Film knowledge

Different special effects techniques can be used according to the types and styles of movies, which are roughly classified as follows.

1 special makeup

From simple makeup for the elderly to werewolves, the wounded and dying soldiers in movies such as Saving Private Ryan and Starfleet Cavalry are all represented by special makeup techniques. Traditional special makeup takes a lot of time and money, because the materials used in special makeup are expensive and there are few skilled makeup artists.

The websites that can be consulted include the homepage of tom savini who played the sex machine in the recent film "From Dusk to Dawn" and the website of an educational institution named Joeblasco.

2 Electronic animation (animation)

Animatronics is a compound word of animation and electronics, and it is the technology of animals, monsters and robots needed to make movies by means of electrical and electronic control. In a word, it is the technology of making robot actors.

R2D2 in Star Wars, dinosaurs in Jurassic Park, lions and spiders in Game of the Brave are all actors made by electronic animation. In the field of animation electronics, the most authoritative person is Phil Tiber, who served as the director of electronic animation effects in the films Jurassic Park and Starfleet Cavalry.

At present, Animatronics is also eager to try in the field of motion capture. If cg animation is used to represent the impossible shape of human body, it is not easy to get the effect of natural movement through key frame animation. As a result, the robot actor does the necessary actions, and then uses the robot actor's data to make natural actions in the computer. If you think about stan Winston's The Rat Catcher, it's easy to understand.

3 Computer Graphics (Computer Graphics)

Since the movie Star Wars made by 1977, computer graphics has become more and more important in movies. Nowadays, computer stunt technology has made great progress. Lucas believes that due to the backwardness of computer special effects technology, the nine Star Wars movies he planned cannot be completed in his lifetime. But now, with the rapid development of computer and CG technology, computer special effects can be displayed in more and more fields, and Star Wars movies can be completed.

The huge water column and dinosaurs in the film are images reconstructed by CG. Nowadays, through this image, people can feel that computer graphics technology is so close to us. Among these creations, PDI Company, which made Ant, and Pixar Company, which made Toy Story, Insect Story and other films, are pioneers in constantly developing and utilizing new technologies and exploring CG application fields.

4 image composition

This is the largest proportion of special effects production in film and television dramas. The 2D effects in film and television dramas are basically synthesized images such as Dissowe or Wipe. Pan and matte painting. This is very important for the natural expression of images.

In the past, traditional optical methods were used to synthesize images. The more synthesized images, the worse the image quality. In order to overcome the problem of image quality degradation, ILM uses Vista Vision camera. Nowadays, due to the application of digital technology, the quality and special effects of image synthesis have greatly improved the expressive force of movies. The scene of shaking hands with the president in Forrest Gump is the best example to show the infinite application potential of digital synthesis technology.

5 Model (Miniature)

Miniaturization is to make miniature models of scenery, architecture, urban landscape, spacecraft and so on. Things that can't actually be photographed. Miniaturization is a traditional special effect with a long history in film history. This special effect will continue to be used in film and television dramas in the future.

Theoretically, CG can be used instead of miniaturization, but now CG is worse than the model in photography quality and realism, and its scale and details are not ideal. Therefore, miniaturization is still the first choice for film production. Only scenes that can't be photographed in miniature are made with CG. So the utilization rate of CG is still limited. For example, the film Lost in Space was not shot in miniature, and most scenes were represented by CG. Therefore, the realism and depth of movies are very poor, and watching movies is just like playing video games.

Therefore, at present, people in the industry are not in favor of using CG model. For a simple example, all the miniatures about new york City in the movie were made by Hunter Glatzner. If CG is used to represent new york, how to manage so much data is still a problem for CG workers.

6 Blasting effect (fireworks)

Blasting effect is the effect of chemical technology and occupies an important position in the field of special effects. Generally, blasting miniatures or CG are used to synthesize rendered images, which are used together with other parts.

Due to the different methods of making gunpowder, the shape and color of the flame are also different. The installation position and quantity of explosives determine the shape of the scene when it explodes. So this is a professional field that relies heavily on experience and theory. Searching for fireworks-related websites online, it is easy to find the home page detailing the theory of blasting effect.

It is not easy to shoot a real blasting scene. Therefore, it is also a way to use a CD equipped with blasting scenes such as real action, Pyronia and fire effect, or Max's After Burn and light wave Hyper Boxell. Hyperbox or After Burn is a plug-in that applies volume measurement and Shaer. So if used properly, you can get a very realistic effect. Especially in the movie Armageddon (Warner, 1998), After Burn is very famous. However, After Burn's rendering time is much slower than Hyper Boxell's, and the quality has not been compared for a long time, so it is impossible to conclude that it may be comparable.

Second, thematic photography

Special photography is a professional photography technique, which is said to have been discovered by a filmmaker through accidental mistakes.

Special photography methods can be divided into four categories.

1. Operation mode of the camera;

2. Install optical devices on the camera, such as the filter of the camera;

3. In post-production, special processing methods are used in imaging or optical processing;

4.Go-Motion, Hugh Noguuoeres, motion control and other techniques used in shooting miniatures.

When making Block Burster, if there are many special effects scenes, in addition to the general director of photography, a special director of image photography should be selected to take charge of special photography. Because special photography itself needs photographers, photography technology is completely different from general plot photography. The famous Dennis Mullen of ILM is also the director of special effects photography.

Roland morici, who is famous for Independence Day and other films, also hired a photography supervisor named anna foerster. Although anna foerster is a woman, she faithfully performs the special duties of photography supervision that many men are not competent for. Her strength has been recognized by people in the industry, so she is famous.

1 high-speed photography

In order to adjust the scale, you can use high-speed photography to shoot slow-motion scenes or miniatures by operating the camera.

This technique is common in movies directed by John Woo, such as the scene of Chow Yun Fat holding a gun in both hands and a slow-motion gun battle in "Hot Men". The film is shot at a speed of more than 24 frames per second by operating the camera, and then projected by the projector at a normal speed of 24 frames per second. In this way, the movement of the object becomes slower relative to the number of frames.

Generally, you shoot at 50/28 frames per second, and you get slow motion. Miniature explosion scenes and dramatic action scenes mainly use high-speed photography.

2 Low-speed photography

This is also the way to get special effects by operating the camera. Contrary to high-speed photography, this method can achieve fast motion effect.

After shooting at less than 24 frames per second, you will get the effect that when you show it at normal speed, the speed of the image is faster than the speed of shooting the frame. To show people the process of flowering or sunrise in a short time, it is necessary to use low-speed photography.

3 miniature photography

At present, motion control cameras are widely used in miniature photography, and sometimes ordinary cameras are also used. In the past, Hugh Noguerrez camera was used.

Hugh Noguuoeres camera uses the principle of periscope to connect a long tube with a small lens and a mirror with a TV camera and a general camera to shoot objects. The mirror attached to Hugh Noguuoeres lens reflects the image to the mirror attached to the camera lens, and the camera takes the image reflected on the mirror. In this way, you can get the original action control shooting effect. This shooting method is generally used when the object quickly enters a narrow space that cannot be directly photographed by the camera.

Hugh Noguerrez's photographic masterpiece is the scene in which the X wing rushes to the surface of the imperial army Das in the first episode of Star Wars.

4 Target sports photography

Target sports photography, like clay sculpture animation, is a miniature photography method applied to staff motion animation technology. This technology is to use the single-lens reflex camera that people use when taking pictures, and while moving the camera, they shoot miniatures one by one. This is the technology developed by ILM for filming Star Wars. The representative shot of the target sports photography is the tunnel shot in the movie raiders of the lost ark. This is very similar to the original motion control technology.

5 staff action photography

The staff action photography mentioned here is not the staff action photography technique like clay sculpture animation. Clay animation, a staff action, takes pictures one by one while moving the subject bit by bit.

What I want to talk about here is the 360 still scene photography technique appearing in Hume's advertisement. Of course, staff action animation photography such as A Christmas Nightmare is also called staff action photography. In Hume's advertisement, the staff sports photography takes the subject as the center, and arranges a single-lens reflex camera-still life camera, which is commonly used when people take pictures, in a circle or a row at a certain interval, and shoots at the same time. In this way, the still camera can take still pictures from multiple angles. When editing these pictures, stick them together to form a connected image.

This is 1996 newly developed by a British special effects photography director. This requires very precise photography. At present, only two or three people in the world can use this technology. Therefore, 35% of the production cost of Hume CF was paid to the British who were in charge of staff action photography. In Block Burster, you can see this technology in recent movies such as Lost in Space.