peter" Ellenshaw was an England-United States award-winning matte designer and special effects creator who worked on many The Walt Disney Company features....
    ;
  • Richard Rickitt: Special Effects: The History and Technique. Billboard Books; 2nd edition, 2007; ISBN 0823084086.