adminCool Lifestyle Writer
There is no limit to what we can dream of become or achieve. But changing those dreams into reality is something else. Only in the world of film, it’s becoming increasingly easier to cross between the two through the use of visual effects. Visual effects is whereby a specialised computer technician uses some special programmes to add other things to an image outside the actual live shoot. Instead of shooting all videos on location, Visual effects can be used for the same or sometimes better result.
For example, you can shoot the video of two actors sitting on some broken down chairs in a hovel and transpose them to a luxury hotel.
The art of mixing the actual footage and the desired one is what visual effects is all about.
It is a great skill to have because it means that you can have any setting that you like without the expense.
Let us look at a local young musician who wants to shoot a video in which they travel around the world. To actually take a shooting crew around the world would not only be very expensive, it would take a long time.
This is where visual effects comes in to save the day. All that the musician needs is a geek who can take you around the world without having to move from your house. The image of the musician is put against different backgrounds from different countries.
A good production will look realistic and not obviously mixed.
Visual effects is also very important when it comes to filming scenes that would be dangerous or impossible in a live shoot. Say one needs a building that is on fire in their story.
Burning a real building would not only be very expensive and destructive, but also very dangerous as the fire gets out of control.
So a visual effects artist simply imports images of the building and manipulates the scene to make it look as though the building is burning.
The world over a lot of producers of movies, music videos and advertising clips are moving towards visual effects rather than live shoots because it is cheaper. It means a creative person in Zimbabwe can create a blockbuster to rival Hollywood movies right here at a fraction of the cost.
The demand for computer whizz kids who can use visual effects to create wonders in the post-production of high and low budget productions is increasing all the time.
Even TV series are now relying more on visual effects for high quality productions.
Visual effects is one of the five courses offered at Global Academy.
The others are film, animation, design for print and design for web. Intake is currently open for holiday lessons and the one year certificate courses.
Do not forget to keep watching this space for more on new media and how you can make your dreams come true by joining the wave of young Zimbabweans who are set to change the face of the film and advertising worlds.
Till next week, stay animated.
Online Reporter