What is VFX?
Visual effects (VFX) is a term used to describe imagery created, manipulated, or enhanced for any film, or other moving media that cannot take place during live-action shooting. VFX is the integration between actual footage and this manipulated imagery to create realistic looking environments for the context. These environments created are either too dangerous to actually shoot, or worlds that just don’t exist. They use computer-generated imagery (CGI), and particular VFX software to make it happen. VFX producers communicate with directors and cinematographers to determine which scenes require them to shoot with green screens.
Visual effects are different from special effects because visual effects require a computer and are added in after shooting. Special effects, or SFX are realized on set — they are things like purposeful and controlled explosions, fake gunshot wounds, etc.
An example of VFX would be the dragons flying through the sky in Game of Thrones, or a spaceship flying through space in Star Wars.
COMMON VFX SOFTWARE:
Adobe After Effects
3Ds Max
Boujou
Maxon Cinema 4D
Autodesk Maya
Mocha
Nuke
Syntheyes
VISUAL EFFECTS IN MOVIES
VFX examples in movies
So, how do VFX artists, producers, and editors employ these effects?
Well they’re the ones who, in post-production, use computer-generated imagery (CGI) to create the impossible imagery you see in cinema. This has become increasingly common in bigger budget films.
Let’s take a look at some examples:
DISNEY VISUAL EFFECTS
VFX in Dumbo (2019)
Disney isn’t messing around. They’re going full force in their live-action remakes. And because most of them deal with talking animals, all of them have some equally incredible visual effects.
Tim Burton’s re-imagination includes a photorealistic elephant that began as clay models that were scanned into computers for animation.
VFX in Dumbo
MOCAP VISUAL EFFECTS
VFX in Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014)
Using a mixture of motion-capture footage and hand animation, Weta Digital wanted to capture the most authentic performances as possible.
Exceptional visual effects in Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
BULLET TIME VISUAL EFFECTS
Groundbreaking VFX in The Matrix (1999)
This film raised the bar for cinematography in multiple ways. There is an iconic scene in the film, where Keanu’s character dodges a bullet. Watch the scene below.
Capturing “bullet time” VFX in The Matrix
How did they do it? This frozen moment executed by VFX Supervisor, John Gaeta, employed something called “bullet time.” Gaeta worked with the directors and cinematographer to place 122 still cameras around Reeves, then triggering them in sequence.
But in order to make sure the cameras weren’t visible, he needed to create photorealistic sets so the cameras could be removed.
“Bullet time” VFX broken down
Also, the computer code on screen was something not previously done, or at least, done well.
Iconic visual effects for on-screen code in The Matrix
Gaeta, and Kim Libreri, a second VFX supervisor, and the rest of the team, were able to give the audience this idea of “thinking in code.”
Visual effects 