Computer graphics, or CG, has opened the door for Hollywood to dream without boundaries in a virtual world of realism to surrealism with an infinite cast of characters from the minds of CG’s best and brightest. If you can dream it, the computer can make, often with lifelike detail and nuances to rival any living flesh.
Pioneered by California Institute of the Arts in the early 1980s, CG animated is no longer niche film making, but has grown to dominate the industry with sights and sounds for the biggest blockbusters. And there’s no stagnation in this market, as Hollywood waits with bated breath for the next batch of CG talent to fly from the nests at the nation’s leading computer graphics and animation schools. Advanced technologies and qualified applicants have swung the door wide open for opportunities that were not conceivable a few years ago.
Computer animation is here to stay and has revolutionized the film industry for better and for worse. The positive side is the endless imaging with multi image viewer technology to create without limits, keeping the film market fresh and on the cutting edge. Pleasing the public is a tough nut to crack as they demand bold, fresh content with images and plots they have never seen before. For the savvy film maker, its CG to the rescue.
The bottom line in Hollywood is profit, and few revenues have been greater since CG hit the market. With speed and ingenuity, film makers can crank a masterpiece in record time and not be saddled with bills and payroll. Once an industry that supplied computer backgrounds, today the CG artists take center stage and all the bows for dynamic special effects and character creations. Producers and studio executives are rolling in dough, but the harsh reality is that thousands of jobs have been rendered redundant.
The downside to computer animation is the loss of employment for some of the industry’s talented support services. Hollywood was a monumental force for jobs and taxes, and much of that trickle down economics has been displaced by CG technology. Industry support positions such as make-up, wardrobe, stunt personnel and scenery makers have found themselves out on the street with no place to go. In the final bout of man versus machine, computer generated graphics has edged out one third of Hollywood’s brightest and the prospect for the future is only to get worse. However, for those who look beyond the horizon and can see what’s coming down the pike, a career in computer graphics is the skill to have for ready employment and commanding salaries.
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