VFX Full Form

Introduction

In Jurassic World, we have seen dinosaurs fight with humans and in Avengers the superheroes have done some insane stunts that are impossible to do in real life. Well, if these things are impossible to do then how did they film that?

The answer to these questions is Visual effects (VFX). This simple term has been used in filmmaking for years. It has allowed directors to create an entire universe and breathtaking action sequences that we could have never imagined seeing. 

Storytelling has completely changed because of VFX. Nowadays, even non-fiction movies use VFX to take their movie to the next level.

But, what exactly is VFX and why is it so expensive? How do directors use VFX to create unimaginable things? Read this article till the end to find answers to all your questions.

What is VFX? 

Visual effects (VFX) is the process of creating or manipulating any kind of imagery that does not physically exist in the real world. These things are not present during the shooting of the film. 

Using VFX filmmakers can create worlds, objects, creatures, and even people that are impossible to film.

VFX involves the integration of the actual footage and the manipulated imagery to create realistic-looking environments. Most of the time these environments or scenes are either too dangerous to shoot or these worlds just don’t exist. 

Directors communicate with cinematographers to determine which scenes need to be shot with a green screen. 

Key Differences between Visual Effects (VFX) and Special Effects (SFX):

Most of the time these two terms are used interchangeably but they have different meanings.

At its core, VFX is a combination of two things: Live footage and post-production imagery. All the VFX is added in the post-production stage after shooting the movie. 

On the other hand, Special effects (SFX) are achieved in real-time during filming. Examples of SFX are animatronics, pyrotechnics, fake rain and prosthetic makeup.

Types of Visual Effects in Film:

We can categorise visual effects into 3 types:

Computer Generated Visual Effects (CGI):

I can definitely say that most of you must have heard the term CGI. You must have heard this term in film reviews where the reviewers say that the CGI of the movie was realistic and out of the box. But, what exactly is CGI?

CGI is a very broad term and most of the visual effects are categorised in this category. CGI is the process of using computer graphics in art and media. They can be 2D or 3D objects, animations, or renderings. CGI is used in films, television programmes, video games or simulations.

CGI can be used in a wide range of films, science fiction, thriller, horror and much more. A good example of CGI would be when filmmakers create things that don’t exist like monsters or dinosaurs. Although they can also be used to make subtle changes like de-age an actor to make him look younger.

Compositing:

Compositing which is also known as ‘Chroma Keying’ is when visual effects from different origins are made to look like they are in the same place. In compositing, a green or blue screen is used. 

The green screen is later replaced by other elements that the filmmaker wants to add to his film using compositing software in post-production.

Motion Capture:

Often referred to as ‘mocap’, motion capture is the process of recording the movements of the actors in the digital format and then transferring those movements to a computer-generated 3D model.

When the facial expressions of the actors are captured it is known as ‘performance capture’. An example of motion capture can be when actors are placed in the motion-capture suit covered in markers that cameras can track.

Why is VFX so expensive?

The main reason why VFX is so expensive is the time and labour that goes into making a single scene. Creating visual effects that are both realistic and pleasant on the eyes requires highly trained artists who work hundreds of hours on just a single shot.

This is the reason why many times the CGI crew often outnumbers the filmmaking crew. The CGI crew of the film Transformers said that it took them 15 weeks just to make one Transformer. 

After designing the concept, turning it into a 3D model was a tedious task as well because each piece has to be modelled correctly.

A fully animated film like ‘Monsters University’ takes 100 million CPU hours to render the film. If you do this same work on your computer then it will take you over 10,000 years. Even the Pixar computers took almost 3 years to render the film.

Over the years the use of visual effects has increased tremendously. Nowadays, every other film uses VFX on some of the other levels. 

From just 30 shots in Jurassic Park to 2000 – 3000 shots in Captain America: Civil War, the field of VFX has grown a lot. To shoot just a single shot 10-15 artists are required.

Conclusion:

VFX will only grow exponentially in the coming years and we will see significant advancements in terms of technology that is used in VFX. The cost and time will reduce as the years pass by and more people will work in the field of CGI or animation.

We hope that after reading this article you now better understand the field of VFX. You must have understood how much work goes into making just a single shot. The things that we see on the big screen are stunning but, the work that goes into making that is both extremely difficult and time-consuming.