Visual effects
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Visual Effects (or 'VFX' for short) is the term given to a sub-category of special effects in which images or film frames are created and manipulated for film and video. Visual effects usually involve the integration of live-action footage with computer generated imagery or other elements (such as pyrotechnics or model work) in order to create environments or scenarios 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 and compositing software.
Contents |
[edit] Timing
Visual effects are frequently integral to a movie's story and appeal. Although most visual-effects work is completed during post-production, it usually must be carefully planned and choreographed in pre-production and production.
[edit] Categories
Visual effects may be divided into at least four categories:
- Models: miniature sets and models, animatronics
- Matte paintings and stills: digital or traditional paintings or photographs which serve as background plates for keyed or rotoscoped elements
- Live-action effects: keying actors or models through bluescreening and greenscreening
- Digital animation: modeling, computer graphics lighting, texturing, rigging, animating, and rendering computer generated 3D characters, particle effects, digital sets, backgrounds, etc..
[edit] Notable visual effects companies
- a52 (LA, CA, US)
- Animal Logic (Sydney, AU)
- BUF (Paris and Pantin, FR; LA, CA, US)
- Brickyard VFX (Home Page; (Santa Monica CA, Boston, MA, US)
- CA Scanline (Home Page; München, DE)
- Digital Domain (Venice, LA, CA, US)
- Double Negative (VFX) (London, UK)
- DreamWorks (LA, CA, US)
- Flash Film Works (LA, CA, US)
- Framestore CFC (London, UK)
- The Mill (London, UK; NY and LA, US)
- Hydraulx (Home page; Santa Monica, LA, US)
- Image Engine (Home page; Vancouver, BC, CA)
- Industrial Light and Magic (San Francisco, CA, US)
- Intelligent Creatures (Toronto, ON, CA)
- Luma Pictures (Home page; Venice, LA, CA, US)
- Mac Guff (LA, CA, US; Paris, FR)
- Mfx (Finland)
- Moving Picture Company (Soho, London, UK)
- Rainmaker Animation & Visual Effects (Home page; Vancouver, BC, CA)
- Rhythm and Hues Studios (LA, CA, US)
- Rising Sun Pictures (Adelaide and Sydney, AU)
- Sony Pictures Imageworks (Culver City, CA, US)
- Tippett Studio (Berkeley, CA, US)
- Weta Digital (Wellington, NZ)
- Zoic Studios (Culver City, CA, US)
- Vision Crew Unlimited (Culver City, CA, US)
[edit] See also
- Animation
- computer generated imagery
- 3D computer graphics
- Physical Effects — another category of special effects
- bluescreen
- front projection effect
- rear projection effect
[edit] External links
- VFXY - Your gateway to Visual Effects
- VFX HQ : Visual Effects Headquarters — 1994-1998
- CGIndia VFX & CG Industry news
- fxguide — news, tutorials and resources
- fxphd — online visual effects training
- VFXTalk — news, tutorials and online community
[edit] 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)
- McClean, Shilo T. (2007). Digital Storytelling: The Narrative Power of Visual Effects in Film. The MIT Press. ISBN 0-262-13465-9.
