CHAPTER 13 ESSENTIALS

• Visual effects tools and techniques are essential to modern filmmaking, and not just for big effects-driven studio pictures. Being familiar with the capabilities of visual effects and how they can help you complete your illusions and tell your story is crucial to being a well-rounded filmmaker.
• So-called practical, or mechanical, techniques—real-world photography of models or miniatures and various in-camera tricks—remain useful in modern filmmaking and increase options for filmmakers in creating elements for their imagery. But in most cases, digital technology and methods will be required to sew real-world elements and digital elements together seamlessly.
• Computer-generated imagery (CGI) is an umbrella term for all digitally created material that might go into a feature film, including backgrounds, static objects, and computer-animated objects that move. There are several important stages in the computer-animation process, and you need to be familiar with all of them.
• Character animation specifically lies at the heart of modern visual effects. The principles behind computer-based animation are similar to those of traditional animation, where your agenda is to “perform” the character in such a way that they show or evoke emotion and connect with an audience just as an actor would. At the end of the day, animators need to emulate actors to do the job right.
• One of the new requirements increasingly entrusted to the visual effects team is the management, backup, and long-term protection of digital assets. Some kind of digital asset–management plan is crucial in modern filmmaking.