Super Bowl Halftime Show SFX

So, I figured I better write a post about this before someone else steals my idea. I'm sure that many of you watched the Super Bowl  last night just as I did. However, I doubt that all of you were as excited for Madonna to perform as I was so there is a chance you may have missed the halftime show. Yes, the show itself was way over the top and Madonna is so clearly too old to be dancing in heels that high. Even if you were completely appalled by how gaudy the performance was (wtf was up with that cheer leading segment anyway?) you can't say you weren't at least a little bit impressed with the graphics that were playing on the stage. The halftime show is just another example of how far animation, especially 3D animation can take you and in how many different ways it can be used. Not only did the graphics looks incredibly crisp and clean, but they were also incredibly realistic. At one point, 2:40 in, I was convinced for a split second that the stage was actually moving up and down when in reality it was just really well done 3D animation.  The moment 11:00 minutes in when she is singing her final song is also incredible. Yes, lighting was definitely  also a factor in this part but it really did look like they were standing in space.  Ok, maybe I'm getting a little too excited about this but just taking into consideration how difficult creating that was blows my mind. Over the past couple of months I have noticed a trend of live productions becoming increasingly more graphics oriented. During this past Thanksgiving break I went to see the Rocketts in NYC. They also incorporated some pretty impressive 3D animation into their scenery. It just goes to show that the demand for animators is only going to get bigger over the next few years.