How the NORAD graphics in WarGames were generated is quite fascinating.
The TL;DR; is that they got a consultant who had contacts at HP and managed to borrow a $90,000 (inflation adjusted) 9845C desktop running BASIC and filmed one frame and one colour at a time.
Years ago I was pushed out of a job because management was upset with me. I pointed out that what they were doing wasn't scalable.
A few years later, with new management, they retained me as a consultant for two years fixing some of the problems I told them about. I was paid considerably more money and they lost many developers in the interim.
Have you ever been doubted at work? What happened?
@ovid Few years ago I had a potential long-term #Perl client. We made a first small contract. In their #CGI hell I found they had #UTF8 in their database and told browsers to do so but both I/O were not configured. It seemed to work but internally all their strings were garbage. Nobody understood. Some string operations were done in #SQL because there it "magically" worked.
I tried to explain but they didn't understand or even believed me there was any issue at all. I do not miss that client.
Them: "The CGI in The Flash (2023) is some of the worst CGI I've ever seen put to film."
Me: "Ugh. They always say that shit. People always have to find something to complain about, and it's never as bad as they say."
watches The Flash in HD
Me: "Oh. Oh my gods. Why do the babies look like dolls that have been left out in the sun to melt? And that dog! What's wrong with its FACE!? It looks like Milo from The Mask, while he was wearing the mask! Why does Batman look like he's wearing Jay Leno's chin with black marker used to mark his beard stubble? Holy fucking shit."
I've re-watched the original Beauty and the Beast recently and the CG ballroom is awesome. Especially the many reflections. #Disney introduced #CGI onto the big screen in a way that didn't show any shortcomings or limits of that tech. They immediately went to a level that even now looks very polished.
(caveat: I don't know the details. If somebody in the know told me "the reflections were actually hand-painted by 1000 monkeys because CG couldn't do it yet" I'm happy to correct myself 😉)
If you're a fan of Phil Tippet and Tippet Studio (and you should be) or special effects in general, the fantastic 500-page "Mad Dreams and Monsters", documenting Phil & Co.'s work, is 80% off at the moment. https://a.co/d/2zcKCbU#cgi#stopmotion
This evening I was talking with @rm4 about #Tron Legacy, a #film which we highly suggest watching if you haven't already!
So, I thought about re-watching it but suddenly youtube showed me this #documentary about it, so I pressed play and enjoyed a nice and inspiring mid hour of #BehindTheScenes !
Take a watch if you know the film or if you are interested in the #MakingOf !
Somewhere in the UK, five years ago, Erwin Saunders started posting his encounters in the woods with the fae. Regardless of the veracity of Mr. Saunders' videos, they're remarkable pieces of work, bridging the gap between the believable and fantastic....
"Old-school practical effects date back to the silent era and are created with artistry and care. Is the novelty of #CGI green-screen action wearing off in favour of craft models?" #VFX
This week, we're bodaciously blasting back to the gnarly 1990s in a extreme episode courtesy of riotously radical Patreon supporter Dad Brad, who wanted the ...
Professional Pixie Hunter, Erwin Saunders - First Sighting of a Pixie (www.youtube.com)
Somewhere in the UK, five years ago, Erwin Saunders started posting his encounters in the woods with the fae. Regardless of the veracity of Mr. Saunders' videos, they're remarkable pieces of work, bridging the gap between the believable and fantastic....
TRANSFORMERS: THE BASICS on GENERATION 2 (www.youtube.com)
This week, we're bodaciously blasting back to the gnarly 1990s in a extreme episode courtesy of riotously radical Patreon supporter Dad Brad, who wanted the ...