Based on a True Story
John T. Johnson
Issue date: 3/1/10 Section: Opinions
This week, we are going to talk about CGI, or Computer-Generated
Imagery. Of course, CGI is commonplace today. Whether it's "2012" or "Transformers," audiences
are guaranteed to get their fix of special-effects-heavy films.
However, like most things, the technology has been around for several years. The first film to be officially recognized for using CGI was 1973's "Westworld." In the film, android cowboys go haywire at an amusement park. The film contained about two and half minutes
of CGI to create the viewpoint of the androids.
The first film to contain 3D CGI was 1976's "Futureworld," which happened to be the sequel to "Westworld." It was used to create an animated hand and face, and that was it. The film, unlike its predecessor, was not well-received and was quickly forgotten.
The one thing that I find amusing is how many people think that "Star Wars" (the first one, which is actually the fourth episode that was released in 1977) was the film that ushered in a new age of CGI. In reality, there are only two real points in the film where something was created in a computer. This included a wire-frame of the Death Star plans and the targeting computers on the X-Wing fighters.
I would count the numerous versions of the film that have been released since, but this was simply a matter of director George Lucas keeping up with the technology.
The first two films to use major amounts of CGI were 1982's "Tron" and 1984's "The Last Starfighter." Both of these films bombed at the box office but later went on to become cult classics. Of the two, I find "Tron" more humorous because you can definitely see the technology in its infancy.
Now, even though the aforementioned "Star Wars" did not really bring forth a new age of CGI, Lucas did create Industrial Light & Magic (ILM). What is great about this company is that it constantly strives to set a new milestone for CGI.
Since its formation, ILM has formed a completely computer-generated character - the stained glass man in 1985's "Young Sherlock Holmes" - and the first morphing sequence in 1988's "Willow."
Imagery. Of course, CGI is commonplace today. Whether it's "2012" or "Transformers," audiences
are guaranteed to get their fix of special-effects-heavy films.
However, like most things, the technology has been around for several years. The first film to be officially recognized for using CGI was 1973's "Westworld." In the film, android cowboys go haywire at an amusement park. The film contained about two and half minutes
of CGI to create the viewpoint of the androids.
The first film to contain 3D CGI was 1976's "Futureworld," which happened to be the sequel to "Westworld." It was used to create an animated hand and face, and that was it. The film, unlike its predecessor, was not well-received and was quickly forgotten.
The one thing that I find amusing is how many people think that "Star Wars" (the first one, which is actually the fourth episode that was released in 1977) was the film that ushered in a new age of CGI. In reality, there are only two real points in the film where something was created in a computer. This included a wire-frame of the Death Star plans and the targeting computers on the X-Wing fighters.
I would count the numerous versions of the film that have been released since, but this was simply a matter of director George Lucas keeping up with the technology.
The first two films to use major amounts of CGI were 1982's "Tron" and 1984's "The Last Starfighter." Both of these films bombed at the box office but later went on to become cult classics. Of the two, I find "Tron" more humorous because you can definitely see the technology in its infancy.
Now, even though the aforementioned "Star Wars" did not really bring forth a new age of CGI, Lucas did create Industrial Light & Magic (ILM). What is great about this company is that it constantly strives to set a new milestone for CGI.
Since its formation, ILM has formed a completely computer-generated character - the stained glass man in 1985's "Young Sherlock Holmes" - and the first morphing sequence in 1988's "Willow."
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