Eh, I've Seen Better

There's something mesmerizing about early CGI. Somewhere right at the beginning of the takeover of complete computer animation. We take it for granted now, but it was a big deal back then for any sort of character or object to appear on screen that wasn't really there. Nowadays we don't even blink an eye at visual marvels like Transformers or Avatar. It might pique our interest for the time being while watching it, but it's easily forgotten an hour after the film is over. We've become spoiled, in a sense, with the incredible advancement in technology over the past 20-30 years. We always want more, we're never satisfied. Things we make fun of now because they "look like shit", we marveled at in their heyday.

Maybe I feel this way because of nostalgia. It seems to be a big thing in society nowadays (or at least in my general age group) to reflect upon things of the past (Buzzfeed feeds this problem like none other). For my age group, it's 90's Cartoon Network/Nickelodeon shows, Playstation/N64 games, and Pokemon. Maybe it's because we long to go back to a time when things still made us feel something. We still had a sense of awe back then. We just don't get that same euphoria anymore. As I said earlier, we've been desensitized by how much we have now. I can play a PS4 game and marvel at the graphics and gameplay a bit, but it's soon forgotten. I remember when my first cell phone had 3 shades of green as far as graphics capabilities, Snake and Brick Break. It was the coolest thing ever! Now even with the endless possibilities of my iPhone, I feel nothing. As I'm writing this post, I'm playing N64. It brings me back to when this made me marvel, and I felt a sense of awe.

The same applies to animation. When the dancing baby animation to Hooked on a Feeling by Blue Suede came out, my mom screamed to me from the other room to come and see, and we watched it over and over. It made us so happy! Maybe we felt a sense of accomplishment as a human race to have seemingly perfected the art of digital animation. Of course, now, it's much better. We've progressed so much in the field of technology. I can go on for years about how many marvels there are that exist today. It's truly breathtaking and captivating.

But I just don't care.

It's All In the Details

As an avid Syfy fan, it is not surprising that the new show Opposite Worlds intrigued me. Even though I don't normally watch reality shows, I loved this concept. As I watched the first episode after class on Wednesday, I was very pleased with the filming and the unique style of the show. Afterwards, I was curious about the trailer that first piped up my interest. I watched it, and was taken aback by the effects and style it emulated. Here is that trailer (produced at Hold Fast; creative director: Rich Scurry):

Something that seems so simple, yet after what we heard in class, I'm sure has many layers of complexity. What I love about this trailer is the 3D feel they give to the video. As a viewer, I feel as if I have physically been pulled into the environment and can see in a 360 degree sphere the details and almost feel the atmosphere change from a sophisticated future to a barbaric past. That move around the spaces, as well as the little details, like the fire and the large touch screen monitor displayed only added to the drama and helped to create a story that I wanted to learn more about. I think this trailer is successful in creating the ultimate question: What will happen next? 

This may not all have been animation or done in After Effects, but I'm excited to learn how to use these programs to add those important details in film that give atmosphere, feeling and story to a video. Whether that is opening credits or trailers, television or film, these details help intrigue audiences, and create more realistic environments. 

By Amber Capogrossi