Explainer: Do you know how the climax of films was shot earlier? Know how much cinema changed after the advent of VFX

Movies Climaxes Shot: Whenever we see a powerful climax of a film, we are often surprised to see its action, explosions, fight scenes or the large crowd shown. In today’s era, all this has become a common thing for the audience, but have you ever wondered how filmmakers used to shoot such scenes before the advent of VFX (Visual Effects) and CGI (Computer Generated Imagery)?

Today, the way a superhero flying in the sky, an army of thousands of soldiers, a huge palace or an entire imaginary world can be shown on the screen in a few clicks, it was not possible earlier. In that era, filmmakers had to prepare every scene in a realistic manner, in which time, hard work and money played a big role. So let us know how the climax of films was shot before the advent of VFX technology and how this technology changed cinema.

when everything had to be real

Today, if a crowd of thousands of people is to be shown in a film, then with the help of computers a few hundred people can be converted into thousands. But this was not possible in the 1980s and 1990s. At that time, film producers had to call a large number of junior artists. If 5,000 soldiers were to be shown in a war scene, thousands of people were brought to the set. Arrangements for costumes, make-up, food and security had to be made for them. For this reason, shooting big war or crowd scenes was considered a very expensive and challenging task.

It took several weeks to shoot the climax

The climaxes of old films were often shot on a large scale. Huge sets were prepared for the final fight to be held in a fort, palace, factory or warehouse. The explosions, fire and breakage used in the action scenes were also real. If a scene of a building being blown up was to be filmed, then a small model of it was made and it was shot with the actual explosion. Sometimes it took several weeks to shoot a climax. Because if any mistake was made, the entire set had to be prepared again.

Miniature models were used

Before VFX, miniature models were used extensively in films. This technique was popular in both Hollywood and Bollywood. In this, small models of big ships, buildings, trains or cities were made. With the help of special angles of the camera and lighting, they were shown as real. For example, if a severe destruction of a city was to be shown, instead of building the entire city, a small model of it would be created and then it would be destroyed and filmed. It appeared absolutely real to the audience on the screen.

Cinema was dependent on stunt artists

Today many dangerous stunts are filmed safely with the help of VFX and wire technology. But it was not like this earlier. In old films, actors and stuntmen had to jump from heights in real life, chase fast vehicles or walk through fire. Many times, artists and stuntmen used to get injured while shooting stunts. Therefore, making action films was considered quite risky.

How VFX changed the whole game?

VFX technology developed rapidly in the late 1990s and early 2000s. After this the process of film production changed completely. Now filmmakers no longer need to create everything realistically. With the help of computers, imaginary worlds, big wars, dangerous animals and impossible looking scenes started being created. Today, an artist standing in front of a green screen can later, with the help of a computer, appear in another planet, palace or battlefield. This is the reason why the scale of modern films has become bigger than ever.

Increasing use of VFX in Bollywood

VFX has brought a big change in Indian cinema also. Whereas earlier there were technical limitations in films, now Indian films are using international level visual effects. Films like ‘Ra.One’, ‘Krrish’, ‘Bahubali’, ‘RRR’, ‘Brahmastra’ and ‘Kalki 2898 AD’ showed that the Indian film industry can also use VFX on a large scale. In these films, huge battles, imaginary cities, flying characters and powerful action sequences were created with the help of VFX.

Big scenes became possible in low budget

A big advantage of VFX is that now many such scenes can be prepared in low budget, for which earlier crores of rupees had to be spent. For example, to show a crowd of thousands of people, now a few hundred artists can be shot and their number can be increased with digital technology. Similarly, big palaces, foreign locations or destruction scenes can be prepared with the help of computers. This saves both time and budget of the filmmakers.

Did VFX reduce reality?

However, with the increasing use of VFX, a debate has also started. Many viewers and film experts believe that excessive VFX reduces the realism of films. When everything is created on a computer, some scenes may lack emotional connection and realism. This is why even today many directors like to use real locations, real sets and practical effects. He believes that capturing real things on camera has a different effect.

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