VFX Voice Magazine: Not so long ago, in a galaxy not so far away, the first guests entered the Star Wars universe with the help of motion simulation and a first-person-perspective film created by George Lucas, Dennis Muren, VES and Industrial Light & Magic (ILM). Star Tours debuted in 1987 at Disneyland and was a groundbreaking ancestor of recent theme park attractions like Avatar: Flight of Passage, King Kong 360 3-D and Pirates of the Caribbean: Battle for the Sunken Treasure, rides that incorporate ultra-high frame-rate, ultra-high-resolution digital imagery, motion simulation and/or sensory stimuli. Such attractions place guests in the middle of the narrative, usually one based on a film franchise.
6 comments:
Moderation, Moderation, Moderation. I love VFX in rides, I also hate them to the deepest of my core. Disney does it right, Universal does not! VFX are most effective in rides when they are well placed, well thought out, and used in innovative ways or ways where physical sets/effects are just not possible. Universal has used it in virtually all of their rides using physical sets or God help us animatronics as if it were a mortal sin. It has become banal in their attractions and stomach turning, not just because of ease of motion sickness. Disney does it correctly. I find it funny though that for the one example of Disney's use in the article, the Shanghai Pirates, the picture they used was of the animatronic Davey Jones, not one of the VFX ships, hmmmm. Disney uses it like I said in ways that are smart. Like the first time in Star Tours, yes there is a screen with VFX, but there are also physical sets and dressing around it and an animatronic guide who interacts with you directly as you fly around the universe. VFX are not the future of theme parks, if anything they will be the end when nothing separate the rides from staying at home and watching an HD movie. VFX will advance the industry if it is used wisely as a supplement or addition to physical ride systems.
This article is a fascinating look at theme parks and technology. VR and AR intrigue me a lot, especially with location based and themed entertainment. Reading some the way some of the leaders in the industry view their work is really interesting. The concept that movies are trailers to theme park experiences struck me as fascinating. Theme parks are not on every block, and to get the targeted demographic (pre-teen and teenagers) that seem to be a theme park’s life blood, is a feat that many families cannot afford. The idea that Star Wars has found a way to use VR to have an immersive theme park like exhibit, however, that can take up a smaller foot print and thereby be in more places at once is really interesting. When your theme park no longer needs the trappings of giant roller coasters and cumbersome rides to be immersive, why build a destination station? I don’t know if we’ll ever get to that point, obviously, as you’ll still always have thrill seekers looking for a good roller coaster (present company included) but it’s a fascinating thought by way of entertainment. This article does make me question a few things such as: how do actors who are featured in these experiences get paid? and who the heck wants to go into an immersive experience based off the Saw Franchise?
Theme parks have seemed to be moving away from the traditional, adrenaline rush, of a roller coaster to VR rides that incorporate passengers in a wagon that goes along a track stopping at various screens that interact with the physicality of the wagon to create an immersive experience. This all really started with the Spiderman ride at Universal Studios which, in my opinion, is an amazing ride. The combination of physical movement, wind, water, and realistic visuals is a near perfect recipe for an amusement park ride. This does, however, depend on the type of rider that these parks are trying to appeal too. There is a distinct difference between the type of fun you have on a roller coaster at Six Flags than a VR ride at Universal Studios which is a distinguishment that I think people are still adjusting too. As for the technology that goes into these VR rides, the visual graphics are outstanding. The amount of rendering and artistry is worth applause and then to go even further to incorporate the timing of a ride with other stimulants creates a fun environment for someone looking for a middle ground between a roller coaster and kiddie rides.
This article dwells into a world and workforce so overlooked, it’s almost fascinating. With technology advancing as rapidly as it is, CGI and VFX are becoming more and more popular. Theme park rides are a lot of visually stimulating rather than physically. It makes me think of the Media declaration at CMU SoD. Not very many people do it, but just this article shows you the broad spectrum it covers. Projections are becoming HUGE in the theatre world. It is visually fascinating and while the equipment is expensive, its cost is a lot cheaper than building the desired effect. In film, CGI and VFX is growing more rapidly than ever. A prime example would be Marvel’s Doctor Strange, where the visual effects are what made the movie so great. I saw the optical illusions stun everyone, from children to adults, in the movie theater. This just shows how broad the media industry is and how within the next few years, it’ll take over.
This is something that I have always been fascinated by. Seeing the level of integration in today's entertainment, I knew it was only time before we saw this level of detail and special effects being added to amusement rides and entertainment. I remember back in my younger days going to the amusement park and riding in the rides that had large in your face 3D effects and moved you with the action. I even remember seeing two or three 4D movies where it dropped water on you blew air and vibrated your seat! Now I know a time quickly approaching where we are designing things more and more to be for the individual experience rather than the group. Which for me was part of the fun of these types of experiences, getting to see my friends and family react to the unexpected and unknown. I'm excited to see where and how far the technology will grow but will always remain guarded to not wanting to lose that experience of the mutual enjoyment.
I feel that the work of amusement parks has kinda be split into two categories with one being a park that specializes in doing various new roller coasters and rides while the other type of amusement parks focus more on the idea of immersion of a individual into a specific world. It is in the later type of amusement park that I see a lot of cool ideas using VFX have been produced and the possibilities for more inventive usage of VFX. This in my opinion is very cool as it makes it even easy to sorta escape from reality and find yourself immersed in your favorite world from books, movies, comics, and TV. That ability to truly feel apart of a different world is for me why I get kinda excited when I hear of more VFX types of rides and experiences coming out. That and well I’m kinda afraid of heights so roller coasters generally don’t appeal to me.
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