Model Work V CGI

[Dowdsy McDowds]

Whenever a writer conjures up a whole world on the page and in their mind, it takes a lot of dedication and focus on communication for the rest of the people involved in the production to make their idea come to life on-screen.
Model work as special effects has been used since the very beginning of the film industry. An iconic and influential film from 1902, "La Voyage Dans La Lune" by George Melies, is considered the first ever sci-fi film and was fantastically referenced in the Smashing Pumpkins' video for Tonight, Tonight.

Of course the use of sets was taken from theatre to assist the early directors and visionaries to create worlds and open the possibilities for what could be achieved in the brave new medium of film.
Over time, more and more directors incorporated models and sets for certain purposes; the dystopian, bleak and metallic world from Fritz Langs 'Metropolis' to the stop-motion monster/dinosaur films from the 60s both in the US and Japan. One man whose name is synonymous with model work is Ray Harryhausen. He worked on such films as the original Clash of the Titans, The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms and of course, Jason And The Argonauts. The fight between several skeletons and 3 Argonauts is arguably one of the most influential scenes ever committed to film as it showed what was possible if one had the time, skill and dedication to their craft.

Into the modern era, and computer generated graphics are now at a point where they can be part of a film and completely unnoticeable. The 2010 film Monsters is a prime example, as the director was able to digitally create and alter many things he and his cast came across so that it would fit their story. Whereas a year or so before, James Cameron released Avatar and took CGI to a whole other level with the re-birth of 3D which showed what CGI animators were capable of if given the money, technology and skill to do so.

So, what are your views on both model work and CGI?

Do you feel nostalgic for model work or think it was more of a stepping stone in the evolution of effects work?

What are your favourite scenes/moments with either models or CGI?

 

[Dowdsy McDowds]

Screw it, I'm gonna bump this thread.

In my first post, I brought up the scene from Jason and the Argonauts where Jason and 2 soldiers fight off a mini skeleton army. However my favourite scene in that film was another piece of amazing model work that still sends tingles up my spine, and it is when Talos comes alive and threatens to hault the adventure before it has even begun due to the greed of Hercules and Hylas.

As far as favourite CG scenes, few are as symbolic as the buffalo stampede in the Lion King that results in the death of Mufasa and closes the first act of the film. The CG buffalos hurtling towards Simba can be seen to represent the imminent threat of computer animation over-taking traditional hand-drawn animation, and is an absolutely staggering sequence. I still remember seeing this scene at the cinema and was one of the times I was truly terrified and fearful for a character. The rumbling sound that grows and grows until a black waterfall of destruction hurtles towards Simba, coupled with the trumbone shot on Simba and use of lighting makes me appreciate the techniques that were used a lot more than I did before really getting interested in films. Just simply astounding.