Special Effects in 2012 Film - Week 12

The more I watch special features for films, the more I realize that even though computer graphics are prevalent in modern films, some productions try to actually create the dramatic situations out on set.

For the film 2012, the production crew followed the following process:
1. Film as much on set as possible.
2. Film on a stage with a blue screen.
3. Use computer graphics to finish the drama of the shot.

The scene that is highlighted in this video is the lava explosion from Yellowstone. I have to admit that when I watched this movie for the first time, which was last year sometime, I felt like the dramatic situations didn't seem realistic. For example, a situation like the volcano erupting on such a huge scale so quickly would, it seems, make the characters react in a more dramatic and panicked fashion. If a film is going to have high quality computer graphics, I think the emotion and characters should carry a lot of weight as well. It almost seemed like they were on a theme park ride when in the RV.

For the first objective above, the special effects crew transformed the RV for the part of the scene where a volcanic lump impacts it. Also, to make the RV seem like it was lunging over a break in the ground, a ramp was made available by the special effects and stunt team. For the second objective, a gimbal, used in film for motion simulation, simulated the shaky ground with the actors in the RV, so the production people could film it safely. Thirdly, computer graphics was utilized to create the volcanic catastrophe.