Shindler's Site: The Changing Image of LF Films

By Marty Shindler

The images in LF films are changing. Not in size, not in quality, nor in their ability to impress. Rather, the images themselves are changing as more LF films make use of computer graphics, visual effects, image enhancement techniques, and animation.

In other words, the LF industry no longer relies solely on live-action photography to tell its story. Thirty years ago, the pioneers of this industry could hardly have imagined the possibilities open to today’s filmmakers. Sophisticated digital manipulation will only continue to evolve as the tools and techniques become more available and less expensive.

The majority of the most popular conventional films of all time are effects-driven. In fact, only three of the top 20 North American box-office champs are not effects films: Home Alone, Jaws, and Beverly Hills Cop. The rest, Titanic, the Star Wars and Indiana Jones series, E.T., and so on, all relied heavily on special effects.

Many LF films continue to depend primarily on live-action photography, although most, if not all, of these have used digital tools for titles, image stabilization, or enhancements to select scenes. Natural history films like Everest, Island of the Sharks, Mysteries of Egypt, Africa’s Elephant Kingdom, and Wolves generally fall in this category.

However, newer entries such as T-Rex: Back to the Cretaceous, Siegfried & Roy: The Magic Box, and Encounter in the Third Dimension are examples of the growing trend to effects-driven LF films. Once again, the LF industry follows the path blazed by the conventional film biz. And with more mainstream filmmakers coming to the LF arena, the process will continue.

What CGI work is being done for LF films today? Who is doing it? What might be expected in the future?

To answer these questions, I called a number of facilities that have produced CGI for recent LF films. Several have been involved in LF films for years, others are new to the industry.

Although it is nearly the exact opposite of computer-generated imagery, The Old Man and the Sea is one of the most talked-about LF films in release today. I spoke with the film’s producer, Bernard Lajoie of Productions Pascal Blais, Inc. in Montreal, who described how over two and a half years director/artist Alexander Petrov painstakingly painted in oils on glass, using slow-drying paints so that a single image could be modified slightly in successive exposures to create the sense of movement. Twenty-nine thousand hand-painted images were shot on a specially-built animation stand with a modified 15/70 camera. Multiple layers were used, and moved in a fluid, natural style to create the finished film. The results speak for themselves.

A complete description of the work would take up more space than this column allows. I strongly urge you to visit the film’s web site, www.oldmansea.com, to read the fascinating story of the movie’s production techniques. And if you haven’t already, see the film! You will not be disappointed.

I’m told that the two-minute trailer for the Reuben Fleet Science Center’s next LF film, Search for Infinity, created quite a buzz at the GSTA. It was the work of my former employer, Cinesite. Visual effects supervisor Steve Wright told me, "There were two main visual effects. The first was treating video footage of Arthur C. Clarke’s talking head to give it an interesting "other-worldly" look. The second was the Mandelbrot set ‘fly-in,’ an uncut two-minute plunge straight down into a deep region" of the mathematically derived graphic image.

As one would imagine, the work required very long rendering times. But Cinesite’s powerful computers were up to the massive challenge of rendering the 3,331 frames, at 50 megabytes per frame, and electronically transferring the files through the facility.

Metrolight Studios is no stranger to the LF business, and CEO Jim Kristoff was involved in many aspects of Siegfried & Roy, one of the most visually spectacular LF films ever made. Primarily a CGI facility, Metrolight created numerous scenes for the film, including the card-dealing automaton, the opening and closing book used in many transitions, and the gears in the Munich sequences. In total, their work represented four minutes and ten seconds of the total film, a sizable portion by any yardstick.

With a growing and impressive list of LF credits, Xaos in San Francisco has done work for Special Effects, The Magic of Flight, and Wildfire: Feel the Heat, among many others, and LF logos for the National Wildlife Federation, National Geographic, and Discovery Channel Pictures. Work is currently under way at Xaos for Dolphins and Loch Lomond: Legend of the Loch, as well as Autostadt, a 5/70 ridefilm that rumors say will be one of the most innovative sims to date. We’ll know next summer.

According to Christina Schmidlin, director of business development, Xaos’ work includes generating all-CGI environments, "modeling, texturing, image-processing, and compositing." For those planning to use an effects house, Schmidlin advises, "establish a creative partnership with the live-action director at the concept and story-development phase to determine the vision and style of CGI." Building a good working relationship is vital to both sides.

As one of the first companies to produce CGI and animation for the LF industry, Ex Machina, based in Paris and Tokyo, has a long list of credits, including many 3D jobs. The company created images for Cirque du Soleil: Journey of Man, and is currently working on CyberWorld.

Ex Machina brings its American, European, and Japanese clients a unique perspective by blending the styles, tastes, and culture of many regions of the world. The LF industry is, after all, an international business, and worldwide box office is crucial to the success of every film.

Will the ability to create new and exciting images translate into increased box office? If the history of the conventional film industry is a guide, the answer is yes. Although great live action work will always have a place in LF films, effects expand our options almost without limit. As professional filmmakers, we use the tools available to us and take our best shot. But in the final analysis, it is always the audience that determines our success.