Do we really need CGI Stormtroopers?

[bones1971]

Enough is enough. The space battles and City scapes are beautiful w/ Lucas's CGI. But can we please tone it down with the making of CGI human characters. A non-humuniod alien I get. But do we really need all the clone troopers/Stormtroopers in animated form. It doesn't look right and it never will. It was a total distraction in Clones. And now, the scene in the trailer with Mace and Yoda with a couple of cartoon troopers behind them looks weird. Not to mention Hayden Christian's march with the army of Stormtroopers behind him.

The guys in the gear looked so much better 30 years ago, and I don't think you would have a problem finding enough extras to film a scene.

[Karma Dog]

They look better here than they did in Clones though. I thought they looked pretty good in the trailer.

[Tornado]

I thought they looked really good in the trailer. No objections to the CGI in Episode III yet.

[Karma Dog]

I think a huge problem I had with the CGI in Clones, especially on Geonosis, was how bright everthing was, it made it look computer generated. If that would have been a night battle or just darken it up somehow it would help mask the CGI Clonetroopers and tanks, etc.

[Fanible]

People never reject the CGI just yet. Everyone thought Episode 1's CGI was ground breaking, and pretty neat when it was first released. Give it the 3-6 years later and you can see how bad they are. I don't think I'm wrong in saying that easily give Episode 3 another 3-5 years (just like Episode 2 now), and the CGI will look like it's out of date.

For now I'll enjoy any ground breaking effects they offer, but I just don't like they it's all gonna look like crap in a few years time. It ruins the movie's lasting value. I'll say it again, as I have before and before, that Jaba from the OT still looks outstanding today.

[todd philip]

The cgi clones look VERY convincing

[objectionalman]

i love the cgi. especially with the chancellor

[DolAmroth]

they look fine CGI cause its soo good

[padawan331]

yes we do.

[superxero88]

Honestly, I thought they were people in suits.

[KaMiKaZi]

Holy s*** was my response after hearing the doco clip in Ep2 that the clone troopers were cgi coz i thought they were actually real people. So i have no objections to the CGI troopers after all they look very good and convincingly real, i prefer them as i prefered the cgi yoda. Its amazing what cgi can do nowadays.

People never reject the CGI just yet. Everyone thought Episode 1's CGI was ground breaking, and pretty neat when it was first released. Give it the 3-6 years later and you can see how bad they are. I don't think I'm wrong in saying that easily give Episode 3 another 3-5 years (just like Episode 2 now), and the CGI will look like it's out of date.

For now I'll enjoy any ground breaking effects they offer, but I just don't like they it's all gonna look like crap in a few years time. It ruins the movie's lasting value. I'll say it again, as I have before and before, that Jaba from the OT still looks outstanding today.


I have the same feeling. After watching the PT many times, the OT looks primitive in comparison, i mean i would cringe at times at the OT FX, thats not to say that they are bad but it just show that they look out of date or obselete if you will. Its true films with groundbreaking special CGI FX will be outperformed or be obselete in 3 - 4 yrs time as films will have better CGI FX by then. This is also the case in computer games. You can only appreciate them and be amazed while it lasts.

[Miasma]

I don't think I'm wrong in saying that easily give Episode 3 another 3-5 years (just like Episode 2 now), and the CGI will look like it's out of date.

For now I'll enjoy any ground breaking effects they offer, but I just don't like they it's all gonna look like crap in a few years time. It ruins the movie's lasting value. I'll say it again, as I have before and before, that Jaba from the OT still looks outstanding today.


That's true of fx in any movie. Watch the OT now, and you'll see how bad the effects look, but at the time, they looked great. I don't really think there's a way to make timeless fx since the technology is always advancing.

[Fanible]

That's true of fx in any movie. Watch the OT now, and you'll see how bad the effects look, but at the time, they looked great. I don't really think there's a way to make timeless fx since the technology is always advancing.

Duh. That's exactly the point. You should only be using CG fx as a helpful tool, and not overhaul it, because of that reason. Ships, backrounds, cityscapes... stuff like that can be used and it be fine. But if the OT's additional CGI scenes were any indication, it was that effects were not advanced enough to intertwine them into those films. The result of which is bizarre, terrible looking scenes that look completely strange thrown into the middle of the 70's/80's filmed movies. It's why I often come back to Stephen Spielberg in his movies. He only uses CGI when he has to, and uses it as a tool. He doesn't see it as an easier and cheaper way to make a movie.

I don't want to get into an argument about CGI again, I'm just stating an opinion. It's just a personal observation on film making. GL can do what he likes with his movies, I don't care. But I have every right to have a personal view on what I think is a proper way to make a film. And IMHO, I think CGI is not yet advanced enough to use it in a such a massive amount. Van Helsing is a good example of that. WTF was going on in that studio production. Plenty of potential to create some cool animatronic and make-up effects, but instead went all out with ILM making every bloody thing in CG.

I liked little fixes, things that CGI CAN help. Adding in the backround of city scapes, fixing black lines, and adding fx to the ships in the battle sequences. All those things were good, and worked well. What shouldn't of been done was adding CGI Jaba and creatures throughout the OT that look gawd awful. Again, that's just my opinion. So please, for the love of pete, Star Wars fanatics don't start flaming about GL being able to do what he wants. I got that, and I agree. But I can still state my opinion on film and movies.

All that being said, I desperatly can't wait to see Revenge of the Sith on May 19th. =P

[Spirited Away]

SW already uses alot of costumes and animatronics, it's just the media over do all this CGI coverage. With the film 100% complete in 3 weeks, it's too late to be complaining about anything.

Just accept it man.

[Fanible]

Just accept it man.

When I said Star Wars fanatics, I mainly ment you, Spirited Away, who clearly didn't catch my drift. :rolleyes:

[Spirited Away]

I personally dislike digital characters, unless they are really needed. But there's nothing i can do to change the film, so there's no point complaining.

[adt100]

I can understand scenes with large number of clone troopers using CGI, but when there's less than 100 for example, in close proximity, why is there even the need to make them in CGI. It just lessens the reality level that 1 bit more, however real they may look in certain shots.

[Sparta*]

The Clone troopers did infact look amazing......but If I had the choice, which I don't, I would have preferred real people.

[Glordreen]

I completely agree. this will be a CGI overload. Why do they need CGI stormtroopers?

Episode II could almost be considered an animated movie.

[Miasma]

Duh. That's exactly the point.

Woke up on the wrong side of the bed today, huh? (that's the second condescending reponse you made to one of my posts.)

In your original post, you clearly stated that the CGI effects in Episode 3 will look outdated in 3-5 years. That's what I was responding to by saying that almost EVERY movie's effects tend to look outdated in 3-5 years... it's just the nature of the thing, and it doesn't matter if it's CGI effects or models. The OT's effects look highly outdated now and they didn't use CGI. (in your follow-up post, you kind of changed the focus to talking about the insertion of CGI in the OT, but I wasn't responding to that since it wasn't what you were talking about originally. And if it was what you were talking about, then your post wasn't very clear.)

[carnage4u]

over time all graphics will show their age.. howerver i still would not call phatom menace graphics quality bad..

at least not yet.

acting bad, graphics good :) hulk smash

i think the cgi version of Natalie portman has been good in the first 2 PT, just they havnet got the emotion right yet and not put any into the cgi version of her, which hopefully was fixed for the 3rd.

[adt100]

Personally I still feel the Anakin CGI character needs a little work. He was pretty wooden in both prequesl thus far, Sure he looks good, but I think they need to work more on making him act like a real person.

[Xander]

I went back and saw Episode II yesturday cause i've been bashing it so much, I had to make sure I was right. And I was surprised at how many real sets it had. Still too much CGI, and lots of it could have been bigatures and stop-motion, but had more sets than ep1.

I completly dislike the city above water, the clone factory place. I hate it. It looked horrible! The only good thing in that scene was that long-necked alien. I liked them :D

[Sock-Man]

I went back and saw Episode II yesturday cause i've been bashing it so much, I had to make sure I was right. And I was surprised at how many real sets it had. Still too much CGI, and lots of it could have been bigatures and stop-motion, but had more sets than ep1.

I completly dislike the city above water, the clone factory place. I hate it. It looked horrible! The only good thing in that scene was that long-necked alien. I liked them :D

I liked Kamino and the kaminoans. But the actual cloning place was a bit of a CGI overload. I also hate the droid factory sequence with CGI c3po being dragged through some kind of droid hell. That was rubbish.

[Miasma]

Personally I still feel the Anakin CGI character needs a little work. He was pretty wooden in both prequesl thus far, Sure he looks good, but I think they need to work more on making him act like a real person.

:lol:
And how about that Padme CGI?? Pretty graphics, but they really need to work on its ability to emote convincingly!

[Xander]

:lol:
And how about that Padme CGI?? Pretty graphics, but they really need to work on its ability to emote convincingly!

Sorry, Natalie Portman is a great acress. It's just the writting and directing that sucks major ass.

And if that's what you tried to say, then sorry for misunderstanding.

[Brenzi51]

Dude...padme is a great actor

[Glordreen]

Personally I still feel the Anakin CGI character needs a little work. He was pretty wooden in both prequesl thus far, Sure he looks good, but I think they need to work more on making him act like a real person.


very well put. :applaud: :twisted:

[Glordreen]

Dude...padme is a great actor

If you are talking about Natalie Portman than you are right, but she is just better in other movies, not SW.

[Fanible]

(that's the second condescending reponse you made to one of my posts.)

Meh. Didn't mean anything by it. It was more so a response to the general consensus.