Beginners guide vfx 1

Archival Research CGI

By ekirkpa7

  • Introduction to Archival Research

    Introduction

  • Star Wars (Artifact)

    Star Wars Artifact

  • Star Wars (Description)

    Star Wars (Description)
    When it came out in 1977, George Lucas didn’t just start a huge movie series, he basically kicked off the modern visual effects era. Most of the effects were made with models, matte paintings, and smart camera tricks, all done by the original ILM team. The strength of the visuals came from how everything was blended together to be believable. It was one of the first movies to show how practical effects could build an entire universe on screen.

  • Star Wars (Footnotes)

    1. Katie White, “A Breakdown of the Visual Effects Used in the Star Wars Franchise,” Platt College San Diego Digital Media Design Blog, June 29, 2021, Link
    2. Rex Provost, “Star Wars Special Effects — How Lucas ILM Changed the Game,” StudioBinder, March 5, 2023, Link

  • Lord of The Rings: The Two Towers (Description)

    Lord of The Rings: The Two Towers (Description)
    This movie took things to the next level. Weta Digital used motion capture to turn the actor into Gollum, one of the first digital characters to actually feel real. Before this, CGI characters were either stiff or just not believable. But Gollum could cry, argue with himself, and react in really human ways. They also used a program called MASSIVE to create the battle scenes, where every soldier moved on its own. This was a big shift from just using CGI for effects.

  • Lord of The Rings: The Two Towers (Artifact)

    Lord of The Rings Artifact

  • Lord of The Rings: The Two Towers (Footnotes)

    1. Isaac Butler,“Lord of the Rings’ Gollum Is a Singular Performance Without a Sole Author,” Polygon, December 1, 2021, Link (didn't have enough characters)
    2. Wētā FX, “The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers,” accessed May 16, 2025, Link

  • Interstellar (Artifact)

    Interstellar Artifact

  • Interstellar (Description)

    Interstellar (Description)
    This was all about showing space in a way that was based on real science. Christopher Nolan worked with physicist Kip Thorne to design the black hole, Gargantua. It was made using real math and physics, then turned into visuals using CGI. Some of those images ended up in actual science papers. Scenes like the cornfield and the ship's interior were real and not CGI. The goal wasn’t just to make something exciting, but to make it feel believable and feel real.

  • Interstellar (Footnotes)

    1. Chad Orzel, “How Building a Black Hole for Interstellar Led to an Amazing Scientific Discovery,” WIRED, October 30, 2014, Link
    2. Melissa Block, “For Christopher Nolan, Making Interstellar Was A Childhood Dream,” All Things Considered, NPR, November 7, 2014, Link

  • Avengers: Endgame (Artifact)

    Endgame Artifact

  • Avengers: Endgame (Description)

    Avengers: Endgame (Description)
    By the time Endgame came out, CGI was everywhere. Almost every single scene had some sort of digital work, whether it was a full on battle or just a background. Thanos was done with motion capture and CGI, and he could show really subtle facial expressions. What’s different here is that the CGI doesn’t stand out, it blends in. Most people don’t even notice how much of the movie is fake, which is kind of the point.

  • Avengers: Endgame (Footnotes)

    1. Ian Failes, “Those Time Suits in Endgame Were All Completely Digital,” befores afters, May 17, 2019, Link
    2. Jen Underdahl, “Here’s How They Used VFX in Avengers: Endgame,” No Film School, August 16, 2019, Link