Visual Effects
Created on : December 15, 2023 17:17
Denotation
VFX stands for visual effects, which can be shortened to visual FX. The use of visual effects in movies and TV has increased exponentially over the past few decades. What used to be reserved for spectacular science fiction movies and big-budget action movies can now be found in your everyday Rom-com.
Description
Visual effects (sometimes abbreviated vfx) are the process by which imagery is created or manipulated outside the context of a live-action shot in filmmaking and video production. The integration of live-action footage and other live-action footage or cgi elements to create realistic imagery is called vfx.
In filmmaking, visual effects (vfx) are the creation or manipulation of any on-screen imagery that does not physically exist in real life. Vfx allows filmmakers to create environments, objects, creatures and even people that would otherwise be impractical or impossible to film in the context of a live-action shot. Vfx in film frequently involves the integration of live-action footage with computer-generated imagery (cgi).
Types of Visual Effects
- Cgi: computer-generated imagery is the blanket term used to describe digitally-created vfx in film and television. These computer graphics can be 2d or 3d, but cgi is generally referenced when talking about 3d vfx. The most talked-about process in cgi is 3d modeling—the creation of a 3d representation of any object, surface or living creature. Cgi vfx are most apparent when artists use them to create something that doesn't exist, like a dragon or monster. But visual effects can also be more subtle; vfx artists can use vfx to fill a baseball stadium with a crowd of cheering fans or de-age an actor to make them appear younger.
- Compositing: also called “chroma keying,” compositing is when vfx artists combine visual elements from separate origins to make it appear as though they are in the same place. This visual effect technique requires filming with a green screen or blue screen that compositors later replace with another element using compositing software in post-production. An early form of compositing achieved this effect with matte paintings—illustrations of landscapes or sets that were composited with live-action footage.
- Motion capture: often shorthanded as "mocap," motion capture is the process of digitally recording an actor's movements, then transferring those movements to a computer-generated 3d model. When this process includes recording an actor's facial expressions, it's often referred to specifically as “performance capture.” One common motion capture method involves placing an actor in a motion-capture suit covered in special markers that a camera can track. The data captured by the cameras is then mapped onto a 3d skeleton model using motion capture software.