Why does CGI cost so much?

[LostSon88]

I'm incredibly naive when it comes to this kind of stuff but I was just wondering if someone could explain to me why Computer Generated Imagery costs so much money?

I mean like I said I don't know much, but from what I think its a matter of just having advanced computer's and programs and working on it in various studios.

But even so, do computer special effects really cost this much, or is there much more to it than I am unaware of?

Take for example the "money-shot" in Superman Returns ala the bullet to the eye...that cost $2.5 million! How so?

Help.

 

[Backdrifter]

Supply and demand.

 

[Mentok]

A few reasons.

1- The ammount of time it takes to produce the work.

2- The ammount of people it takes to produce the work.

3- The technology needed.

Its a labour intensive process often with many teams working on a single shot. The work takes months to finish, with various stages needed to reach the desired quality.

The third reason is the technology involved. New movies now have the need to outdo other films with CGI work. That means newer equipment and often it means developing totaly new ways of achieving the final product.

Thats the big killer really. Such new technology is very expensive and you jack up the price even more when you develop new effects processes for a film.

 

[black_dust]

Because 12, 6 foot high processing blocks cost alot

 

[Backdrifter]

Supply and demand.

 

[primemover]

Yes Stewie Griffin, if you keep saying it maybe it will come true.

Mentok has it right, it's mainly just time, this stuff takes forever to do, especially at this top tier level. Hundreds of people who make good livings pore over these things, the millions can add up quickly.

One thing people misunderstand about CG is you can actually pretty quickly do something that is in the 80th percentile, if you have some talented artists, good processing power and a reasonable amount of time. But, to take that to the level that movies like LOTR and Star Wars demand, it takes exponentially more talent, processing power and time, and all three cost big bucks.

 

[Dodger]

Im pretty sure the rendering time has to add to the cost. The money shot in Supes had to take a week or more to render out.

 

[primemover]

Rendering time eats into iteration time, which eats into quality, etc. This stuff just plain takes a lot of time to get right.

 

[Gamma Ray]

Because you can't do it. The amount of people who can is expanding, though, which should reduce the cost.

 

[Addendum]

Once the studios outsource their CGI to Southeast Asia or Central Africa, the costs will go down

 

[da creole kid]

But you know damn well they'll try.

 

[Addendum]

Dey Took R Jawbs!!!

 

[Kevin Roegele]

Also because the CGI artists have to work hard and fast, against the clock in many cases.