Posts Tagged ‘CGI’

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0499549/

Dir. James Cameron

I’ve been debating what I’d like to say about Avatar. It’s a cinematic event that’s bringing criticism and praise in almost equal measure and I feel that stepping forward with my opinion puts me in an odd position of apparent naivety. I have nothing deep or meaningful to say about the story and I’ve no personally observed analysis of symbolic elements or thoughts on the implications raised by many critics.

This is partly a wilful position, borne from my original viewing of the film. I watched it expecting a predictable sci-fi action romp with cheesy dialogue and fantastic effects, which is what the film was. It’s got a wealth of narrative issues thanks to its simplistic story and broad characterisations but despite these obvious flaws I was drawn in and ended up thoroughly enjoying the film. This initial enjoyment and immersion puts me in a position of feeling unwilling to look deeper into the implications raised by many people. I didn’t feel or think of them while watching, never seeing a racist or malicious intent, but that doesn’t mean these views are invalid. It’s an issue I personally don’t feel qualified, for this film, to insightfully comment on. So for now I’m happier to enjoy it as a simple story and as a tantalising production. This may make me irresponsible as a viewer and a filmmaker, but without feeling and thinking on these points carefully anything I could say would be mired in ignorance.

Much has been made of its technological production elements, it’s well known that Cameron waited till he felt the film could be achieved, and in this regard the film is without peer. The motion capture systems, the digital production systems and the compositing of CGI and live action footage are the most advanced, and convincing, ever seen. The film is a grand spectacle and has quickly become a massive success that looks, as I write this, likely to overtake Cameron’s own Titanic in success. I can happily admit to being taken in by the story for the duration of the film, but I know that I had a deeper enjoyment thanks to its high level of production. It’s a fantastic visual feast, but what it represents is much greater, it’s an advancement of CGI effects and digital acting to an entirely new level. I can feel the weight of a world of ideas that will, as this technology becomes cheaper and more accessible, finally be realised. It’s an exciting prospect, even if we’re only in the early stages.

What didn’t work for the film is well documented, and for me personally it was mostly in the lacklustre story and cheesy dialogue. Yet I enjoyed it, I saw it twice, and I know that I will likely enjoy it all over again despite the objectively correct view that it is a mediocre film. Am I just a sucker for special effects? It’s probable. There is also likely some residual love left for Cameron that I have thanks to Terminator 2, my personal pick for the best action movie of all time. I like to think though that as an aspiring filmmaker, I’m allowed these indulgences of technology.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0450405/

Dir. Paul Weitz

I ended up seeing this entirely at random and it was a waste of my time.

The film is a total and utter mess. It’s the story of Darren Shan (who is definitely not a self-insert for the author Darren O’Shaughnessy) a boy who is obsessed with spiders and his friend, Steve, who is obsessed with vampires. One night they go to a super-secret freakshow, which consists mostly of talented actors embarrassing themselves, and see a vampire, Mr Crepsley, perform with a deadly CGI spider. Once the show is over Steve insists that Mr Crepsley should turn him into a vampire, Crepes refuses because Steve’s blood “tastes evil” and Steve gets in a huff and storms off. Darren, meanwhile, nicks the CGI spider and goes home.

Darren, cleverly, takes the insanely deadly spider to school where it gets pissed off with being a waste of rendering time and bites Steve. In order to save his friend’s life Darren goes to Crepes and asks if he’ll give Steve the antidote. Crepes agrees, providing Darren becomes his half-vampire assistant, which he does.

Then there’s a whole bunch of crap about a fat guy who wants to bring about a war, Vampires and Vampaneze (the latter kill, the former don’t), and Steve getting really whiny about Darren “taking his place” as a vampire and becoming a Vampaneze and then fighting Darren.

The story is just trite, a mash of uninspired concepts and bland fantasy. The characters have nothing about them and it’s completely bizarre to see stars like Selma Hyack and Willem Defoe lend their time to them. The film has no idea whether it wants to be a comedy or a fantasy drama. Jokes will be followed seconds later by serious events but there’s no transition or subtlety which means neither element works. The performance of Darren is ham-fisted and flat, there’s nothing about him; bland and boring he’s essentially a fart in the wind.

It’s a film obviously made to cash in on the popularity of vampires, which has been roused by the teenage obsession for the godawful Twilight series, and feels like a rushed project. It’s not horrifically bad, but it’s not good either, it’s mediocre and forgettable on every level.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0317705/

Dir. Brad Bird

As with most Pixar films The Incredibles set a new standard for CGI animation on its release. They are masters of character and, in my opinion, the single most successful studio in existence as they have yet to make a bad film.

Every Pixar movie has phenomenal production quality and The Incredibles is no exception. The characters are amazingly performed by the voice actors and animators, the visuals are crisp and beautifully designed and the fact that is made with cutting edge computer technology rightfully takes a back seat to the story that is being told.

On watching it for a fourth time this is not what struck me the most. What was the most impressive thing to me is the use of newly created superheroes, ones without a background in popular culture, in a way that can draw anyone into the story. While it does examine the clichés and the comedy potential of the established conventions of Superhero comics, it does so without alienating those who aren’t already fans of the medium. It is, at heart, a story about family and the desire to live up to your potential, which is something people can identify with. It doesn’t require prior knowledge of the world of superheroes, everything the audience needs to know is present in the film without being obtrusive.

Every time I watch a Pixar film I learn more about storytelling, they teach me to strip things down to their essential components and to identify what each part of the film is telling the audience. I think that studying them is something that will help me as a director.