You may have noticed a recent trend: filmmakers claiming that they shot everything "practical" and "on camera", without using digital effects.
But is this right? Are they being truthful?
In this blog post, compositing tutor Sokratis Synitos explores the truth behind the Studio PR. Top Gun: Maverick Let's explore this claim with a famous case: That of Top Gun: Maverick. You can find lots of references online showing the film crew capturing the flying aircrafts on camera.
Top Gun: Maverick
Nice one! However, a more thorough search though will reveal images like this one:
Tracking markers on a jet plane
Tracking markers on a plane? So what's the deal?
For certain plane models, the F14 being one, they used stand-in jets as a tracking and lighting reference.
CGI Jets So, in the last scene with the "dog fight" in Top Gun: Maverick, you are actually enjoying the spectacle of CG jets.
Oscar Nominee
Finally, a quick Google search will reveal that the movie was a nominee for Best VFX at the 2023 Academy Awards.
Why Tell a Lie? All this probably makes you wonder - Why the lie? Firstly, it's a bit more nuanced than the impression you may get reading these lines. To do justice to the creators, the film is "grounded in reality". They did have to shoot stand-in jets after all. Here is though, another reason. And of course, this is a marketing one:
YouTube Comments - the people want physical FX
Public Opinion Matters As you can see from the YouTube comments above, people really admire the idea of a total lack of CG. Studios of course keep track of online trends and preferences, in order to find the right angle to sell their movies.
We are at the age where movie trailers serve as an early way to get feedback from online commentators. We can all remember how Sonic was redesigned after the trailer backlash.
Sonic the Hedgehog - Redesigned after fan backlash
Practical Effects -v- CGI
VFX at Escape Studios - Real or Fake?
So how can you tell the two apart? Is what you are seeing on the big screen a practical shoot or "artificial" CG? The answer, of course, is that that's the whole point - you shouldn't be able to tell.
Make It Look Real From CG Modelling to Lighting to Compositing, the end goal of VFX is to create a believable photorealistic result to serve each movie's narrative. And as in the case of Top Gun, this has already happened - without us realising it.
Sokratis Synitos has many years of experience in compositing for both film and TV, and teaches the Art of Compositing to our Short Course and MA students. Sokratis has worked on many film and TV projects at studios such as DNEG, Cinesite and Warner Bros.
Sokratis has degrees in computer engineering and also in film studies. He is also a graduate of the 12 weeks compositing VFX program of Escape Studios.
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