{"id":15090,"date":"2022-10-18T12:08:18","date_gmt":"2022-10-18T04:08:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/?p=15090"},"modified":"2022-11-29T12:24:19","modified_gmt":"2022-11-29T04:24:19","slug":"five-trends-shaping-the-future-of-the-visual-effects-industry","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/five-trends-shaping-the-future-of-the-visual-effects-industry\/","title":{"rendered":"Five trends shaping the future of the visual effects industry"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

From evolving audience expectations to emerging technologies, how are visual effects enhancing the future film industry and impacting the real world? We asked a VFX industry expert and a media researcher to find out more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With the advent of film in the late nineteenth century came the first examples of visual effects, like substitution splices<\/a>, dissolves and time lapse photography, which were greatly admired by the public. A century later, visual effects are almost indistinguishable from reality, yet film and TV audiences have become far more critical.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We asked Visual Effects Supervisor Brendan Seals and Curtin media researcher and Screen Arts<\/a> Course Coordinator Dr Stuart Bender about the future of visual effects on The Future Of <\/em>podcast.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1.   Artists aren\u2019t using visual effects to cut production corners<\/h3>\n\n\n
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No decade saw more spectacular advancements in visual effects than the 1990s, which witnessed the emergence of modern motion capture technology<\/a> during production on The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers<\/em>, innovative bullet time sequences<\/a> in The Matrix <\/em>and the first fully computer-animated feature film<\/a>: Toy Story<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Positive reactions to such advancements caused many filmmakers in the 2000s \u2013 early 2010s to overuse visual effects and rely on VFX technology to quicken the production process. Seals, who has worked on 30 movies for VFX vendor Luma Pictures<\/a>, says the impacts of these decisions continue today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe technology and resources weren\u2019t quite up to the challenge at the time. Audiences began pushing back against using visual effects to solve problems,\u201d the Curtin alumnus<\/a> explains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cToday, audiences want filmmakers making choices on set that engage with the art, design and language of the film.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Seals believes that future VFX artists will continue to only create what can\u2019t be filmed on camera.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s a better product than getting it in the lens?\u201d he quips.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2.   There are exceptions for health and safety<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

While the visual effects industry will continue striving for realism, artists will likely continue using the technology to mitigate on-set safety concerns, particularly when recreating weaponry, explosions and large crowds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, there have been additional requirements with the outbreak of COVID-19. In Spider-Man: No Way Home<\/em>, Luma Pictures was tasked with creating background environments for New York City since the cast and crew were unable to travel there during production.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe didn\u2019t just use visual effects to heighten the story, drama and action because of what Spider-Man can\u2019t do in real life: we used it to create Times Square, Madison Square and everything in between,\u201d explains Seals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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