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  1. In Memory of LAJ_FETT: Please share your remembrances and condolences HERE

*OFFICIAL THREAD* "CGI in the Prequels" Discussion

Discussion in 'Prequel Trilogy' started by G-FETT, May 24, 2005.

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  1. G-FETT

    G-FETT Chosen One star 7

    Registered:
    Aug 10, 2001
    Post all your thoughts about all manner of ILM's work in this thread. How was the opening space battle? How was Coruscant this time? What about Boga? Did you think Mustafar was cool? Did Lucas and ILM over-do the effects this time?


    Changing to CGI in Prequels Discussion
     
  2. Cit_Ja_Tapieo

    Cit_Ja_Tapieo Jedi Youngling

    Registered:
    Jan 3, 2005
    I was more than impressed with the jump from AOTC, the sheer on screen image density is what makes multiple viewings so easy to sit through. I've seen 4 showings now and the complexity of the universe blows me away every time.

    ILM animation should get an Oscar nod for Boga if nothing else. The fluidity of his movements and I presume constant changing between real and digital Ob1 border on effortless. It's so unbelievably smooth and natural.

    Yoda crawling through the tunnel after the Sidious ruck always blew me away.

    I never thought I'd say this, but if Lucas were to change ESB and ROTJ Yoda to digital, I really wouldn't mind after seeing him in ROTS.

    ILM, we all salute u

     
  3. hawk

    hawk Jedi Knight star 5

    Registered:
    May 3, 2000
    Too much CGI. It looks terrible. I want to see more quality not quantity. PERIOD.
     
  4. G-FETT

    G-FETT Chosen One star 7

    Registered:
    Aug 10, 2001
    I thought Mustafar was the greatest visual representation of hell thats been out on to the big screen. I know it wasn't supposed to be the real hell, but it's a metaphor for hell and it's the Star Wars version. I thought it was utterly wonderful. Well done all round. =D=
     
  5. GEORGIE_LOST_IT

    GEORGIE_LOST_IT Jedi Youngling

    Registered:
    May 23, 2005
    Sadly I think cgi killed the acting in the whole prequel trilogy, it's no wonder everyone was so wooden. Sorry, but I really can't help having a downer on ROTS. A 2 hrs+ cartoon, and if I want that, I can get it with humour and solid story telling from Pixar.

    I watched hitchhiker's guide a couple of weeks back, and as average as it was, it was great fun to see giant rubber things and naff plywood sets - far more satisfying.

    I mean, how different would Jedi have been if those trees were pixels? Or Hoth as a green screen? Gimme dodgy composites and scale plastic go-motion puppets any day.

    And bring back those glorious elstree sets and location shooting, and let's put characters and actors back into the worlds in which they belong.
     
  6. G-FETT

    G-FETT Chosen One star 7

    Registered:
    Aug 10, 2001
    [face_laugh]

    Why do I sense someone whos going to cause me a headache! [face_laugh]
     
  7. GEORGIE_LOST_IT

    GEORGIE_LOST_IT Jedi Youngling

    Registered:
    May 23, 2005
    Nope, leave you all in peace now.

    Come back Ewoks, all is forgiven...

    Au revoir!
     
  8. ome

    ome Jedi Knight star 5

    Registered:
    Jun 10, 2004
    generally the CGI was great...but i was a bit disappointed of mustafar...i mean...it was cool...though thought it'd be cooler... :D
     
  9. Darth_Aldar

    Darth_Aldar Jedi Master star 2

    Registered:
    Jul 28, 2003
    The CGI was a huge leap forward from AOTC, however there were a few dodgy bits, especially in the Dooku duel. Mr Lee's flip was poorly done and Obi Wan being force pushed into the railings was also not what i call 'top quality'

    But hey, i'm not a CGI artist, what the hell do i know? I take my hat off to ILM for all of the things that were fantastic:

    - Yoda (as previously said, the crawling scene and also the close up of his hand losing grip were amazing)
    - Grievous (Mr McGregor interacted, action wise, way better with this CGI character than any others)
    - Boga (I thought that griffin thing in Harry Potter looked good - this blows it away)
    - The Clones (looked a lot better than in AOTC, more to do with the movement rather than detail i think)

    Finally, the locations and battles. Mustafar rocked, as did the Coruscant cityscape scenes. The space battle was the most visually interesting space scene out of the 6 films i'd say. Kashyyk looked good, the resulting battle, while short, looked the part.


    So yes, CGI is good :)
     
  10. darth_trc

    darth_trc Jedi Youngling

    Registered:
    Jul 4, 2004
    Darth_Aldar - you a geordie too?

    Did anyone else notice that the 'model' sets really stood out in this one as being... well, models?

    they didn't really blend in as well as in previous PT films, where sometimes I didn't realise they were actually models until I read it somewhere.

    This isn't a criticism mind - if anything it felt more 'OT-ish' than anything else. I'm wondering if maybe it was deliberate?

    There's a scene with Obi-Wan and Grievous going down a ramp/path on the wheelbike thing, and there's little lights at the side - the set is so obviously a model, and it looked VERY original trilogy style. I really liked how this added to the whole 'bridging' effect of the film.
     
  11. Darth_Aldar

    Darth_Aldar Jedi Master star 2

    Registered:
    Jul 28, 2003
    darth_trc

    Aye, Geordie born and bred, although i'm stuck in the cesspit that is Darlington at the moment.

    I see what you mean about the sets being more 'model like'. ROTS ties in well with the OT in that sense.
     
  12. Aquila_Skywalker

    Aquila_Skywalker Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Dec 14, 2004
    I thought the cg was the best ever, which it clearly was.

    Yoda was absolutely fantastic, the best looking cg character to date.

    I also loved how the Magna Guards interacted with Obi-Wan and Anakin on the bridge of the invisible hand.

    The only thing I didn't like was Grievous' cloak, I thought it looked a bit fake and as soon as he took it off on Utapau he looked way better.
     
  13. topgoalscorer_no11

    topgoalscorer_no11 Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Jul 23, 2001
    There's a scene with Obi-Wan and Grievous going down a ramp/path on the wheelbike thing, and there's little lights at the side - the set is so obviously a model, and it looked VERY original trilogy style.

    Yes, I noticed that too.

    And liked it, too.

    I think the locations, especially Utapau and Mustafar, were both more visually interesting, and closer to the OT in feel, than others in the PT.
     
  14. Mange

    Mange Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Jan 11, 2003
    Hawk, are you sure you can distinguish what was CG or models? Besides the obvious CG (such as the CG characters) I find it impossible to distinguish them.
     
  15. StormTrooper1776

    StormTrooper1776 Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 26, 2004
    The CGI in ROTS was awesome,no wonder why GL loves it so much.
     
  16. darth_trc

    darth_trc Jedi Youngling

    Registered:
    Jul 4, 2004
    i think what gave most of the model sets away in this one was that sometimes it seemed like the sense of scale hadn't been instilled to make the sets appear appropriately dense.

    The ramp example I'm talking about literally looked like a CGI bike driving down a model ramp/path.

    I'm definitely NOT saying I didn't like it though. It added so much visually because it takes you right back to the OT. I really do think it was intentional, as so many people have picked up on it, there's no way that ILM/George couldn't have noticed.
     
  17. NeoBaggins

    NeoBaggins Jedi Master star 5

    Registered:
    Oct 28, 2003

    In digital, the opening battle is simply mind-blowing. You follow the two fighters into an explosion where a field of battle is revealed spectacularly.

    After my third veiwing and my friends second, I brought to his attention that he didnt realize a very incredible detail to Obi Wan fighting grevous. Grevous, isnt really there. A seemless execution of live-actor interacting with a CGI character.

    Dooku's flip is perfect, until he lands. I didnt understandthe need to go as far with the CGI as a landing CGI model followed with movements all the way until he grabs his saber. Too much time to lose the illusion.

    The clones. I didnt understand the over-usage of CGI bodies and CGI heads of the Jango character. It would be far more convincing if the actor actually donned a trooper suit in these scenes and was imposed in the shot more than once doing different things as different troops . This effect was mastered years ago and i'm sure ILM would have no problem perfecting it.

    The most noticable time that the CGI is flawless is when a trooper does a military football-style runup on a crab droid and mounts him blasting away. That, looked really, real.

    The CGI doubles in THE DUEL were done better than what I had seen before hand. If I hadnt seen the webdoc I wouldnt have known Ani and Obi was fake for a moment struggling. Anakin leaping from the panel, to the table, to Obi Wan is alright too. It carries that blur. All is better than Anakins save at the AOTC hangar and Darth Mauls wiggly dismount on Tattooine.

    Boga is great, Grevous is great, and the henchmen interaction is spectacular.

    The lava and some of its dark settings is a tuff place to witness the duel of all duels.

     
  18. Darth-Cloud

    Darth-Cloud Jedi Youngling star 1

    Registered:
    Jan 26, 2005
    I thought the CGI was fantastic from start to finish, with a few exceptions.

    - Dooku's flip looked a bit fake.

    - The lava surfing during the Anakin/Obi-Wan duel, with Obi-Wan on the platform and Anakin on the droid, looked a bit fake.
     
  19. Darth_Imran

    Darth_Imran Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    May 30, 2002
    Heh heh... people jump up and quickly like to make the argument "Oh, wooden acting and carton style film!!" don't they? I'm no gusher, but I think people love to come out with stuff like that just to seem special. [face_laugh]

    Personally, I thought that CGI was fantastic. There wasn't a single shot in the film where I could have said that I was watching CGI. I tried to lose myself in there, as I do with all fantasy films, and this was the only film that kept me lost. I'm CGI artist myself, and I have to say that the sheer level of detail in each shot is groundbreaking. From what I understand, certain shots, if not most, have upto and including 10 or more different elemnts. And the fact that they're combined so well, making the experince seamless can only mean one thing : ILM deserves the VFX Oscar.
     
  20. The Bigger Fish

    The Bigger Fish Manager Emeritus star 7 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Apr 24, 2000
    I was really impressed with Corescant this time round. It had a clarity that the previous films were missing, especially at night.
    :)

    I also agree about Mustafar. A brilliant representation of Hell.
     
  21. WiSe_SitH_LoRd

    WiSe_SitH_LoRd Jedi Youngling star 1

    Registered:
    May 22, 2005
    The visual effect were too good! After seeing ROTS I saw AoTC and the CGI looked so cheesy!
     
  22. Darth_Imran

    Darth_Imran Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    May 30, 2002
    Yeah, the planets were great. I loved Mustafar. The first few shots just made it look like hell. And the music helped greatly too. I can't stop playing that track on my CD.
     
  23. NeoBaggins

    NeoBaggins Jedi Master star 5

    Registered:
    Oct 28, 2003

    Also, the part in AOTC where Anakin is captured by Jango, it is clearly a stiff pre-made background. This effect is improved upon in ROTS when Anakin stands in the hangar bay as Mace leaves. This time, the background is heavier and the size and angles are realistic. Its like he's really there.

    Check out Anakin and Padme on the balcony with the hovering fighter parked against the city-scape. If it wasnt impossible you would have sworn it was all real.

    ps: the shot of Padmes ship heading towards Mutafar isnt in the movie
     
  24. Tachikoma-Kun

    Tachikoma-Kun Jedi Youngling star 3

    Registered:
    Apr 30, 2005
    I do some cgi myself as a hobby (No animation mind you, just images) and I was particularly impressed with the way Grievous looked. I didn't like his animation but the overall look was brilliant. And he seemed to blend in with the enviroment really well. (Ofcourse it helps that he is a robot rather than organic being but non the less it was impressing). Yodas expressions and emotions were really well done. And his animation was better than with grievous. But on Kashyyk some of the clonetrooper animations looked a bit off. When they die for example, it looks a bit "cartoonish". The wookies looked impressive as well. I couldn't really tell wich were cgi and wich were guys in costumes. And I bet those wookies were really hard to do.
     
  25. IH2

    IH2 Jedi Youngling star 2

    Registered:
    Feb 16, 2005
    I am by no means any fan of having too much CGI. With a few minor exceptions, such as the ship crashing in the beginning of the film, this film was CGI fantastic. Made the CGI in the rings trilogy and the Matrix trilogy look like crap.

    And what ILM did with Yoda blew my socks off....
     
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