The Dark Knight Cgi Thread

[metalhead971]

Yeah, those two scenes are gonna be that much more awesome for us Batfans when we realize that they were ACTUALLY done.

 

[Dark Sentinel]

TDK will have a lot of CGI, but it'll mostly be stuff you won't notice: skyline extensions, digital cars and people for wideshots of the city..stuff like that. Nolan won't use much CGI for big stuff like the rumored dual-ferry detonation..that'll probably be a model shot.

 

[BatmanFanatic]

This is not necessarily true. But like you said, there has to be a large budget. In the case of TDK, I think you're definately right... as little as possible CGI and more models and matte.

Last weekend I watched the 3,5 hour documentary "Dangerous Days" about the making of Blade Runner. The opening scene of the movie, with L.A. in 2019, was done with models. It looks amazing, even by today's standards.

Does anybody know what is more time-consuming: using models or using CGI?

All I know is that both models and CGI take a freaking long time. But it really depends on how complicated and detailed what you're modeling has to be, and as far as CGI some things are a lot harder to make real than others. Scenery (mountains, landscapes) in CGI you can do in 10 minutes and have it look amazing, there are programs just for that. Things like hair, smoke, billowing capes, creating a sense of mass or real physics is difficult.

And BB had 300 CGI shots, it just doesn't look like it. If Nolan took the "less is better" approach, the movie wouldn't look so stunning. Perhaps "less is better" when it comes to moving human-like characters... but not cities, objects, capes, bats, etc.

 

[BatmanFanatic]

I still thought it was funny when the CGI team had to prove themselves by making a completely CGI Batman doing that land in Arkham, and only Chris was able to pick out which one was fake. t:

For the record, I couldn't tell either. The shot was very well done.

It also helps that most of the movie took place at night. My friend often talks about how rubbery CGI-animated people look, and I agree to a point. To, the immediate thing that sticks out about CGI-animated people to me is the lack of texture in their clothing, and other things that are generally a bit off in the edges when lighting them. (They also move a bit too smoothly to be real people.) When it's dark, you don't see that as well.

I thought it was super-cool that they chose to blow up a real full-size building, since CGI explosions are pretty realistic nowadays. And the truck flip, taking place at night, would have pretty easy to do on the computer as well. Of course both shots will be taken through a computer as they are, but again, you get these little things in real life that you wouldn't necessarily think to put in CGI.

If they flipped a semi like that with CGI you could tell it was fake. No one has done it before so there is no reference for the physics... and the "splatter pattern" of what comes off the truck wouldn't look right, because the CGI machine doesn't actually understand the engineering and the weight and the physics of how the truck would break down into pieces upon impact. You're just "drawing it in" frame by frame, there is a person guessing about what parts would come flying of, putting them into the computer.

 

[The Battousai]

If they flipped a semi like that with CGI you could tell it was fake. No one has done it before so there is no reference for the physics... and the "splatter pattern" of what comes off the truck wouldn't look right, because the CGI machine doesn't actually understand the engineering and the weight and the physics of how the truck would break down into pieces upon impact. You're just "drawing it in" frame by frame, there is a person guessing about what parts would come flying of, putting them into the computer.

Luckily, people who want to do that in the future will probably be able to do so fairly realistically due to the incredible advancements in the programming - all one has to do is look at the next-gen video games that utilize such things i.e. Call of Duty 4, Killzone, Crisis, etc. (mostly shooting games)

 

[Vengeance of Bane]

I started a thread a few months ago, but we hadn't gotten any footage back then, so it was closed, but now that we have, I just wanted everyones opinion, on what we've seen so far.

 

[Eggyman]

What's it worth?

 

[TheAQU4M4N]

isn't Dent's transformation supposed to be in CGI or was that just a rumor??

 

[Vengeance of Bane]

isn't Dent's transformation supposed to be in CGI or was that just a rumor??

I think it's a mixture of makeup and cgi, from what I've read it's sounds pretty groundbreaking.

 

[Eggyman]

isn't Dent's transformation supposed to be in CGI or was that just a rumor??

Can't really be anything but rumour at this stage - we've not seen anything of it.

 

[DaRkVeNgeanCe]

I dont see much cgi at all, except for bruce gliding through the city.

 

[Drz]

I think Nolan is one of those directors who prefer to not rely on CGI, but the Batman gliding over Gotham/Hong Kong had to be done in CGI to make it look pretty "epic". =D

Two-Face as said is part Make up, part CGI. But i honestly doubt theres that much CGI.

 

[Eggyman]

I dont see much cgi at all, except for bruce gliding through the city.

That's CGI?!

 

[NinjaTurtleFan]

I think Nolan is one of those directors who prefer to not rely on CGI, but the Batman gliding over Gotham/Hong Kong had to be done in CGI to make it look pretty "epic". =D

Two-Face as said is part Make up, part CGI. But i honestly doubt theres that much CGI.

My guess the eyeball will be CGI. The rest agonizing hours in the makeup chair.

 

[mongoose-mania]

I think the only real CG we're gonna see is, like people said, Batman gliding over the city, and perhaps buildings enhanced with CG, probably to make them look bigger or something. And yes, probably Two-Face as well.

 

[DaRkVeNgeanCe]

The one main thing that has made me happy so far with Nolans Bat-films is that he refrains as much as possible to using CGI. I hate how every movie these days rely on it so much it makes it to fake for me, I miss the old days, where if they wanted to do an explosion, they would blow something up!!

 

[mongoose-mania]

The one main thing that has made me happy so far with Nolans Bat-films is that he refrains as much as possible to using CGI. I hate how every movie these days rely on it so much it makes it to fake for me, I miss the old days, where if they wanted to do an explosion, they would blow something up!!

Amen!!

 

[Beanjuice]

Just wanted to know your opinions about the lack of CGI in the BB and TDK.

Personally I believe that BAD CGI can overshadow a movie (I am Legend), so I'm happy that they have choosen to shot it all live action and just use CGI to enhance the look of the movie.

well for one i was impressed with the cgi in i am legend. but i agree if the cg isnt right then the movie seems too fake. i like how both bb and tdk seem to not have much computer generated stuff. makes it more believable and real in my opinion, but certain things do have to be cgi,and when there isnt much in a film like this, the tiny bits that need it are always done well

 

[DaRkVeNgeanCe]

I Am Legend=good example of bad CGI!!

 

[ultimatefan]

It´s funny this movie even has this thread, cuz so far there´s been only a couple shots I´ll say where CGI, and that´s only cuz I don´t imagine how they could have pulled them off practically or with green screen (Batman falling down from the building and the bat-gliding scene), and even those don´t look CGI.

 

[Armored Avenger]

My guess the eyeball will be CGI. The rest agonizing hours in the makeup chair.

I think there may be more CGI on Two Face than just the Eye.

Spoiler

The leaked picture had a massive chunk of flesh and skin missing from his jaw. Im sure some of that must be CGI as well.

 

[Killing Joke926]

I want the best CGI designers to make a complete and exact CGI Heath Ledger so Mr. J can be in the next film.

 

[Armored Avenger]

I want the best CGI designers to make a complete and exact CGI Heath Ledger so Mr. J can be in the next film.

I dont. It could never look totally real, and there would have to be another voice actor. I dont want the Joker too be in the third film at all now that Ledger is dead.