Computers And The Film Industry Essay
Computers and the Film Industry
Computer technology invades the film industry. The existence of computers have aided in the production of genres of film ranging from action movie special effects, to cartoon animation and claymation. Computer Generated Imagery, better known as CGI, assists filmmakers in many ways. An image can be made two-dimensional from a three-dimensional scene, camera angles can be altered to make a character seem larger and thus more important than its surrounding bodies, and colors can be brightened or neutralized, among other things (Parsons, Oja 1). Without the aid of computers, movies would not have the ability to be what they are today.
The demand for the manual animation technique known as “in-betweening,” where an artist draws hundreds of images to produce the idea of motion, takes countless hours and requires the dedication of an artist’s full time. With the aid of computers, images are generated at face paces and movement can be altered with the click of a mouse. Thus, those hired to do such jobs have the opportunity to better the product with far less time and frustration.
Like “in-betweening,” morphing, another film technique, requires long hours and hard work. Unlike “in-betweening,” which can be done without the aid of a computer, morphing is a special effect that is unable to be produced without one. It consists of filming a beginning and ending shots and the middle is left for the computer to generate. Despite the aid of the computer, this process is still quite complex. Short scenes can take a year to morph, but the end product may make all the difference for the enjoyment of the film.
Computers are not only used for animation techniques and special effects, they are used for things as simple as sound generation and clarity. Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds (1963), utilized computers for the bird noises. Scenes from the movie, like the one with the main bird attack, were able to play without background music because of the realistic nature of the bird sounds that the computer created. Hitchcock’s special effects leader, Ub Iwerks, even managed to grab an Oscar nomination for Best Achievement in Special Effects (Dirks 1).
The movie industry has evolved over time. In the early stages of Hollywood (pre 1930s) movies were black and white. Although groundbreaking for the time period, a movie of 1930s caliber could not be enjoyed by the masses today. When silent films turned to “talkies,” actors and actresses were made famous if their voices lent easily to audiences’ ears.
When people stopped attending movies and opted to stay home and watch television, the film industry knew they had to try something new. Wide-screen and 3-D movies were experimented with, and movies began being created and geared...
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In the world today, people cannot live without technologies such as televisions, mobile phones, computers and others. These technologies have slowly taken an essential part in people’s day-to-day lives and being without them would be unimaginable for some of us. To understand technology, one must know what it provides in terms of advantages, but also disadvantages.
Advantages of technology
First, the evolution of technology is beneficial to humans for several reasons. At the medical level, technology can help treat more sick people and consequently save many lives and combat very harmful viruses and bacteria.
>See also: Technology is revolutionising the property industry
The invention of the computer was a very important point. Communication is thus enhanced, and companies can communicate more easily with foreign countries. Research is also simplified.
For companies, progress is saving in time and therefore in money. Exchanges are faster especially with the internet. Sales and purchases are now facilitated and possible worldwide. This allows businesses to buy raw materials with discounts or at reduced prices. Similarly, global tourism has grown.
Technology has also increased the productivity of almost every industry in the world. Thanks to technology, we can even pay with bitcoins instead of using banks. The digital coin has been such a game changing factor, that many realised that this is the right time to open a bitcoin demo account.
When observed more closely, new things are discovered every day. Let’s take for instance when radio waves were discovered, radio broadcasts followed suit almost immediately. The same applies to the television and electricity. If no one had discovered that electricity could be generated, then the entertainment industry wouldn’t be at it’s current stage of development.
Technology improves daily lives; allowing to move physical storage units to virtual storage banks and more. Scientists of the time are also able to send astronauts to the moon thanks to technology.
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In the modern industrial world, machines carry out most of the agricultural and industrial work and as a result, workers produce much more goods than a century ago and work less. They have more time to exercise and work in safer environments.
Disadvantages and risks of technology
On the other hand, the evolution of modern technology has disadvantages, for example, dependence on new technology. Man no longer needs to think. Even if the calculator is a good invention, man no longer makes mental calculation and no longer works his memory. The decline of human capital implies an increase in unemployment. In some areas, devices can replace the human mind.
The use of technology certainly needs rule and new laws. For example internet use is an individual freedom. However, the invention of the atomic bomb cannot be an individual freedom. In fact, regulations are difficult to implement when these technologies are introduced – such as regulation surrounding the impending arrival of autonomous vehicles.
Finally, as most technological discoveries aim to reduce human effort, it would imply that more work is done by machines. This equates to less work for people: the human is becoming ever so obsolete by the day, as processes become automated and jobs are made redundant.
The negative impact of the influence of technology on children should not be underestimated as well.