How are the special effects made in American blockbusters?

Animatronics Animatronics is a compound word of animation and electronics, and it is the technology of animals, monsters, robots and so on. It is necessary to make movies through 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.

Computer graphics and images

Computer graphics began with the movie Star Wars made by 1977, and the proportion of computer graphics in the movie is increasing. 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.

[Edit this paragraph] Image synthesis

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.

Miniaturization is called miniaturization, which makes miniature models of scenery, buildings, urban landscapes, spaceships, etc. Actually, it can't be filmed. 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.

Blasting effect

Fireworks blasting effect is the effect of chemical technology, which plays an important role 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.

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.

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.

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.

Miniature photography

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

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.

Employee sports 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.

[game]

As an offensive department, special effects combination: the weapons and clothes of the offensive department are mainly absolute attributes. Han suggested that shoes and necklaces should also be based on attributes, because these two equipments will greatly reduce their attributes because of special effects. It is suggested that advanced equipment should be matched with special effects. So stunts should be mainly attributed to helmets and belts. The reason why the belt is equipped with special effects is because the price of special effects on the belt is relatively low and the attribute gap is not big. At the same time, the super-expensive special effects of anger have little demand for the attack system. Therefore, the offensive department can sacrifice the attributes of helmet or belt slightly for stunts. The most routine stunt of the attack system is also the most familiar and expensive-breaking the unparalleled, breaking the weakness and breaking the blood. Breaking is the first choice. Han believes that broken equipment should be standing equipment. It is more tactical than weakness and broken blood. Whether it is to limit the blue-poor sects such as Fengtie and stl, or to limit the children with high blood and high spirit, they all have the effect of being soaked in blood and partly pictographic (Fengtie is high-speed, and when there is no blue, it is bound to waste a round of replenishment). At the same time, you should have a weakness. Why one? Because anger is limited, both blood loss and weakness have their targets suitable for attack, such as weak defenders, blood loss causes high damage, and high defense causes high damage. However, these two stunts are very expensive, so it is only necessary to reduce the equipment properties for one of them, and there is no need to sacrifice the properties of the two equipment for similar stunts. Of course, if you have two, both on the 130 device, that's another matter. The auxiliary stunt of the attack system, the power of the beast, I personally think this stunt should not be worn by the attack system. Of course, if it is a 130 device, that is another matter. As a spell series, the collocation of special effects: weapons and clothes in the legal system are absolute attributes, because weapon damage is also an absolute part of spell damage. Don't underestimate this part, the damage results are all made up of parts. Whether the belt chooses anger depends on whether it is equipped with large-scale stunts, so it is very casual and it is difficult to decide the equipment and skills of the spell system, hehe. Spells are not as lethal as offensive spells, so most of them choose the Qing series sealed by the other side-Jing Qing, Yuqing, Bingqing and Shuiqing, and also choose the group plus series-Four Seas and Group Plus Special Effects. , so please spell friends look at the seal system/auxiliary system stunt introduction, similar to it. As a seal/auxiliary system, the collocation of special effects: the clothes of seal and auxiliary system are mainly absolute attributes, and the shoes of high seal system are also absolute attributes, and the belt is absolutely angry. The rest of the equipment can be equipped with various stunts at will, so how to match the limited stunts more reasonably is quite rich. The function of sealing system is control and anti-control. The seal system must first ensure its shooting ability. Then, in addition to the advantage of high speed, there are special effects controlled by special effects, such as cardioscope, cloud tactic, Feng Xiao tactic, stagnation technique and trapping technique. The stunts controlled by stunts are crystal clear, and the jade is clear and clear. The stunt to control the opponent's stunt is to hide the knife in the smile and the magic sound. Personal first, seal the necessary stunts, such as mirrors! No matter which stunt, there is only one turn to unlock (after all, there are few martial arts skills), only the heart is like a mirror. After use, it will continue to resist sealing for 4 rounds. In these four rounds, you can complete a low-speed seal, completely restricting your opponent's high-speed seal! Therefore, the heart is like a mirror, which is the ace stunt of the seal system. How to use it? The characters are like mirrors. If it is blocked all the time, bb will feed himself Wulong Pill and gain control in the next four rounds. Followed by Jing Qing and Yu Qing, these two stunts were completely unsealed when everyone was sealed, which made the other party's sealing efforts turn into water. These two stunts must be in pairs. The rest, the tricks of speed regulation, such as cloud tactic, Feng Xiao tactic and stagnation, are of little absolute effect, mostly coincidences, so you will find them when you meet them, and don't leave them if you don't. Only high-attribute equipment similar to stunts is desirable. Clear water is the same as above, but clear ice should be discarded. Anger is precious and cannot be wasted on cleaning up the ice. Laughter and illusion are both restricted stunts that control the other party to use large stunts, which are purely used by pk. The characteristic of laughter is that you must succeed, and exchange your low anger for the other person's high anger. Interrupting the opponent's stunt is very effective, which belongs to the necessary stunt of P team (Han himself is looking for stunt equipment and forgot to write it two days ago); Hallucinations are not necessary, of course, and the probability is greater. It is to exchange your high anger for the other party's inability to use large-scale stunts for several rounds in a row (if the consumption doubles, large-scale stunts will not be needed). Therefore, it is easier to use laughter, and illusion belongs to the Indiana Jones stunt. The choice of auxiliary system is greater than that of sealing system. In addition to the optional special effects of the seal system, special effects such as cosmic peace, holy spirit armor, and the power of the beast are also very desirable. That is, there is no need to stick to personal stunts, and the range of choices is wide. The main means of choice are equipment attributes and coincidence when looking for them. This is why we only recommend the armor of the Holy Spirit and the power of the beast, but not the armor of glory and the seal of Warcraft. First of all, the armor of the Holy Spirit increases the total defense by 5%, and the power of the beast increases the single damage by 10%. The effect of adding defense is what everyone needs, but it is not necessary. Therefore, one-time defense electoral college does not waste the round, and everyone benefits. However, the strength and damage of the beast are not needed by everyone, only for the attack system, so the single effect of 10% is much more beneficial than the group effect of 5%. So the defense selection group adds special effects, and the damage selection list adds special effects. In the same way, prevention and control should reduce the number of armor, reduce the number of injuries, and put down the butcher's knife. Finally, the most important stunt of the high-speed seal-Cihang Pudu, you should see more, it is the slow pet that finally resurrects the seal, and the seal eats high-quality products to make up for anger 120 or more. In the second round, the first hand was the resurrection of Cihang Purdue. Therefore, Cihang Pudu has a high-speed seal, and it is easy to turn against Kun. I talked about regular stunts and also talked about new stunts-deformation and shadow. This stunt has been limited to more than 20% of one person's blood and less than 80% of another person, which is easily missed by high evaders. But this does not prevent it from becoming a dark horse stunt! Successful transformation can make the Dragon Palace poor and the hell low in blood. But a failed transformation is the result of letting yourself stay in a daze for a round or turning back to almost blood blue. So from a cold point of view, he can use it on high-quality equipment, and there is nothing else to ask for. Don't sacrifice the attributes of the equipment for the unpopular stunts. Finally, by the way, the collocation of special effects is diversified, and there is no hard combination. At the same time, if you already have a high-attribute equipment with special effects, there is no need to replace it to find the desired special effects, because each special effect has its own place to play, and the attribute is always the first.