The Introduction of CGI

Since the 1970's films have used CGI (Computer Generated Images). The first use of CGI was in the 1973 film Westworld, and has since found its way into most big budget films.

In the beginning, the first two films to make heavy investments in Solid 3D CGI, Tron and The Last Starfighter, were commercial failures, causing most directors to mostly use CGI to make images that were supposed to look like they were created by a computer. However, in the 1993 film Jurassic Park, CGI dinosaurs were seamlessly integrated into live action scenes that revolutionised the film industry.

It wasn't until the late 80's/90's that thrillers started to use CGI. For example, in the 1999 David Fincher film, Fight Club, they use 60 digital shots. This includes one scene where a condo catching fire at the moment and place of detonation: a gas leak under a kitchen refrigerator. The scene shows bolts of colourful plasma as they invade the kitchen before the actual fire breaks out. This technique brings 3D camera movement to the still images.

If done well, CGI can wow an audience, however it comes with a very large price tag. Between 1995 and 2005 the average effects budget went from $5 million to $40 million, making it impossible to use in low budget films.

Unfortunately, as I don't have a budget for my film and am unable to produce CGI of my own I wont be using CGI in my thriller. However, I think it is a very effective in some thrillers I have seen such as Fight Club and think it can really bring some films alive and entice and audience.