We were makers of ‘false images,’ a necessary and shameful evil, the too visible part of a cinema comprised of a set of artifices. The Supervisor and his on-set special effects colleagues had to struggle at times to win and intervene as early as possible in a film production, in order to achieve a better result (…) At this same time, more and more motion sequences require the use of advanced special effects-but mum’s the word! The word ‘ trucage’ sounded like deception. In France in the 1970s, the culture of special effects was mostly about discreet, even imperceptible effects.
According to Christian Guillon, certainly the most iconic and veteran French Supervisor, “The role and the very term ‘Visual Effects Supervisor’ come from the increasing use of computers in special effects. The role and involvement of the effects are different and that is symptomatic of a specific trend to the French cinema – for a century or more, special effects in most French movies have been something slightly shameful, something best hidden or, at the least, made invisible 6. It is important to demonstrate the main issue of the complex relationship that has always pertained between this craftsmanship and digital technologies, but also the essential elements distinguishing the French approach to the Anglo-Saxon one. Crevez l (.)ĥBefore examining the issues inherent to the transformations encountered in each decade since 1980 – each developed in a dedicated chapter – our first two chapters lay the necessary groundwork concerning the specificities of the French visual effects purpose and, therefore, the Visual Effects Supervisor model involved.
VISUAL EFFECTS SUPERVISOR SOFTWARE
It is in the interest of continuing to highlight their work and fascinating history, since the development of the computer tools in France, that we chose to write this paper.ĤFrom the 1980s to the 2010s, how did Visual Effects Supervisors experience the steady increase in new software and workstations? How did these tools contribute to a better understanding and increased visibility of visual effects professions? How precisely do technical developments force supervisors to constantly adapt and innovate? Their views about their practice, about cinema and digital tools, little emphasized until the years 2010, have gained new consideration in recent years, thanks in particular to PIDS 4 or the special effects exhibition at the Cité des Sciences et de l’Industrie in Paris 5. French Supervisors are craftsmen who work very discreetly while making an enormous contribution to the manufacture of French cinema. Naturally, this study is based mainly on unpublished interviews with Supervisors (or partially published in some of our previous studies 3). 5 “Special Effects: Steal the Scene! The exhibition”, October 17, 2017, to August 26, 2018, Cité des (.)ģWe will see how the practice of the profession, between the 1980s and 2010, was established in contexts of creation and complex technological innovations.4 Paris Images Digital Summit (PIDS) is an annual event dedicated to Digital Creation launched by the (.).
VISUAL EFFECTS SUPERVISOR MOVIE
While the Visual Effects Supervisor, through the digitalization of special effects technology, is more and more present in French movie credits, his role and position in movie production workflow are considerably different from his Hollywood cousin.The trade is well known in British and American circles, but the Gallic iteration not so much 2. New digital tools led to the standardization of the profession of Visual Effects Supervisor at the turn of the 21st century, first in the United States and then in France.
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