A Story is More than Words

The 2012 Oscars for Best Visual Graphics I believe was a substantial year for CGI. Two movies that were nominated were Snow White and the Huntsman and Life of Pi: Life of Pi  being the sole winner. I believe Life of Pi was righteously the winner between the two because of how stunning the graphics were. My decision on the true winner was a demanding one. The CGI was used so differently in each movie, it was as if the application of CGI from each film needed its own category. In Life of Pi the visual graphics were used to tell the story and connect the audience with the main character, while in Snow White and the Huntsman the graphics were merely used to enhance the story. The characters were connected with each other using CGI. There is a minuscule difference but it changes the perspective of the audience drastically.

Life of Pi is a Film adaptation of the book Life of Pi written by Yann Martel. The book was published on September 11, 2001 and the film adaptation was released November 21, 2012. The CGI was done by the company Rhythm and Hues; the same company that actually created the Lion in Narnia: another one of my favorite movies. It's why when watching Life of Pi it becomes difficult to tell the difference between the real and the CGI Bengal tiger. Ang Lee directed and produced the movie along with Gil Netter and David Womark as producers. The main character Piscine Molitor Patel was played by Suraj Sharma throughout the majority of the movie. The film is about a young Indian boy who lives in Pondicherry, and his family is moving to Canada via cargo ship that transports animals over seas. Along his journey he encounters a misfortune, resulting in him being a castaway along with a bengal tiger. He and the tiger have to learn to adapt in their situation and try to survive the desolated pacific ocean and wait for rescue. Along the way, Piscine learns what it means to lose and gain hope and to lose family but also gain trust. He goes through multiple transformations emotionally and physically that changes hum forever.

Life of Pi depends on Computer Graphics. Without it there is no ship for Piscine to take his voyage, no animals to die when Piscine becomes desolated on the boat, and most importantly the CGI adds to the "Once upon a time" feeling that the Anf Lee was simulating. The vibrant colors, reflection, lighting created from CGI enhanced the movie's ability to create a story. The audience remembers when Pi was feeling the most emotional change within himself because of the impact of the visual effects.

For example when Piscine was dropped down into the sea, from the cargo ship that was sinking, the boat was soon overturned and Pi sunk into the deep ocean waters where the waves pulled and thrashed him about. The audience sees Pi floating for 20 seconds within the water at an extreme distance from the ship--sinking into the depths of the ocean. The visual graphics of the ship--large screen density, blue hue, bright white lights piercing through the water as the ship goes down--compels the audience to feel sympathy for Pi's tragic loss. The audience feels the shock and loneliness just as Piscine feels it. It is that particular moment that the audience remembers because of how visually spectacular it was, how it related and created the story before them. The graphics of the light from the ship signified Pi's eternal light sinking down with what he loves most: his family. Without the graphics there would just be a boy floating in the water.

Director Ang Lee used CGI to make the audience feel attacked as Pi felt attacked when the flying fish were charging at them. In the scene, flying fish flies over and around the boat at an accelerated speed. If the audience pays close enough attention, the screen width changes from wide to narrow. It is so when the flying fish fly past, they actually fly through the screen. A detail that makes this so unique. In addition, the flying fish was CGI and the color used for it was silver, making it so when the fish shoot past the camera they are almost like daggers thrown in the sky. Pi's and the audience's sense are heightened because of the sharp silver color from the fish and the intense speed. Pi also manages to catch a dorado fish. A fish that has the colors of blue-green seaweed, sunflower yellow, and dark blue water. Ang Lee chose these colors when creating the CGI dorado to make the fish stand out, like a miracle for Pi to catch such a fish when his only tool is a long pole. You can see the shimmer on the fish's skin and the sun glistening off its scales. All created from CGI to make the audience feel a sense of security when Pi successfully catches the fish.

Snow White and the Huntsman was directed by Rupert Sanders and produced by Joe Roth, Palak Patel, Sam Mercer and Helen Hayden. The original story was from Disney film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs but the film brings it into realism and alters the story in some variation. The main character, Snow White, is played by Kristen Stewart, Queen Ravenna is played by Charlize Theron and the Huntsman in played by Chris Hemsworth.

This realistic fairy tale film is about Snow White and her revenge on Queen Ravenna for killing her family and townspeople, and locking her away for many many years. Once Snow White escapes, a skilled huntsman must hunt her down and bring her back to her doom to the queen; queen Ravenna wants Snow's heart for immortality but struggles to get it when multiple complications arise.

Snow White and the Huntsman uses CGI in a different way. The effects are used to enhance what is already on the screen. Without CGI there is still a solid story but rather bland; there wouldn't be a transformation between a story and a fairy tale that Snow White is. One of the scenes in Snow White was when Snow awoke from a night's sleep and was greeted peacefully by fairies. Their character was illuminated by the glistening of their skin from the sun and their similar human-like face expressions. The expressions on their face were crafted so well it was seamless. The audience can see details from the pupils of their eyes to their tiny teeth when they smile. We only see them for a few seconds but it's those seconds that make the visual effects come to life. So as Snow White follows the fairies she encounters--known to all who watched the original Snow White--all the animals in the land to sort of bless her in a way. The animals blend into the environment around them. The color of their fur or their antlers looking like the trees behind them, all done with CGI. Whereas in Life of Pi the colors of things stand out and large. The colors of the animals in Snow White contribute to the realism. Unlike Life of Pi  where the CGI was used to tell a story and make the environment contrast with everything, such as the boat.

Each film used CGI in its own unique way because every artist has his/her own style. Life of Pi applied visual effects in a way that made you shiver down your spine, while understanding the characters emotions, thoughts and physical well being. There is a connection between the audience and the main character. The space between the TV screen and viewer's eyes had been eradicated because of the dream-like beauty of Life of Pi's visual effects. Snow White and the Huntsman used visual effects to connect each character in the movie together rather than the audience: the fairies to Snow White, the queen's soldiers attacking the villagers, and the mirror on the wall to the queen. Not one was used to reach out to the audience and embrace them into an imaginary world. Life of Pi is the most visually impact, immersive, and pure film.