Oceania TRANSFORMERS!!! the live action movie tests.

You knighthood lads! you and your inside jokes!

 

Actually I'm sure this is something only me and Sainty know.

 

He is not; I am; you did.

 

Vat iz yie name!?

 

I've been reading this thread and I have a couple of points i would like to make.

1. A few of the people are stating that they like to see realism in there movies. Cool.. I respect that, but did you think that Monsters Inc was realistic? What about Toy Story?

Fact is that Movies graphics arn't designed to be realistic. there designed to simply and purely look good!

ILM is one of the worlds most awarded and celebrated Effects Studios in the world.... They have done the 3d effects from everything from Star Wars, Star Trek through to more obscure films that you would never realise 3d effects were in place.

Realism isn't the moviemakers priority, believing in a story and getting invovled in the story is. Graphics / sound / animations that look fantastic may completely be against realism.

This we know and have seen in the films we have all come to love.

I've only been witness to one Real moment on film... Blue Brothers, where the BB's Car is travelling and high speed under the high rise train lines at the end of the film.

Just remember people, films are there to entertain. Not be Documentries

 

Realism isn't the moviemakers priority, believing in a story and getting invovled in the story is

This can be seen as an oxymoron.
When I see something that looks utterly fake then I can no longer suspend disbelief...same goes for a lot of people.
Sure I can try and forget about crapping VFX when there is a great strong story line going on to take the spotlight, but this is Transformers.
The film is no doubt going to be completely lame in every way other than cool "oldschool" transformers action (which I'm not really into personaly). I mean really. It's Transormers...
This films only saving grace (like so many films of it's genre) is going to be the VFX and action sequences. So far from what I've seen they failed part one.

 

I thought I already addressed this line of thinking, but oh well, once more for the skim readers:

Obviously, we are talking realism within bounds. As I said before, I can suspend disbelief and have sounds in space and and people travelling faster than light, but for example, should someone land on a planet that would appear to have gravity by virtue of the fact they are walking on it, then I would expect that if they drop something, it would fall down.

What we are talking about as far as realism goes for visual effects, is that they should obey the laws of physics the same way the live components of the shot do. Unless they happen to be 2 feet high, green, and floating.

Your example of Toy Story is actually an example of visual effects done near flawlessly, and is a poor example for your argument. It obeys it's own laws when it comes to physics.

We are, in that film, to buy the fact that toys have lives of their own and come to life when noone can see them. But that is all we are expected to believe of them, which is why when Buzz finds out he is only a toy, and attempts to fly, he hits the floor and his arm breaks off.

Just like a toy.

That is not a fact, it's your belief.

I covered this in the art thread, but movies can just be entertainment, they can also inform, educate, and even provoke new thoughts.

But they should be realistic unless they deliberately set out to be unrealistic.

I can buy someone standing on the back of a swollen cow-like creature, to use a previous example, but if that character is meant to be bought as a real person, then the digital creature under him should obey the same laws of physics as he does.

It's called "continuity".

Thank you, I'm aware of their resume. But I'm interested in the fact you're proclaiming their place as a superior VFX team, while simultaneously admitting they do some sloppy work and we shouldn't care...

They may also be the most celebrated, massive hype and market domination will get you that. But they haven't done anything truly groundbreaking in years, and the first rate work they have turned out for other films is let down by the rush job that was the Prequel Trilogy.

I'd argue that, with a very few exceptions, that is flat out wrong.

You NEED realism, unless you're doing a film about a rabbit framed for something he didn't do. That doesn't just cover visual effects, but you need believable actors, sound, sets, dialogue, etc.

The moment something like a brightly lit Stormtrooper standing next to a shadowed Wookie happens, you've just been pulled out of the world you were in, it's no longer believable.

And don't try and tell me, again, that films are not meant to be believable, why else would you give a damn about any character in a film if you don't believe in them as an actual person?

Believability and realism is the key for engaging your audience to care about the characers, the plot and the outcome of the film.

 

Give it time SoE, the movie's a long way from being finished.

I agree with alot of what QJ wrote; Story and characters are more important than effects. This is why Fan films suck - The characters suck (mostly due to the 'actors').

I also agree with SoE and Sith Magician; Dodgy effects can take you out of a good story and make you remember it's just a movie.

 

That's one thing that will never change, VFX should be used to aid the story, not carry it.

Something else that will never change...

 

Story and characters are more important than effects.

Obviously. Hence films like Jurassic Park (god bless) and Lord of the Rings work. They managed to find the PERFECT balance (IMO).
It's just hard for me, as someone trying to break into the world of VFX, to always see such shoddy pieces of crap put into films these days. I really hate where the VFX industry is going these days, but heck I have to keep up or I'll be out of the job.

*dreams about the good ol' days of stop motion AT-ATs shot against an onset matte painting*

'sigh'

 

Didn't the guys who did most of the dinosaur CG effects for Jurassic Park (Mark Dippe and 'Spaz' Williams) leave/get fired and went on to do Spawn: The Movie?

Oh, the irony! (...and Dippe is such a fitting name).

 

They've just put up another test it shows what I assume is Optimus Prime transformfing from a semi to robot form here is the address: http://www.blackfilm.com/20060512/features/transformertest_video.shtml

 

Learn to read page one of a thread. It always helps.

 

Besides the CG issues, is anyone else full of dread about Michael Bay directing- or is his stupid "more explosions" approach to filmmaking perfect for this film provided that Optimus Prime doesn't become a Coca Cola Truck or something!

 

I have nothing against Michael Bay or his films... They're action films that don't try to be anything other than action films.

I think he's the perfect director to bring giant robots laying the smackdown on each other to the screen because you could never accuse the original cartoon of having a complicated story and great human characters.

 

I think he's the perfect director to bring giant robots laying the smackdown on each other to the screen

...but the man has zero imagination. That's the problem. He replaces creativity with stupid fireball explosions and guns with endless magazine capacity. Understandably a Transformers film dosn't have all that much going for it other than simply mindless action, but people (especially directors) need to remember that action sequences and creativity are not exclusive from one another.
Hence none of Michael Bay's films have any memorable lasting momments...yet he's directing a film with some of the most memorable characters (at least from my childhood).

 

This one isn't from the movie, but I thought it was pretty funny...

Linkage...

 

The Transformers movie is being filmed right here in my neck of the woods....I have applied for a position in the Art Dept. Just waiting to hear back on a response!

 

Least the Teaser site looks promising...

Transformers!

 

Hm. Nice closeup of Optimus's eye.

 

I don't think that's Optimus though ... and 20 days to a teaser trailer perhaps? hmm ...

 

Yep yep yep, the countdown is to some Teaser-type announcement. Theres been plenty of Spy photos all over Aint it cool of both the vehicles and cast.

 

I thought that was Megatrons eye?

 

No, blue is for good, red is for evil. It's got to be Optimus.

 

Well that teaser certainly teased.

I do like the idea of the beagle on Mars involvement.

And speilberg is one of the Producers... interesting.