CAMELOT Theatrical Special Effects

Every time that a new technology becomes practical, it isn't official until it appears in a major motion picture. I always watch these carefully to see what their impact will be on live theatre, especially at the community level where budgets are tight. I'm not necessarily interested in whether the technology is applicable to live theatre special effects; it usually isn't. I'm more interested in the "jading" of the audience to the point that people cease expecting anything on stage that is nearly as exciting as what's available down at the movieplex.

In the last decade we've seen morphing appear in "Terminator 2", computer-generated actors such as velociraptors in "Jurassic Park" and Jar-Jar Binks in "Star Wars First Episode," and now, a completely computer-generated set in "Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow." Boy, movies are fun, aren't they? Makes the old stage look pretty boring.

George Lucas was asked, in regards to Jar-Jar: "If you can make a realistic actor out of nothing but pixels, how soon before we see a movie starring dead screen icons in major roles?" Lucas replied that, while he "could" do that, he had no intention of doing it as he disagreed with the concept. Shortly after that, Fred Astaire appeared selling Dust-Busters on TV and folks let out a collective howl. Now here's Sir Laurence Olivier, who died in 1989, playing the villain in the 2004 "Sky Captain." While Olivier (and the dust-busting Astaire) were not computer-generated like Jar-Jar was, they were edited together from live footage taken during their lives and inserted into places they never imagined they would be. Sounds a bit ghoulish and creepy, doesn't it? But at least it's honest: They aren't recreated in total digital format where they could then be made to do things they would never have done and say things they would never have said. That would be meddling with history in a way that could be politically frightening and truly obnoxious: Imagine JFK and Marilyn Monroe in a movie about, well, JFK and Marilyn Monroe. What would be the difference between actors playing JFK and Marilyn as opposed to CGI images? The latter could be deceiving, possibly even finding their way into history as actual events in the hands of a shrewd revisionist. Yes, all film is suspicious these days. I assume that Olivier's heirs approved of the "Sky Captain" scenes and as for Lucas, well, Industrial Light and Magic did have a hand in the visual effects although George cannot be faulted for changing his mind; he hasn't built a pixellated dead icon yet.

As far as the imagery goes, it's amazing to watch the actors instead. Now, this is "pure" acting at its best; they are reacting to things that aren't happening and looking at things that aren't there. The entire movie was shot on a Chromakey Blue set which leaves a blank background that can be filled-in in the computer lab. It's an old technology (watch Colin Mockerie's on-the-spot reporting on "Whose Line is It Anyway?") but has never been used for an entire motion picture. Plan on seeing this one several times, once for the full rush, once to watch the actors and once again to watch the intricate prop insertion: in one shot, Gwyneth Paltrow steps down onto the wheel of an airplane. Not only is the airplane not there: the wheel isn't either! Breathtaking stuff.

Does any of this translate to the live stage? Maybe when holographic projection becomes readily available, that is, reaches that stage where the hardware and software fall into the gap between "available to professionals" and "available to every kid on the block." In the meantime, consider optical illusion more strongly: imaginary sets and props of the Kurt Wenner type and projected background tricks like "Anderson's Ghost." After all, the audience expects us to justify the ticket prices even if we don't sell as much popcorn as "Sky Captain."

posted by C. J. # 11:22 AM