The Flash The visual effects

[Gu3ree]

I don't understand why this show doesn't have a bigger budget. Knowing that "Smallville" was also on The CW--they have Smallville's budget. The effects look the same, only slightly better and a slightly bigger budget than Smallville's, albeit not very impressive.

I mean for this show, it's about a man with super speed...in the pilot, you have that close up of Barry's face running in front of the camera, the effect looked so poor. He needs to look like he's running faster than any human can move. Furthermore, he didn't look like he was running at super speed. He looked pretty slow. Now the tornado effect in the pilot episode looked okay but I'm not sure about the Flash's...flash...speed...blur. He shouldn't look like he's running at normal speed when the camera moves with him. I mean effects like where they were doing the "test run" effect in the 4th episode looked sufficient and looked exactly like he should look when he's running.

Now sometimes when The Flash is running at super speed, you see the lightning effects, sometimes yellow and sometimes....well in the 4th episode with Captain Cold, the subway rescue sequence, while the effect partly looked great, it was ruined by no super speed slow motion blur (like in "Smallville", "Clark Time") and they added those cartoony WHITE lightning effects which looked incredibly cheap, and it ultimately really cheapened that effect. Even with a low budget, I think they could do slightly better than that.

Now I'm not all for visual effects, story is important but since it's about a superhero, like I said, with super speed, that calls for at least some decent visual effects, but why they don't have a bigger budget, I do not understand.

The TV series, "Smallville" at first as we know, the first 4 seasons had the budget of a movie. Their visual effects were stunning and impressive. From the super speed to flying and everything else....heat vision, x-ray vision, etc. Over the years however, their budget became lower and lower, and eventually Clark's super speed blur effect looked cheesy, and inaccurate. The super speed blur would be seen for nearly one second after Clark would just swoop in. You're supposed to see that blur for only half a milo second! Otherwise he doesn't look like he's faster than a speeding bullet. It looked cartoony.

Now The Flash's super speed blur occasionally looks like Smallville's really bad super speed blur effect as it was in the series' later seasons (7-10).

Episode 5 in the Flash, the running on water effect looked better but kind of half-assed. Just that shot of Flash carrying the girl, I forgot her name with the immovable water splash.

In X-Men: Day of Future Past, Quicksilver's speed looked believable. He'd speed away, gone. Just like that. He looked fast. The Flash moves like Clark's speed.

I mean every time they have that intro for the Flash, Barry narrates, just before Barry says, "I am...the Flash" you see The Flash speeding down those stairs, while I think the flashy-speedy blur effect looks alright...he doesn't look like he's moving fast enough and he looks about as fast as Clark from Smallville, and...a bullet would get there faster if someone shot a gun before The Flash would have ever reached those stairs. Count the run time. He's supposed to be faster than a speeding bullet.

 

[Rocketman]

I respectfully disagree. I think the effects are pretty phenomenal for a TV show, and really, if this show were a movie that was released in theaters in 2003 or 2004, it would be pretty mind-blowing. So if it's only 10 years behind from $200 million blockbuster films, I think that's impressive as bad place. Maybe it doesn't take much to impress me, but I constantly feel my adrenaline rush every time something suspenseful happens on this show, and the FX enhances that greatly.

 

[Gu3ree]

Well we can agree to disagree. You are entitled to your opinion. I don't think these effects would have been mind blowing for a movie even ten years ago. I think maybe everything else might look alright except the super speed blur.

Still this show's effects considerably look like Smallville's low budget.

 

[Steyin]

I think the effects are better than most, if not any other superhero show we've gotten. I have been impressed week after week.

 

[Boy Scout]

Agreed.

 

[Rowsdower!]

Yeah, I have no idea why the speed effects in a $200 million movie like X-Men: DOFP looked better than on a weekly TV show.


No idea at all.

 

[Bathead]

The effects are perfectly fine.

 

[famicommander]

Smallville? If you think this show looks anywhere near an bad as that one did, you should go back and watch Smallville again.

Actually, scratch that. Nobody should watch Smallville. I wouldn't wish that on anyone.

 

[Gu3ree]

It is kind of like Smallville. Similar visual effects and soap opera drama. Speaking of Smallville, anyone remember that Clark super speed sequence in "Ryan"? How awesome was that? It looked visually stunning and had me at wow. You could feel the credible effect of super speed. There's that show of Clark running straight in front of the camera...but look at the way "The Flash" does it...

I remember Smallville's effects changed and improved in the second season so I hope The Flash does.

Btw famicommander, you might want to re-watch Smallville again and compare the show's first six seasons visual effects to The Flash. Smallville's first season finale could do a better visual looking tornado.

 

[TWayneP]

I respectfully disagree. I think the effects are pretty phenomenal for a TV show, and really, if this show were a movie that was released in theaters in 2003 or 2004, it would be pretty mind-blowing. So if it's only 10 years behind from $200 million blockbuster films, I think that's impressive as bad place. Maybe it doesn't take much to impress me, but I constantly feel my adrenaline rush every time something suspenseful happens on this show, and the FX enhances that greatly.

This is what I think all the time. When I notice the effects on Flash, I think about superhero movies from 2002-03. Noticeably horrible full body CGI characters, but back then they were pretty good and convincing enough. Spider-Man, Daredevil etc. I still love the movies despite the CGI.

I don't mind the effects in the Flash. I notice them, then I think, eh, they really aren't that bad. I'm okay with it. I hope they improve over time, but as of right now they are good.

 

[KillerMcQueen]

The shows effects are pretty good 99% of the time (fantastic for a CW show to be honest), the only time I've had any issue was the supersonic punch against Girder, the CGI model didn't hold up for its closeup very well, but apart from that the show's had some pretty spectacular visual moments, the tornado sequence, the train rescue, running up walls and on water, etc.

 

[I SEE SPIDEY]

I think the effects are fine for a T.V show. If one is expecting movie quality effects one is asking for way too much and deserve to be disappointed.

 

[Gu3ree]

Hmm...in Smallville...remember Clark's first flight in season 4, episode "Crusade"? How mind-blowing was that? And the third shot of Kal-El flying before he reaches Lex's jet. You see him center-shot flying through the clouds and moving so smoothly, and there's not a single blur around his body, it looked unbelievably real. Then look how they did flying effects later, at least some of it...like Zod flying into the camera in Season 9, episode "Conspiracy", one word: FAKE.

Spider-Man 3 was full of fake looking CGI. I think the Spider-Man and Sandman first fight sequence looked pretty solid though, at least solid enough. Spider-Man fighting Venom though...ughh, terrible, not to mention a full CGI model of Tobey MaGuire's face while struggling to pull the venom goo off his suit.

I think it's hard to make everything look as real as possible with CGI in contrast with computer animated movies, where it's all animated but some of it looks so real that it looks surreal.

Spider-Man 3's first Harry vs Peter sequence was amazing, and what helped it looked real was that they used the actors working on green screen most of the time. Other shots where the characters were further away from the camera were easy to notice which were CGI.

Despite how bad the story was, Ang Lee's Hulk looked and remains to be the most realistic CGI looking Hulk we've seen to date, albeit the later incarnations of the Hulk, storywise were much better.

Some shots here and there of Ang Lee's Hulk looked unreal, but most of the time, he looked like he was really there. 2008's Incredible Hulk looked like he came out of a video game, and up close, his face was fuzzy. The Avengers only made some improvement over the last one. The closet he ever looked so real was when Captain America told him to "Smash."

In 2003's Hulk, shots like where Hulk gets out of the water tank and roars. His body movement, he's not too slow or fast, and his angered facial roaring expressions look real. Another thing...his eyes. You can see Hulk's emotion. And when Hulk bursts out of the military base before running and jumping. It couldn't look more real than that. Too bad the story for Ang Lee's Hulk sucked.

Most films since the 2000's have been bad with CGI, except 2003's Hulk, Harry Potter (the dragons in GOF, Quidditch, Dobby and so on) Transformers...about all I can think of. And while it's not CGI or action-heavy, Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy, The Bat looked like it was real. Every other film where I see flying objects, especially spaceships or alien ships, they are all animated.

Now back to "The Flash" series. "Heroes" had a bigger budget. I forget what channel "No Ordinary Family" was on, but I remember the mother's super speed power, the cars flipping over as she ran too fast, and she looked believably quick. There's also that one shot where she washes the dishes at super speed...and they had a bigger budget.