Cinema Journal Entry- Computer Generated Imagery (CGI)
Isaiah Taylor
I believe it is still necessary to have CGI in movies. While modern-day movies must meet the basic standards of having a good story, good characters, and character development, they also need the flavor of CGI to be more interesting. For instance, I regard Forrest Gump as a typical movie without CGI. However, CGI makes it such an interesting movie. In Forrest Gump, CGI is used to many illusions. For instance, actor Gary Sinise’s legs have been removed. Also, it’s used to create the interactions between Tom Hanks, JFK, and John Lennon. The CGI is so perfectly applied in the movie that many viewers fail not notice. Forrest Gump was produced in 1994; we, therefore, expect that CGI techniques have greatly evolved over the years, and therefore, movies of today should be more interesting.
CGI has evolved from 2D CGI to the 3D CGI use in movies today. The application of CGI in movies began in the 1970s. The film “Western” of 1970 was the first memory to apply two dimensional CGI. After about seven years, the 2D computer-generated imagery was birthed in Chicago. That was thanks largely to computer animation Boffin Larry Cuba who toiled away for months on the city’s University of Illinois campus. 3D CGI was appreciated at its first application. The feature could give viewers a fascinating behind the scenes look at how the wireframe work came together.
In 1982, 3D CGI evolved to the first extensive 3D. However, the production was hectic and slow due to the lack of powerful computers. In 1984, CGI began to be widely applied in animations. The technique would then develop in the last decade of the century allowing bullet-time effects and photo-realistic human actors. The 21st century has marked the climax of CGI, being more advanced as compared to the beginning. The CGI applied in movies today allows motion capture and artificial intelligence, facial captures.
References
Nedomansky, V., & Vashi Nedomansky, A. (2020). The Ultimate History of CGI in Film | VashiVisuals. Vashivisuals.com. Retrieved 17 November 2020, from https://vashivisuals.com/the-ultimate-history-of-cgi-movies/.