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LMC:
How do you feel about CGI and how it is used?
CW:
It is great with directors like Guillermo who know how to mix CGI
and Creature FX. They are keeping the creature FX alive because he
isn't just doing CGI, he is using it where it make sense. Using it
to enhance the physical FX. We have noticed that a few other
directors are going this route which is a great trend, but they
aren't always the final say. Sometimes the producer will decide to
just handle it in post using CGI for budget reasons. Plus people are
getting used to seeing bad CGI, so it is more easily accepted. It's
a similar dilemma back when creature FX was growing. There was good
FX and not so good ones, but people liked it because it was an
effect and not really for the quality. Similar with CGI. People just
want to see it done and are watching the movies that do it poorly.
We are hoping that the marriage of the two will stay this way for a
long while.
LMC:
What about as digital
FX improves to where it looks just as good?
CW:
Think back to Jurassic Park, that was about 10 years ago and at that
time alot of us thought we'd be gone really soon, but that isn't the
case. There's always going to be shows like 'the Grinch' where it
makes sense to use physical makeup, and CGI hasn't just taken over,
that certain doom alot of us felt back when JP came out.
MR: Take Hellboy, it had to be a makeup.
It just wouldn't have been practical to do that in CGI. It would
have taken away the soul of the character, plus it didn't make sense
to do it in CGI
CW:
It worked great on Hellboy. There was alot of mutual respect between
the digital and the physical FX work. We worked really well
together. We would be stressing about some wrinkle in the suit that
didn't flex right and the digital guys would be like, oh no problem,
we'll just clean that up in post. Alot of the creatures were done by
Spectral Motion and enhanced with digital to add features to it.
Same with DDT and the amazing work they did. This movie really
showed the perfect marriage between the 2.
LMC:
Is there a notion to take on both the digital
and physical in one shop, similar to what Captive Audience decided
to do with 'the Passion of the Christ'?
MR: I've heard a few shops going that route like Stan's shop. At
Rick's we never did anything like that except using the computer for
design work. I actually prefer to have it separate myself.
Connected, but not on site.
CW: I can see
it could cause conflict as to the route to go, with the each group
saying it would be best to use their medium, while if you are
strictly an FX shop, there is no doubt how it will go. I'm sure it
is more practical for shops that they have digital people to pick up
the slack when makeup FX isn't as popular. A number of guys are
moving from makeup FX work to digital which is great because
typically a digital guy is more technical than artistic. They come
from a tech background, but having someone transition over, they
bring that knowledge from the physical world and that can only
enhance CGI, adding weight, physics, real world elements to it.
LMC: Thanks alot guys for the chance to catch up with some of
your amazing work.
MR, CW: Thanks
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