Very impressed with the Chappie robot fx. Couldn't tell what was CGI and what was real.
It is nearly unheard of for a 49 mil. picture to have effects on par with, or better than a 100 mil.+ studio blockbuster. Awesome effects work indeed.
Surely thats the aim of CGI special effects?
It is safe to say that's Blomkamp's aim.
How come they can't do Iron Man so that it's seamless?
Most Marvel film directors are not trained VFX designers. They'll get their shots, usually with the advice of a knowledgeable FX coordinator. Sometimes though, a shot may be left to the VFX team to "make it work" in post, regardless of an inexperienced director's lack of proper preparation before hand.
Blomkamp is his own VFX coordinator. Each FX shot is prepped as much as possible before/during the shoot to assure streamlined integration later. No "make it work". In the case of Chappie, Neill had full size models available. That enabled him to shoot reference material on set/location, with the same lighting and camera set-ups as the actual scene. Then it's just a matter of matching the reference shot's lighting and properties (shine, reflection, etc. Not many directors do this.
Also not common in modern films, is Neill's method of animation. Sharlto Copley was not "motion captured". He was on set, wearing padding and other things to make him fit Chappie's dimensions and movements. Then he was animated over frame by frame. I think the difference between this and Iron Man boils down to some knowledge that other directors may find trivial, and tender loving care.
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LeonardPine
9 years ago
Thanks for the reply. Some interesting points you make about directors who are knowledgeable about visual effects. It obviously makes a big difference.
Some of the CGI work in Avengers Age of Ultron was appalling. Especially in the opening sequence.
The effects work in Chappie didn't pull you out of the film like CGI usually does and was for the most part impressively invisible.
While the film has it's flaws i liked it a lot and i think it's possibly one of the most underrated films this year.
Was it a millionaire who said "Imagine no possessions"?
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