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Explaining the Special Effects Behind Transformers
ntmokey writes "Popular Mechanics has an in-depth look at the special effects behind the Transformers movie, including some exclusive shots from Paramount Pictures. Apparently, using real cars as models presented some interesting problems for the folks at Industrial Light and Magic, who had to figure out how a recognizable chunk of steel can fold into robot. In the end, the solution was the development team getting hands-on in the auto shop. And lots of grease."
I saw the movie on Monday with 16 other friends. Every single person (even the girls who didn't grow up with the cartoon) enjoyed the movie. The only major complaint was that a lot of the action scenes (especially in the beginning) were not comprehensible. The camera would focus too far in and move around a lot, and it was difficult to tell who was fighting and what was going on.
The movie was almost 2.5 hours long, and although some scenes were a bit too long, overall the movie was very enjoyable (I looked at my watch when the movie was over and was very surprised).
Sure it isn't traditional Transformers, but it is definitely an visual spectacular. You have to remember, they had to write a movie for people that had never heard of Transformers, and somehow make it plausible to today's critical 12 year old. This might be a bit of a letdown for the generation that grew up on Transformers, but you have to remember, that generation is between 22 and 32 now. Anyone younger just won't get it. And so I think they did a great job, even for this guy who still has his old Starscream toy.
Ok, you didn't like it. There are a lot more who did.
I really enjoyed it too. The problem is the nerd vocal minority who whinge and bitch about every little thing.
"OMG ITS NOT LIKE THE OLD CARTOONS THAT I WATCHED WHEN I WAS 8 BACK BEFORE INTERNETS AND BEFORE I SPENT ALL MY TIME ONLINE BITCHING ABOUT HOLLYWOOD HAS DESTROYED MY CHILDHOOD OMG"
pfft. It's a fun movie. It has cars, robots, boobs, car chase & explosions. What more could you want.
Get over it.
I disagree. Half the people who didn't like it complain that there was too much time spent on plot development and the other half complain there wasn't enough. It had a half-way decent plot that was carried by some really kick ass action sequences and some truly humorous moments (like the "20 minutes devoted to finding the glasses in the house", the bulk of which was actually the autobots amusingly trying to hide in the backyard). Seriously, it's the Transformers, what did you expect Dostoevsky?
I thought the movie was superb. One of the few movies I've been too that got a ovation from the audience at the end.
It was a mindless action movie and there is nothing wrong with that. Certain "critics" act like every movie needs to have some deep philosophical meaning.
I wanted to see giant space alien robots beat the crap out of each other and the movie delivered in spades. You claim that most of the action shots are already in trailers. Nothing could be further from the truth. Apparently you missed the last half of the entire movie.
To me it's as if you went to a fireworks show and are now complaining that they didn't take the time to explain the type and origin of each and every shell that was ignited.
Myself, I prefer to just enjoy the show. If I want the meaning of life I'll pick up Kant.
And yes I made up the word actionny. We're talking about Hollywood here.
I was talking about "action shots" in general, nothing specific about this movie. Sometimes the action shots are so close that all we can see is a huge full-screen blur.
Then there's the camera shot length. If you keep switching the point of view around, make it last at least 3 or 4 seconds so we actually know what we're looking at, and from where.
Am I the only one that thought it was very stereotypical that only the "black" transformer Jazz died? I mean seriously. Bumblebee gets half frozen, then gets his legs torn off, then gets dragged around by a tow truck and he can still destroy a decepticon. Jazz gets torn in half and he's done!
Not that I really care, it just seemed SO obvious. Lets try to be more subtle with our racial action movie stereotypes kthx.
I can't go to "special effects" movies anymore. With the advance of digital technology it seems there is no gimmick that gets left out of a movie. "Whiz Bang" movies today reminds me of a 13 year old girl starting to using make-up and who just packs all sorts of junk on her face. It was Michelangeo who said its not what gets put into a work of art that makes it great but what gets left out. Too many movies pack on layers of audio visual junk that cause the sum of the film to be less than its parts. The more "real" they try to make things look the phonier they look too me. The gimmicks stand out on their own as if in relief, and they dont even blend into scene or movie quite often. So much money gets spent making scenes with these gimmicks that I think people get reluctant to leave them out and they just over-inflate the films run times. Scenes of secondary import to the story become too long because there is some special effect. The worst for me are the sound effects. I never heard so much excessive, synthetic noise pollution in my life. I don't know how people can spend money at theaters anymore all things considered. First a patron gets pelted with 20 minutes of ads and trailers and then (if its a FX movie) get assaulted with over-cooked AV. Thank God for DVDs with a remote.