CGI technology: the reason why the cinema works miracles

Cinema has been considered an art since its creation in the 19th century. With the advent of computers this industry has evolved by leaps and bounds due to the use of computer generated images. Next, we tell you about the evolution of a technique that has changed our perspective on the big screen.

The Cinema industry has been closely linked to technology in recent years. Many of the users will think how technology has affected the seventh art and the answer lies in the CGI effects.

The CGI is the result of creating computer imaging for art, movies or video games. This advance has made film directors and specialists put aside the rudimentary techniques in special effects.

The first steps of CGI effects

Obviously, when cinema was born, computers did not exist. The first computers arose in the 1940s and they were machines that occupied entire rooms, very different from the computers that we currently know.

Many connoisseurs of cinema consider that the feature film Westworldreleased in 1973, was the first film to mark a before and after in the evolution of post production techniques, but the first film to use computer generated images would be the title Vertigodirected by Alfred Hitchcock.

The film premiered in 1958 and it was the first film to use a computer generated animationif only for the opening credits.

Star Wars: The Force Came Through CGI

On 1977 made it to the big screen Star Wars: Episode 4 – A New Hope. This film caused a revolution in many areas of the film industry and especially in the post production.

The first installment of the saga used a fusion of traditional effects with those who were computer generatedbut the real milestone of the CGI technology was the 3D map created by the rebels of the star of death for the purpose of planning the attack.

This map was created by computer scientists from the University of Illinois and it took more than three months in developing it.

The great advances came after 1980

The eighties arrived and came to the big screen tronproduced by Disney. This feature film has more than 15 minutes of sequences created solely by computer.

What is surprising is that to create these effects they used a computer who had a memory of 2 megabytesa fact unimaginable today.

In these years the company arises pixar who managed to perfect the CGI techniques. An example of this can be seen in the movie The secret of the pyramid where it was possible to create a photorealistic image whose design took more than six months.

To infinity and beyond

On nineteen ninety five the film arrived in theaters toy story. Pixar was the company that produced what was the first movie animation created through a computer.

For the creation of this film it took 4 years in producing it and involved a large investment in order to achieve a technology that he was able to bring his endearing characters to life.

used more than 300 processorsmore of 120 render terminals who worked the 24 hours a daymore of 500,000 working hours carried out by a team composed of only 27 entertainers.

A technology to travel in time?

This technology not only has the purpose of creating three dimensional images. It also has other goals such as time travel. So is. Many movies have used CGI effects to go back to other movies. times and make the protagonist find himself in a certain historical context.

An example of this is the movie forest gump. This film that has marked many users for its famous phrases also stood out for including the protagonist in historical events.

For that they used the chroma key, stock images and the use of morphing. This last technique consists of fusion of two real objects and thus create an effect of both as if it were a transformation.

Although not only remains here, in recent years the CGI has had the purpose of rejuvenating those stars who have spent many years in front of the cameras.

Movies like The curious Case of Benjamin Button, the Irish or Gemini are a clear example of the use of the technique de aging.

Would you like to observe the evolution that special effects have had in the cinema? With Movistar+ and Netflix you will have the opportunity to view some of the Titles that we have mentioned.

Prepare your popcorn and enjoy the movies.

IMAGE: Gonzalo Chavarri