When you use them as an acronym, SFX also means sound effects. Also, with computer. Not by computer. Also meaning 3d imagery specifically, not all digital work. The delineation and separation is the point here!
@@halfvader8015 yeah no problem i self taught myself english and visual effect over the years its easy to understand but hard to explain to other people haha
Top Gun is a great example of everyone from studio to Tom lying about CGI. Sure. They shot a lot of ref footage, but 90% was replaced by CGI. Saying there’s no CGI in it while it was more CGI shots than Black Panther is rather disrespectful for artists work on it.
It's an unfortunate situation. The narrative around Top Gun was definitely misleading but it's still a fantastic movie and the process they used was still jaw-dropping, even if it was augmented.
The scene with the jet buzzing the guy on the ground with the dirt flying up, the plane didn't look real. Never seen the movie so I didn't know they were trying to tell the public that the didn't use any.
@@StudioBinder Even you're being a little disingenuous/gentle on them. And that needs to stop, because it propagates the lie. More than augmented, and they, including Tom himself, flat out lied. That's the word you're looking for I think. At least we have Movie Rabbit Hole for the last word on it now. And yes it's a great movie. Even before the vfx reels came out though it was pretty simple. Did anyone in the audience think that the future blackbird scene was any less tense because it's obviously cg? Nope. Is a civilian allowed to fly any jet/fighter? Nope. It's illegal. Therefore... Pretty simple.
They lied you on every corner and yall believed it for the sake of Tom cruse. Only him that flew some of the engines and in a very controlled environment
@@gregorylagrange ..because that plane doesnt exist, but there was a plane originally in that shot.. also, everyone is taking tom out of context.. he said "everything in the cockpits, is real.." ..he was speaking generally about how they really went up in the air.. watch the full clips if you can find them.. btw, i agree they shouldn't lie, i just dont think they did..
The most egregious sin when it comes to VFX and CGI is having cutting edge technicians using state-of-the-art technology, yet they are never given the necessary time required to achieve either an incredible effect or invisible effect.
We appreciate all the work these artists do and there so much work to be done these days! But you're right, when given sufficient time and resources, these tools can create real magic.
@@StudioBinder true, but i wonder if you (or i) overlooked the point being made... if team A is given 2/3 of what is needed, and the goal isn't achieved, then team A can't be villified as the reason the production fell short. great content. many thanks.
Animator here. I would add, that resources are always come and go on a project, great projects have been done under short time..its really the three I's.. indefinite incessant indecisiveness that happens with a director, supervisor or lead that lead to massive crunch time and withering of resources. Sometimes you get very very very insecure people who have no idea what they want leading the charge on these gigantic projects, and they just try a bunch of things never trusting the crew and it honestly is HUGE morale killer for people making it happen and it shows up as faulty and mediocre work on the screen unfortunately.
Todays VFX artists are antisocial nerds, much more than we were back when my generation started getting into computer graphics in the early 80s. These people can't stand looking at other humans, let alone the things they strife to recreate. from an industry veteran
From what I’ve seen, in the industry rarely actually say “CGI”, or atleast not as generally as the public. Tbh, I’m just tired of hearing people using it to trash on the vfx industry (the industry that includes vfx, cgi and sfx)
For us there is no difference in CGI and VFX. This video is a bit misleading sadly. There is only VFX and SFX. Also when you "only" composite two real plates together its with the help of a Digital tool that will create a final image that is computer generated as blending two images together needs digital effects applied what means you get a digital final frame created by a computer.
@@JohnnyFehrI agree for the most part, although if someone is trying to say that something was created by 3d graphics programs as opposed to being real they'll use the term "cg", not "vfx". I throw around the word compositing or composited a lot for 2d graphics/stock stuff added. Also something people might now know is that "fx" usually refers to physics simulations like smoke or particles, fire, liquids etc, so an fx artist would be someone who specializes in those things.
@@rangerCG thats why its important to educate the terms correctly. For example in Nuke there is a lot done in 3D too even if its just cards projections. Compositing is the same VFX like Modeling or Animation. So if the "CGI" in a movie is good or bad, we should call it VFX and not CGI. What if modeling, lighting, animation did an amazing job but comp not. and the audience will say its bad CGI so you blame the wrong one then? its all part of VFX if its made digital. We in VFX itself don't even use the word CGI 😅we do VFX and VFX contains different departments just like SFX.
That's true. Our goal with this video was more for people outside the industry who do use terms like "CGI." We hope it came across that CGI is part of VFX, just like Practical Effects are part of Special Effects.
CGI could honestly get a video all its own with so much involved in the process. You’ve got modeling, rigging, texturing, animation, lighting even simulated physics…that’s why it grinds me gears when people say “this CGI looks bad” because they really only have a gripe with one of those aspects but don’t know enough to specifically call it out. Instead they lump everything under just “CGI”
I don't even mind them saying "it looks bad", since sometimes it actually does. What I don't like is all those processes you mentioned getting reduced to "they just did it on computers", the implication being "the computer did all the work". Meanwhile some guy probably spends an entire year carefully animating the Hulk's tongue or something every time there's a new Marvel movie.
I used to be a intern for a CGI studio and ngl everything shown and explain here is on point. Not to mention you gotta have the most expensive and top of the line computers and other equipment to be able to make the best output as possible. We literally went from goofy looking effects to realistic and seamless looking effects composited in various media. The obsession with making things look realistically look seamless is what makes the whole thing so meticulous and time consuming haha. I remember creating running animation for a 3D character meant to be shown for like 10 seconds which mind you took me weeks to finish, fine tuning everything, making sure everything looks right from the weight of each step, the interaction of the feet to the ground etc. Only for it to be covered up by the VFX department with dust, debris and smoke. The frustration was real, I wasn't even paid to animate it cause I was a intern back then haha.
4:22 How great it must be to be Nolan and candidly say: "Ok guys, we're going to have some SFX in this scene. A big truck flips end over end, and then lands upside down in the middle of the street" SFX Super " How are we going to do that?" Nolan "Well, we're going to get a big truck, flip it end over end, and land it in the middle of the street".
When you've got a top-tier SFX Supervisor like Chris Corbould, he makes it happen! Check out this other video we did with him a while back: th-cam.com/video/ZiFZVDFSyGE/w-d-xo.htmlsi=RvbEiokTvlxxwPfm
@@jasonbidwell Funny because a Nolan fanboy was swearing up and down in the comments section under another video that Nolan never lies in interviews about only using practical effects and only uses little CGI even though Double Negative did replace some practical shots while Nolan still prances around that those shots are 100% practical. Nolan contributes to this anti-CGI fad.
@@deadstar44i don't think so, the movie rabbit hole have already gave explanation about that, even interviewing nolan's vfx supervisor, he's pretty much honest in his use of cgi
I really hope this video blows up the way it deserves to. One of my _biggest_ pet peeves in film circles is when people use these terms interchangeably, and I'm _so_ happy there's someone willing to break it down properly.
Please make a video on directing style of :- 1) Alfred Hitchcock 2) Sergio Leone 3) Francis Ford Coppola 4) David Cronenberg 5) Guillermo Del Toro 6) Ridley Scott 7) James Cameron 8) Tim Burton 9) John Woo 10) Kathryn Bigelow
1:52 - It's a bit unfortunate that they touch on the fact that a lot of filmmakers claim they don't use CGI, using Top Gun and Tom Cruise as an example, when it has been proven that a lot of these filmmakers and especially Top Gun have lied about this. The clip they picked to illustrate this is literally a CGI jet. I know they also said "CGI is misunderstood" in that section, but it's not just misunderstood, those claims are just straight up lies. The jets seen in Top Gun are CGI, even though the filmmakers (like Tom Cruise) claim they aren't. For some reason both journalists and others writing about filmmaking often spread the false rumours, even though they obviously are false, since there often can be VFX breakdowns showing what's CGI. Note that some filmmakers use the power of NDAs to block VFX artists from talking about the production, even after it has been released. (That's not the case with Top Gun though, so there are plenty of proof debunking the lies used in marketing.) And note that tons of VFX artists are cut from the credits, so don't use that either as a way to measure the amount of VFX work (Nolan can literally cut hundreds of VFX artists from the credits). I can recommend the TH-cam series _"NO CGI" is really just INVISIBLE CGI_ for those wanting to see a good summary of a bunch of these examples. Cheerio.
We included Top Gun Maverick for just that purpose - to show that this "No CGI" trend is misleading for audiences. We're also big fans of that series from The Movie Rabbit Hole. Highly recommended!
@@StudioBinderI don’t think that is clear at all. You said it was controversial, but there was nothing to imply that Cruise was wrong about those shots. I love this channel, and appreciate you approaching this topic, but think you’ve missed the mark this time.
@@dalelinney8437 Er. Yeah there is. It's documented. Him saying "It's all real" is pretty straightforward mate. He was wrong, and intentionally so. It's called lying. Where do you get "there's nothing to imply"?!! You get the irony on missing the mark right? And go watch the Movie Rabbit Hole series...
As corridor crew once said: You must do everything on practical effects, puppets, and makeup... and then use CGI and VFX to improve them and to apply where the practical effects can't be applied. Awesome video as always say. Thanks for being one of the best channels about cinematography
It's a complete audiovisual encyclopedia about the Differences between those Three Aesthetic Elements/Illusions in Filmmaking. CGI/VFX/SFX are the Three Musketeers Illusions in Filmmaking. Thousand Thanks StudioBinder for this Inspiring video.💯💯💯
The whole “No CGI” thing being used as a marketing tool is kinda silly. Nothing about filmmaking is “real” and filmmakers having been using “fakery” since the beginning. Just make a good movie and we won’t care.
SFX: In front of camera VFX: In Post after filming or in Camera during filming CGI: Is a distinction inside VFX that is basically SFX done on Computer after filming
Minor correction, A Scanner Darkly was done by hand. It was done on a computer and took FOREVER to complete. There was some assistance I believe in some lines being tracked so that they didn’t have to re-draw certain lines that don’t totally change but the majority of the film is frame by frame rotoscoping.
This was so fascinating! I didn't know there was a difference between VFX and SFX. It's neat how much we can do with them in tandem. As much as I appreciate CGI, there's just something about practical effects I find charming
Another important video from the channel, great job guys! I would only submit that 1)many industry professionals have different definitions of CGI, and 2) previs artists don't "sketch" our work. Instead it's more accurate to say that we "block out" or "rough out" action that later gets finalized by VFX teams.
I guess someone else has pointed it out already but the shots of the ED-209 in Robocop were not composited onto shots of the boardroom but were actually the stop motion miniature shot in front of a rear projection screen. This was mainly a budgetary constraint.
Ever since i subscribed to dis channel, i feel my knowledge of movie and tv productuction grow Your video about the 12 principles of animation has helped improved my understanding of the fundamentals of animation which has aided in my study of animation for future careers Thank you! Will always be anticipating more from you!😊❤😊
I thought the Robocop ED-209 shots were actually ED-209s in front of rear projections? ..thats why theres a noticeable drop in saturation, contrast, and resolution in those shots?
There are two great special effect moments for me. The first was the start of the first Star Wars movie (episode 4) and the Imperial cruiser just going and going and going. The second was the dinosaur reveal in the original Jurassic Park. That second one is a great scene on a number of levels, including the acting of Sam Neill and Laura Dern and, of course, the music. Spielberg has always understood that special effects are a tool and that the story is what matters.
Thank you! And we're are HUGE fans of your series on "NO CGI" is really just INVISIBLE CGI" - it's fantastic and we recommend everyone watching our video to watch yours as well. th-cam.com/play/PLgdTaHO8FLEve_XFiRBEcOSkRdd-Txjne.html&si=wk3coCUaQSGC3rmT
Wow! This is the BEST explanation video of CGI, VFX and SFX. It is clear, easy to understand and up to date with video clips of movies made a short while ago. Thank StudioBinder for such a great job!
9:18 this example of “vfx but not cgi” has cgi terrain, granted the terrain isn’t the focus of the shot so I guess this points to more of a spectrum between fully practical vs fully cgi
How is forced perspective VFX rather than SFX? Unless I'm misunderstanding forced perspective is using the camera's perspective to fool the audience into thinking things are bigger or smaller or closer or whatever. This is something happening in front of the camera right? I've also heard painted backgrounds called VFX before (maybe this is just wrong or an attempt to simplify), but I would think they are SFX.
I hope "The Dark Crystal" gets a proper shout out when we get into the special effects portion! (Yes I know it's also mostly CGI but the blend of the two was truly a feat to watch)
I more or less knew the difference but this helped tremendously. So SFX and VFX are separate. SFX mainly consists of practical effects, so effects that deal with objects or actions. VFX is more focused on perspective. And finally all CGI is VFX, but not all VFX is CGI. Thoughts anyone?
Love this lesson. I think many of us who were around between the times of Superman and Star Wars, the term Special Effects (Special FX) encompassed everything that was not apart of our real world (ie a man flying without a machine, laser swords or gigantic creatures). Now as technology advanced (going from large machinery to laptop size rendering machines) the lines have become unblurred and defined (love that high resolution!). I appreciate the old days of special effects because of the model building, camera rigs and makeup design had its rough beginnings with creative people solving the problem on set. Now many of those problems can be solved prior to shooting and post production. Either way, I give 4 thumbs up to all the people involved in realm of Special FX (you know how I mean that, LOL). Thank you StudioBinder for another great lesson!
Thanks for that! It's true, the definitions and tools have evolved over the years so it makes defining these elements really tricky. But hard work and creative work, no matter the tools, will always be appreciated.
we salute to the hollywood industry animation artist they really have done very speechless job made us entertain i used to think how did they made about decades ago really a unimaginable job hats off from Asia Nepal
Could you PLEASE make the movie titles shown on screen stand out more from the background. Some of them, particularly when the image is bright are almost impossible to read.
01:55 Understanding the differences between CGI, VFX, and SFX 03:50 Understanding the differences between CGI, VFX, and SFX 05:45 Special effects involve animatronics and prosthetic makeup overseen by a supervisor. 07:40 Understanding the differences between VFX, CGI, and SFX 09:35 Visual effects supervisor oversees VFX pipeline, including CGI production 11:30 CGI has come a long way from 2D to nearly indistinguishable from live-action footage. 13:25 CGI, VFX, and special effects are used in combination for creating visual spectacles. 15:15 CGI, VFX, and special effects are powerful tools in filmmaking.
VFX (or whatever) of Oppenheimer was the main reason I didn't watch the movie. I read the comments in various sites about them. Later I saw video clips of the... "atomic" explosion. I laughed a lot with those VFX explosions ! 😅
as a layman i have always thought that CGI means a rendered 3D object on screen while visual effects is removing stuntmen, cables, workers or adding 2D background to the image but not pre-rendered 3D elements
I am so tired of obnoxious morons of the likes of The Critical Drinker and Nerdrotic, that I almost lost hope for the ability of TH-cam to allow genuine Artistic masters to make it through their algorithm. Thank you guys for a much needed boost of creative inspiration.
Dear youtube, id rather watch a 1min ad that i cant skip at the beginning of the video than have a 5sec ad that i can skip in the middle of watching...
It’s not about CGI, it never has been. It’s about the reliance on spectacle over story and a bunch of Hollywood studios believing that spectacle is the best way to bring in audiences to the cinema. CGI is an easy provider of spectacle and Hollywood focuses on this over original cinema as a means of making movies big, fast and easy… so remakes and sequels and reboots are platforms for spectacle and CGI is the means. So when filmmakers say they didn’t use any, it’s an unsaid implication that their film isn’t an instant and lazy made film. Yet, like any tool, used properly, CGI yields amazing results when driven by story.
So kinda. Visual Effects is a term meaning ANY change to the medium. CGI is apart of the VFX art, not a separate one. SFX is the only one that is off CGI.
Practicals or what's truly recorded as it is, is what I consider special effects. (99% of Interstellar for example.) All the rest that includes a computer is CGI. The term CGI works because CGI and VFX both needs a computer.
Is using a computer to add a real thing to the frame VFX or CGI? Like the example where the guy creates multiple versions of himself, if you accomplished the same thing with a computer does that make it CGI? I suppose so but the question popped up because I was thinking it's different from adding something that's entirely made in a computer, like the Pikachu, since you are just using a computer to make the old VFX technique of multiple exposures to create things that aren't actually there easier.
Simple enough: SFX = practical/physical FX done while filming CGI = digital FX done/added post filming. VFX = general umbrella term that uses both or either the two FX methods and done/added post filming.
plese don't use the term vfx for cgi. both are different. this is the main mistake.. most of the people think vfx and cgi are same.. even the youtubers. thats why if any movie's cgi looks bad, peoples complaint to the vfx artist. so, don't say vfx for both fx again. both are different.
Just to clarify, CGI is just one aspect of VFX but we're saying that VFX and SFX should be considered separate entities. They might be categorized together as "effects" or "FX" but not as "VFX."
@@StudioBinder No clarification needed really. Both SFX and CGI lie under the larger umbrella of VFX. Both SFX and CGI are subcategories under VFX narrowing their scope to specific elements. It simplifies things to consider VFX as a single page, double printed, menu with SFX on one side and CGI on the other, rather than treat VFX as its own separate category. Can order dishes from one side (SFX) *_and/or_* the other (CGI). The dishes can exist without the menu, but the menu only exists because the different dishes exist.
@@sarathchikku1028 It was already mentioned by the content creator in this present ation that CGI and SFX *_are aspects of VFX._* Out of the three FX categories here, VFX is the most broad in its definition and encompasses both SFX and CGI as well as other aspects like color shifting and lighting. Both CGI and SFX are more specific in what they are. VFX is the menu, and SFX and CGI are entrée options on that menu. Saying VFX is its own thing despite the clear overlapping elements of CGI and SFX on it, is like saying the menu itself is its own entrée just because it has other options available than just SFX and CGI.
You're not alone! That's why we wanted to make this one so people have a better understanding of the layers involved and how complicated this issue really is.
I suppose if you shoot all of your elements practically and the combine them digitally, like Nolan did with Oppenheimer. That way, you still get the benefits of VFX without relying too heavily on CGI.
I get what you mean, but there's a ton that that doesn't account for. A heap of effects work that can't help but be noticeable because it's part of the very premise. Did you think ET was bad because you noticed him in every shot and he couldn't possibly be real? Or Yoda or whoever? The more imaginative or genre the premise, the more you'll know it's fx work and that will never change!
@@halfvader8015 obvisouly this doesn't account for unreal stuff like non-existing fictional characters. I mean all the unnoticed VFX in (f.e.) Top Gun, Barbie, and EVERY other movie out there where we think they might got it in camera, but was digitally replaced or added without anybody noticing.
@@niiklaswag Sure. It's just not how you worded it that's all/was not "obvious" at all. Or I wouldn't even have taken you to task on it. You gotta understand that people assume and so the great unwashed just take these all-encompassing statements that don't even mention the supposedly obvious stuff, as the be all end all. And the people who say these things/what you did, assume everyone just gets it, which makes even their own statements redundant. And the funny thing is the even the armchair critics of vfx badmouth stuff like digital matte painting (showing themselves up to be just as moronic as those who know nothing) - which is so good that it's what matte paintings were always intended to be and what you're actually discussing here - the "invisible art"! Cheers.
indian audiances and youbers should watch this video. because most of them don't know the difference between vfx and cgi. if any movie's cgi looks bad, they complaint to the vfx artists and mocking them. example : the flash, she hulk, adipurush, kotchadayan, etc.
you watched the whole video and still didn't understood a thing, "vfx artist" is an umbrella term in the industry, that includes people who creates CGI (3d models, textures, animation etc) and also people who do rotoscopy and compositing etc as well. CGI artist and VFX artist in the vfx studio terminology are not two different things.
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SFX: created and function while on set
VFX: post filming and editing
CGI: fully done by computer while still filming and post editing
That's a pretty concise explanation!
When you use them as an acronym, SFX also means sound effects. Also, with computer. Not by computer. Also meaning 3d imagery specifically, not all digital work. The delineation and separation is the point here!
@@halfvader8015 thank for the clearity english not my first language so its hard to convey everything
@@kimkhoitruong5991 Ah I'm sorry mate I didn't consider ESL, my apologies!
@@halfvader8015 yeah no problem i self taught myself english and visual effect over the years its easy to understand but hard to explain to other people haha
Top Gun is a great example of everyone from studio to Tom lying about CGI. Sure. They shot a lot of ref footage, but 90% was replaced by CGI. Saying there’s no CGI in it while it was more CGI shots than Black Panther is rather disrespectful for artists work on it.
It's an unfortunate situation. The narrative around Top Gun was definitely misleading but it's still a fantastic movie and the process they used was still jaw-dropping, even if it was augmented.
The scene with the jet buzzing the guy on the ground with the dirt flying up, the plane didn't look real. Never seen the movie so I didn't know they were trying to tell the public that the didn't use any.
@@StudioBinder Even you're being a little disingenuous/gentle on them. And that needs to stop, because it propagates the lie. More than augmented, and they, including Tom himself, flat out lied. That's the word you're looking for I think. At least we have Movie Rabbit Hole for the last word on it now. And yes it's a great movie. Even before the vfx reels came out though it was pretty simple. Did anyone in the audience think that the future blackbird scene was any less tense because it's obviously cg? Nope. Is a civilian allowed to fly any jet/fighter? Nope. It's illegal. Therefore... Pretty simple.
They lied you on every corner and yall believed it for the sake of Tom cruse. Only him that flew some of the engines and in a very controlled environment
@@gregorylagrange ..because that plane doesnt exist, but there was a plane originally in that shot..
also, everyone is taking tom out of context.. he said "everything in the cockpits, is real.." ..he was speaking generally about how they really went up in the air.. watch the full clips if you can find them.. btw, i agree they shouldn't lie, i just dont think they did..
The most egregious sin when it comes to VFX and CGI is having cutting edge technicians using state-of-the-art technology, yet they are never given the necessary time required to achieve either an incredible effect or invisible effect.
We appreciate all the work these artists do and there so much work to be done these days! But you're right, when given sufficient time and resources, these tools can create real magic.
@@StudioBinder true, but i wonder if you (or i) overlooked the point being made... if team A is given 2/3 of what is needed, and the goal isn't achieved, then team A can't be villified as the reason the production fell short.
great content. many thanks.
Mutant Mayhem TMNT made sure Animators weren't overworked
Animator here. I would add, that resources are always come and go on a project, great projects have been done under short time..its really the three I's.. indefinite incessant indecisiveness that happens with a director, supervisor or lead that lead to massive crunch time and withering of resources. Sometimes you get very very very insecure people who have no idea what they want leading the charge on these gigantic projects, and they just try a bunch of things never trusting the crew and it honestly is HUGE morale killer for people making it happen and it shows up as faulty and mediocre work on the screen unfortunately.
Todays VFX artists are antisocial nerds, much more than we were back when my generation started getting into computer graphics in the early 80s. These people can't stand looking at other humans, let alone the things they strife to recreate.
from an industry veteran
From what I’ve seen, in the industry rarely actually say “CGI”, or atleast not as generally as the public. Tbh, I’m just tired of hearing people using it to trash on the vfx industry (the industry that includes vfx, cgi and sfx)
For us there is no difference in CGI and VFX. This video is a bit misleading sadly. There is only VFX and SFX. Also when you "only" composite two real plates together its with the help of a Digital tool that will create a final image that is computer generated as blending two images together needs digital effects applied what means you get a digital final frame created by a computer.
@@JohnnyFehrI agree for the most part, although if someone is trying to say that something was created by 3d graphics programs as opposed to being real they'll use the term "cg", not "vfx". I throw around the word compositing or composited a lot for 2d graphics/stock stuff added. Also something people might now know is that "fx" usually refers to physics simulations like smoke or particles, fire, liquids etc, so an fx artist would be someone who specializes in those things.
@@rangerCG thats why its important to educate the terms correctly. For example in Nuke there is a lot done in 3D too even if its just cards projections. Compositing is the same VFX like Modeling or Animation.
So if the "CGI" in a movie is good or bad, we should call it VFX and not CGI.
What if modeling, lighting, animation did an amazing job but comp not. and the audience will say its bad CGI so you blame the wrong one then? its all part of VFX if its made digital. We in VFX itself don't even use the word CGI 😅we do VFX and VFX contains different departments just like SFX.
The industry that really brings us the magic
That's true. Our goal with this video was more for people outside the industry who do use terms like "CGI." We hope it came across that CGI is part of VFX, just like Practical Effects are part of Special Effects.
CGI could honestly get a video all its own with so much involved in the process. You’ve got modeling, rigging, texturing, animation, lighting even simulated physics…that’s why it grinds me gears when people say “this CGI looks bad” because they really only have a gripe with one of those aspects but don’t know enough to specifically call it out. Instead they lump everything under just “CGI”
That's very true. We wanted to give a more concise explanation here but this could have easily been an hour long video.
I don't even mind them saying "it looks bad", since sometimes it actually does. What I don't like is all those processes you mentioned getting reduced to "they just did it on computers", the implication being "the computer did all the work". Meanwhile some guy probably spends an entire year carefully animating the Hulk's tongue or something every time there's a new Marvel movie.
I used to be a intern for a CGI studio and ngl everything shown and explain here is on point. Not to mention you gotta have the most expensive and top of the line computers and other equipment to be able to make the best output as possible. We literally went from goofy looking effects to realistic and seamless looking effects composited in various media. The obsession with making things look realistically look seamless is what makes the whole thing so meticulous and time consuming haha. I remember creating running animation for a 3D character meant to be shown for like 10 seconds which mind you took me weeks to finish, fine tuning everything, making sure everything looks right from the weight of each step, the interaction of the feet to the ground etc. Only for it to be covered up by the VFX department with dust, debris and smoke. The frustration was real, I wasn't even paid to animate it cause I was a intern back then haha.
VFX artists are definitely unsung heroes! Thanks for sharing your experience.
This is the kind of video that needs to be watched by everyone because SOOO many of us can't differentiate between these terms despite using them
It's really confusing out there! Hopefully, this clears it up a bit.
4:22 How great it must be to be Nolan and candidly say:
"Ok guys, we're going to have some SFX in this scene. A big truck flips end over end, and then lands upside down in the middle of the street"
SFX Super " How are we going to do that?"
Nolan "Well, we're going to get a big truck, flip it end over end, and land it in the middle of the street".
@@jasonbidwell you read my mind. exactly the reply I was about to type.
When you've got a top-tier SFX Supervisor like Chris Corbould, he makes it happen! Check out this other video we did with him a while back: th-cam.com/video/ZiFZVDFSyGE/w-d-xo.htmlsi=RvbEiokTvlxxwPfm
@@jasonbidwell Funny because a Nolan fanboy was swearing up and down in the comments section under another video that Nolan never lies in interviews about only using practical effects and only uses little CGI even though Double Negative did replace some practical shots while Nolan still prances around that those shots are 100% practical. Nolan contributes to this anti-CGI fad.
@@jasonbidwellno, it was actually almost practical, the cgi is to erase the cable
@@deadstar44i don't think so, the movie rabbit hole have already gave explanation about that, even interviewing nolan's vfx supervisor, he's pretty much honest in his use of cgi
I really hope this video blows up the way it deserves to. One of my _biggest_ pet peeves in film circles is when people use these terms interchangeably, and I'm _so_ happy there's someone willing to break it down properly.
Please make a video on directing style of :-
1) Alfred Hitchcock
2) Sergio Leone
3) Francis Ford Coppola
4) David Cronenberg
5) Guillermo Del Toro
6) Ridley Scott
7) James Cameron
8) Tim Burton
9) John Woo
10) Kathryn Bigelow
Don't forget Christopher Nolan, because in his style of storytelling needed help on that, please.
@@adityanimmalapudi2880 they have already made a video about nolan
These are all great suggestions! I can say that we have a couple of these in the works but I'll let you guess which ones.
We have a lot of videos on Nolan but we don't have the full Directing Styles yet. Someday!
10! There are plenty of videos for all the others, but Bigelow is too rarely mentioned.
1:52 - It's a bit unfortunate that they touch on the fact that a lot of filmmakers claim they don't use CGI, using Top Gun and Tom Cruise as an example, when it has been proven that a lot of these filmmakers and especially Top Gun have lied about this. The clip they picked to illustrate this is literally a CGI jet. I know they also said "CGI is misunderstood" in that section, but it's not just misunderstood, those claims are just straight up lies. The jets seen in Top Gun are CGI, even though the filmmakers (like Tom Cruise) claim they aren't. For some reason both journalists and others writing about filmmaking often spread the false rumours, even though they obviously are false, since there often can be VFX breakdowns showing what's CGI. Note that some filmmakers use the power of NDAs to block VFX artists from talking about the production, even after it has been released. (That's not the case with Top Gun though, so there are plenty of proof debunking the lies used in marketing.) And note that tons of VFX artists are cut from the credits, so don't use that either as a way to measure the amount of VFX work (Nolan can literally cut hundreds of VFX artists from the credits).
I can recommend the TH-cam series _"NO CGI" is really just INVISIBLE CGI_ for those wanting to see a good summary of a bunch of these examples. Cheerio.
We included Top Gun Maverick for just that purpose - to show that this "No CGI" trend is misleading for audiences. We're also big fans of that series from The Movie Rabbit Hole. Highly recommended!
@@StudioBinder Ah, maybe I misinterpreted you then, but I think a lot of people will, because it's very unclear what's being the point there.
@@StudioBinderI don’t think that is clear at all. You said it was controversial, but there was nothing to imply that Cruise was wrong about those shots. I love this channel, and appreciate you approaching this topic, but think you’ve missed the mark this time.
@@dalelinney8437 If he said everything is real, and it wasn't, how can you say there's nothing to imply that he was wrong?
@@dalelinney8437 Er. Yeah there is. It's documented. Him saying "It's all real" is pretty straightforward mate. He was wrong, and intentionally so. It's called lying. Where do you get "there's nothing to imply"?!! You get the irony on missing the mark right? And go watch the Movie Rabbit Hole series...
As corridor crew once said:
You must do everything on practical effects, puppets, and makeup... and then use CGI and VFX to improve them and to apply where the practical effects can't be applied.
Awesome video as always say.
Thanks for being one of the best channels about cinematography
Well said! We love those guys at Corridor.
Well, CC and most every vfx supervisor ever!
Corridor Digital = bunch of clowns
It's a complete audiovisual encyclopedia about the Differences between those Three Aesthetic Elements/Illusions in Filmmaking. CGI/VFX/SFX are the Three Musketeers Illusions in Filmmaking. Thousand Thanks StudioBinder for this Inspiring video.💯💯💯
Thank you! A thousand "you're welcomes"!
The whole “No CGI” thing being used as a marketing tool is kinda silly. Nothing about filmmaking is “real” and filmmakers having been using “fakery” since the beginning. Just make a good movie and we won’t care.
It’s also lies most of the time! Napoleon, Maverick and many more… Directors, lead actors and execs just lying.
Amen!
except CGI looks bad the way it's used.
@@1murkeybadmayn And which way is that? There are examples of both bad and good CGI, could you elaborate?
@@TitusTheBardJP and JW raptors?
SFX: In front of camera
VFX: In Post after filming or in Camera during filming
CGI: Is a distinction inside VFX that is basically SFX done on Computer after filming
Minor correction, A Scanner Darkly was done by hand. It was done on a computer and took FOREVER to complete. There was some assistance I believe in some lines being tracked so that they didn’t have to re-draw certain lines that don’t totally change but the majority of the film is frame by frame rotoscoping.
This was so fascinating! I didn't know there was a difference between VFX and SFX. It's neat how much we can do with them in tandem. As much as I appreciate CGI, there's just something about practical effects I find charming
I absolutely adore StudioBinder, even as a non-filmmaker.
Keep it up, good chaps!
Thanks for that!
Another important video from the channel, great job guys! I would only submit that 1)many industry professionals have different definitions of CGI, and 2) previs artists don't "sketch" our work. Instead it's more accurate to say that we "block out" or "rough out" action that later gets finalized by VFX teams.
Thanks for the feedback! Those are valuable clarifications.
I guess someone else has pointed it out already but the shots of the ED-209 in Robocop were not composited onto shots of the boardroom but were actually the stop motion miniature shot in front of a rear projection screen. This was mainly a budgetary constraint.
Ever since i subscribed to dis channel, i feel my knowledge of movie and tv productuction grow
Your video about the 12 principles of animation has helped improved my understanding of the fundamentals of animation which has aided in my study of animation for future careers
Thank you! Will always be anticipating more from you!😊❤😊
That's great to hear! Thanks for watching.
@@StudioBinder My pleasure!
I thought the Robocop ED-209 shots were actually ED-209s in front of rear projections? ..thats why theres a noticeable drop in saturation, contrast, and resolution in those shots?
There are two great special effect moments for me. The first was the start of the first Star Wars movie (episode 4) and the Imperial cruiser just going and going and going. The second was the dinosaur reveal in the original Jurassic Park. That second one is a great scene on a number of levels, including the acting of Sam Neill and Laura Dern and, of course, the music. Spielberg has always understood that special effects are a tool and that the story is what matters.
wow, thanks StudioBinder, VFX/CGI/SFX always my fav topic in filmmaking
This is a good video. You get bonus point for bringing on Ian who knows what he's talking about
Thank you! And we're are HUGE fans of your series on "NO CGI" is really just INVISIBLE CGI" - it's fantastic and we recommend everyone watching our video to watch yours as well. th-cam.com/play/PLgdTaHO8FLEve_XFiRBEcOSkRdd-Txjne.html&si=wk3coCUaQSGC3rmT
Wow! This is the BEST explanation video of CGI, VFX and SFX. It is clear, easy to understand and up to date with video clips of movies made a short while ago. Thank StudioBinder for such a great job!
All movie sources are written in the video itself on the bottom (sadly sometimes obscured by the youtube interface)
Yeah, sorry about that. If you need to know anything specific, let us know!
THX! I was searching for the source of the first scene, for like 10 minutes, just because I didn't see the inserts... 😀
Mastering SFX, VFX, and CGI is key to crafting a compelling story and it requires lots of experience to get it right!
9:18 this example of “vfx but not cgi” has cgi terrain, granted the terrain isn’t the focus of the shot so I guess this points to more of a spectrum between fully practical vs fully cgi
How is forced perspective VFX rather than SFX? Unless I'm misunderstanding forced perspective is using the camera's perspective to fool the audience into thinking things are bigger or smaller or closer or whatever. This is something happening in front of the camera right? I've also heard painted backgrounds called VFX before (maybe this is just wrong or an attempt to simplify), but I would think they are SFX.
CGI , VFX and SFX all are great tools in filmmaking Thanks again Studiobinder
Agreed! Thanks for watching.
Cinematography
Love that you got Ian on here! Nicely done StudioBinder!
Us too! He was a real pleasure to work with. Check out our full interview with Ian: th-cam.com/video/yLezwn2TSsY/w-d-xo.htmlsi=pMcaoXBLRot0xfb_
Wth was the first video? 🤨
Love lies bleeding
It can be hard to see but they always put the name in one of the corners. You might need to pause it.
Love lies bleeding climax scene
Spank bank or what?
I had to restart a few times to know what was going on lol.
I hope "The Dark Crystal" gets a proper shout out when we get into the special effects portion! (Yes I know it's also mostly CGI but the blend of the two was truly a feat to watch)
I more or less knew the difference but this helped tremendously. So SFX and VFX are separate. SFX mainly consists of practical effects, so effects that deal with objects or actions. VFX is more focused on perspective. And finally all CGI is VFX, but not all VFX is CGI. Thoughts anyone?
Love this lesson. I think many of us who were around between the times of Superman and Star Wars, the term Special Effects (Special FX) encompassed everything that was not apart of our real world (ie a man flying without a machine, laser swords or gigantic creatures). Now as technology advanced (going from large machinery to laptop size rendering machines) the lines have become unblurred and defined (love that high resolution!). I appreciate the old days of special effects because of the model building, camera rigs and makeup design had its rough beginnings with creative people solving the problem on set. Now many of those problems can be solved prior to shooting and post production. Either way, I give 4 thumbs up to all the people involved in realm of Special FX (you know how I mean that, LOL). Thank you StudioBinder for another great lesson!
Thanks for that! It's true, the definitions and tools have evolved over the years so it makes defining these elements really tricky. But hard work and creative work, no matter the tools, will always be appreciated.
This is insanely cool!!! As a designer myself, I’m looking to expand in this area. I more so look forward to working with CGI more than anything! 😊
we salute to the hollywood industry animation artist they really have done very speechless job made us entertain i used to think how did they made about decades ago really a unimaginable job hats off
from Asia Nepal
Lamo I love the closed captions at 2:02, that's hilarious. And 100% true
Lol I’ve always thought SFX stands for Sound FX
Me too 😂
Could you PLEASE make the movie titles shown on screen stand out more from the background. Some of them, particularly when the image is bright are almost impossible to read.
what is the name of movie at 0:12 ?
A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001)
Outstanding production. You taught me something new today! Thank you…
Video starts at 2:39
You guys have such sort attention spans bro
@@dotDandy I watched the entire video. Just trying to save fellow viewers from wasting more time
@austinbrady dude they put effort in making the video
@@jadeskarlet just because you put effort into a video doesn’t mean the whole video is packed with value
@@austinbrady to be honest that makes a whole lot of sense 😅
True. I am continuously becoming more literate about the medium, one video at a time. Thanks
That's our goal! Thanks for watching.
What is the first frame of this video?🗿
Love lies bleeding : 1hr 35mins into the movie
1st clip in the video was from which movie? 😅
01:55 Understanding the differences between CGI, VFX, and SFX
03:50 Understanding the differences between CGI, VFX, and SFX
05:45 Special effects involve animatronics and prosthetic makeup overseen by a supervisor.
07:40 Understanding the differences between VFX, CGI, and SFX
09:35 Visual effects supervisor oversees VFX pipeline, including CGI production
11:30 CGI has come a long way from 2D to nearly indistinguishable from live-action footage.
13:25 CGI, VFX, and special effects are used in combination for creating visual spectacles.
15:15 CGI, VFX, and special effects are powerful tools in filmmaking.
Thank you Studio binder 🙏
Our pleasure!
VFX (or whatever) of Oppenheimer was the main reason I didn't watch the movie. I read the comments in various sites about them. Later I saw video clips of the... "atomic" explosion. I laughed a lot with those VFX explosions ! 😅
as a layman i have always thought that CGI means a rendered 3D object on screen while visual effects is removing stuntmen, cables, workers or adding 2D background to the image but not pre-rendered 3D elements
VFX covers a LOT, including CGI. So, if there are 3D elements that need to be blended or combined in some way, that's also VFX.
I always wondered what is the difference. Thank you😊
5:16 correct me if I'm wrong, but forced perspective is a special effect too, right?!
Thanks for this video.
I think I now have a better understanding of these 3 terms.
I am so tired of obnoxious morons of the likes of The Critical Drinker and Nerdrotic, that I almost lost hope for the ability of TH-cam to allow genuine Artistic masters to make it through their algorithm. Thank you guys for a much needed boost of creative inspiration.
Dear youtube, id rather watch a 1min ad that i cant skip at the beginning of the video than have a 5sec ad that i can skip in the middle of watching...
Always in the right time! I have this topic today in my classes :)
It’s not about CGI, it never has been. It’s about the reliance on spectacle over story and a bunch of Hollywood studios believing that spectacle is the best way to bring in audiences to the cinema. CGI is an easy provider of spectacle and Hollywood focuses on this over original cinema as a means of making movies big, fast and easy… so remakes and sequels and reboots are platforms for spectacle and CGI is the means. So when filmmakers say they didn’t use any, it’s an unsaid implication that their film isn’t an instant and lazy made film. Yet, like any tool, used properly, CGI yields amazing results when driven by story.
So kinda. Visual Effects is a term meaning ANY change to the medium. CGI is apart of the VFX art, not a separate one. SFX is the only one that is off CGI.
Thank you StudioBinder
You're welcome!
What happened to your theme intro from 3 years ago
I really needed to understand this thanks
Great! We are expecting more Fx videos from Studio binder
Will do! Thanks for watching.
Practicals or what's truly recorded as it is, is what I consider special effects. (99% of Interstellar for example.) All the rest that includes a computer is CGI. The term CGI works because CGI and VFX both needs a computer.
Could you make a video on Film Criticism and Film Analysis.
How to do Film Criticism and Film Analysis
Film Criticism and Film Analysis difference
Good video. Can you now do director vs producer vs co producer vs executive producer etc
That's an interesting topic! We just might.
Great video. Very clear and now i know the differences
When the thumbnail is so good, u don’t really needa click the video
Is using a computer to add a real thing to the frame VFX or CGI? Like the example where the guy creates multiple versions of himself, if you accomplished the same thing with a computer does that make it CGI? I suppose so but the question popped up because I was thinking it's different from adding something that's entirely made in a computer, like the Pikachu, since you are just using a computer to make the old VFX technique of multiple exposures to create things that aren't actually there easier.
Simple enough:
SFX = practical/physical FX done while filming
CGI = digital FX done/added post filming.
VFX = general umbrella term that uses both or either the two FX methods and done/added post filming.
plese don't use the term vfx for cgi. both are different. this is the main mistake.. most of the people think vfx and cgi are same.. even the youtubers. thats why if any movie's cgi looks bad, peoples complaint to the vfx artist. so, don't say vfx for both fx again. both are different.
@@sarathchikku1028 VFX is an umbrella term. It includes CGI. OP is correct.
Just to clarify, CGI is just one aspect of VFX but we're saying that VFX and SFX should be considered separate entities. They might be categorized together as "effects" or "FX" but not as "VFX."
@@StudioBinder No clarification needed really. Both SFX and CGI lie under the larger umbrella of VFX. Both SFX and CGI are subcategories under VFX narrowing their scope to specific elements. It simplifies things to consider VFX as a single page, double printed, menu with SFX on one side and CGI on the other, rather than treat VFX as its own separate category. Can order dishes from one side (SFX) *_and/or_* the other (CGI). The dishes can exist without the menu, but the menu only exists because the different dishes exist.
@@sarathchikku1028 It was already mentioned by the content creator in this present ation that CGI and SFX *_are aspects of VFX._* Out of the three FX categories here, VFX is the most broad in its definition and encompasses both SFX and CGI as well as other aspects like color shifting and lighting. Both CGI and SFX are more specific in what they are. VFX is the menu, and SFX and CGI are entrée options on that menu. Saying VFX is its own thing despite the clear overlapping elements of CGI and SFX on it, is like saying the menu itself is its own entrée just because it has other options available than just SFX and CGI.
I am surprised, I have always considered that special effects were any kind of effect, either practical, visual or digital.
You're not alone! That's why we wanted to make this one so people have a better understanding of the layers involved and how complicated this issue really is.
hey bro what the starting scene????is it a movue???or a game scene ???
Bro wtf. I literally just finished watching 1917. So good
I'm surprised the absolute masterpiece of VFX/SFX wasn't used as an example: _Who Framed Roger Rabbit?_
So many movies we couldn't include, and that's one of 'em!
That was very infomative and as always very entertaining to watch.
What's the name of the song playing at the beginning?
Small town boy
What ever thing we are doing in blender is cgi or not?
What other ways other than digitally can we make vfx to differentiate between it and cgi
I suppose if you shoot all of your elements practically and the combine them digitally, like Nolan did with Oppenheimer. That way, you still get the benefits of VFX without relying too heavily on CGI.
It took me 30 years to forget 'Lawnmower Man' ... The horror ....
what happened to the original Studiobinder narrator? 😢 was expecting the old-style movie gentleman voice, it gave the videos extra gravitas
What's the name of the movie with the giant woman?
What all movie scenes are used in this video?
10:18 looks like they forgot to CGI hank's eyes to follow Lennon as he leans forward.
Dune Part Two deep Dive... Make it happen please
Where is movie credits. Please include that
00:02 what is that movie
love lies bleeding
@@ayahareedysuch an amazing movie!
says in the bottom right "love lies bleeding"
Thank you
The best VFX are the ones we don't notice. So the best compliment VFX artists get, is when nobody complains.
Very true. VFX artists are unsung heroes.
I get what you mean, but there's a ton that that doesn't account for. A heap of effects work that can't help but be noticeable because it's part of the very premise. Did you think ET was bad because you noticed him in every shot and he couldn't possibly be real? Or Yoda or whoever? The more imaginative or genre the premise, the more you'll know it's fx work and that will never change!
@@halfvader8015 obvisouly this doesn't account for unreal stuff like non-existing fictional characters. I mean all the unnoticed VFX in (f.e.) Top Gun, Barbie, and EVERY other movie out there where we think they might got it in camera, but was digitally replaced or added without anybody noticing.
@@niiklaswag Sure. It's just not how you worded it that's all/was not "obvious" at all. Or I wouldn't even have taken you to task on it. You gotta understand that people assume and so the great unwashed just take these all-encompassing statements that don't even mention the supposedly obvious stuff, as the be all end all. And the people who say these things/what you did, assume everyone just gets it, which makes even their own statements redundant. And the funny thing is the even the armchair critics of vfx badmouth stuff like digital matte painting (showing themselves up to be just as moronic as those who know nothing) - which is so good that it's what matte paintings were always intended to be and what you're actually discussing here - the "invisible art"! Cheers.
Really studio binder is always
very super...
So actually there's only two, Old Special Effect(practical,Special,method, aka you need make one literally) and New VFX(digitized VFX)
CGI software has also a great part on this. I appreciate if you name what sofrware they use for this effects.
You should do the evolution of VFX at ILM.
That would be a fun one!
finally understood the differences
X (formerly Twitter) users be plugging their ears and closing their eyes if they see this video
😆
🙈🙉
Can you please recommend any free video editing course?
Sir,please make next video for steps of shortfilmmaking for beginers
indian audiances and youbers should watch this video. because most of them don't know the difference between vfx and cgi. if any movie's cgi looks bad, they complaint to the vfx artists and mocking them. example : the flash, she hulk, adipurush, kotchadayan, etc.
American audiences are just as guilty of this.
It's a very common misunderstanding. Hopefully we could clear some of that up.
you watched the whole video and still didn't understood a thing, "vfx artist" is an umbrella term in the industry, that includes people who creates CGI (3d models, textures, animation etc) and also people who do rotoscopy and compositing etc as well. CGI artist and VFX artist in the vfx studio terminology are not two different things.
İs there a movie without sfx,vfx or practical efects?
The first scene is from love lies bleeding
I think RoboCop used back projection on the stop motion sets instead of compositing.