DEPICTIONS OF TECHNOLOGY IN FILM: MATRIX

Depictions of Technology in Film: Matrix



Depictions of Technology in Film: Matrix

Introduction

Technology has revolutionized the face of cinema on many an occasion. The introduction of recorded audio to films in 1927 added another dimension to the cinematic experience as did the introduction of color film processing during the mid 20th century. However none of the technology has made a much impact to every aspect of the film industry as the advent of the use digital technology. Since Star wars was released in 1977 the world recognized that they were witnessing a landmark change in the movie industry. Electronics were being used to help create stunning visuals, the line had never been seen before.

The first widely released movie ever to be completely computer generated, revolutionizing cinema, animation and to a degree acting. Both movies were hugely successful at the box office. The Matrix in 1999 is a movie that I have chosen to focus on their use of digital technology. The Matrix is a movie that not only utilized digital technology to the fullest but whose plot was centered on a futuristic digital age. It is the latter two of these three landmarks.

Depictions of Technology in Matrix

The Matrix has secured a place as one of the most successful pictures of the 90's. The Matrix also was another milestone in the application of digital technology in movies, however this time computers were mainly being used to try to edit and add together live action elements seamlessly rather than to create a 3D world. One of the standout special effects moments of The Matrix was the introduction of the now famous 'bullet time', which has now been emulated time and time again. The effect appeared to slow down time to a point where everything almost stops, whilst simultaneously panning around the characters. The effect was generated by using an over 100 still cameras on a computer controlled rig on a set path around the actors, usually on a green screen stage. When activated the computer would trigger the cameras in series, a camera 'Mexican wave' if you will. The images would then be processed and scanned into a computer where they could 'cut' the actors away from the green background using a technique called 'chrome-keying', which removes a designated color away from an image. Once this had been done the series of images were interpolated by the ...