While watching movies, it¡¯s getting hard to tell what is and isn¡¯t real. Thanks to computers, movie makers can now use their full imaginations. There¡¯s even a new type of character--made entirely by computers¡ªwhich is getting more and more screen time.
Making the impossible look easy has always been a part of movie magic. As far back as 1895, filmmakers used special effects in movies. Over the years, many few techniques£¨¼¼Êõ£© were developed. Then, starting in the 1970s, computers took their place at the center of the process.
One of the first movies to widely use 3D computer generated£¨Éú³ÉµÄ£¬²úÉúµÄ£© imagery (CGI) was
Tron(1982). In the following years, more CGI characters were brought to life, one by one. Then,
Jurassic park (1993) brought us an island full of man-eating dinosaurs. Shortly afterwards,
Toy Story (1995) became the first cartoon made entirely with 3D CGI effects. It was a big
hit, and audiences loved the characters.
By using ¡°motion capture¡± technology, filmmakers can make the movements of CGI humans even more lifelike. With this technique, a real actor wears sensors£¨¸ÐÊÜÆ÷£¬´«¸ÐÆ÷£© on his face and body. The sensors record the actor¡¯s movements and send the information to a computer. Then the movements are given to a CGI character. This technique was used to make the creature£¨ÉúÎÓÐÉúÃüµÄ¶«Î÷£© Gollum in the second and third
The Lord of the Rings movies (2002,2003). Other films, like
Beowulf (2007), have also used motion capture to help create CGI humans.
It is still rather easy to tell that a CGI human is not real. But the technology is improving every year. Over time, many problems ( like the teeth and eyes looking fake) will be solved. We will certainly see more CGI animals, monsters, and people in movies and TV shows. The question is ¨C in the future, how many real actors will be put out of work by computer actors?
СÌâ1:What is the main idea?
A£®Tron was important in the history of CGI films. |
B£®Many people go to the movies to see incredible special effects. |
C£®More and more film characters are being made by computers. |
D£®All the humans in Beowulf were CGI characters. |
СÌâ2:In what year was a film made with many CGI dinosaurs?
A£®1895 | B£®1982 | C£®1993 | D£®2003 |
СÌâ3:What was special about Gollum?
A£®Motion capture was used to help make the charater. |
B£®Gollum had an important role in a CGI cartoon. |
C£®He was the only CGI character in the Lord of the Rings. |
D£®Little money was spent to bring the creature to life. |
СÌâ4:What does the world hit mean?
A£®attack | B£®shot | C£®success | D£®try |