Visual effects veteran George Murphy said that new technologies led by artificial intelligence and virtual production are profoundly changing visual effects, but are still “another brush” in the service of storytelling.
“Virtual production is not just a tool for visual effects; hollywood reporterIn an interview with the Tokyo International Film Festival before appearing on a Film Society panel, Filmmaking 2.0: The evolution of real-time visual effects for traditional filmmakers.
Murphy is a visual effects supervisor and creative director at DNEG in London, best known for Steven Spielberg’s hook (1991), which was acclaimed for its groundbreaking visual effects, particularly its use of projected matte paintings. When he joined Industrial Light & Magic (ILM), computerized effects were still in their infancy. He was part of a small team of pioneers in digital compositing for film, and he quickly realized the potential of these groundbreaking tools to transform filmmaking.
“At ILM, we used Unix scripts and early computer graphics programs, but it became clear that these tools could create more believable and integrated images than before,” he said.
Murphy’s background is another visual medium. “I originally wanted to be a freelance photojournalist and cover the real world,” he recalls. “Oddly enough, it was these skills of capturing reality that prepared me for creating worlds that didn’t exist.”
Creating these worlds and making them look believable earned him an Oscar and a BAFTA Forrest Gumpand saw the impact of his oversight on works including Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Mission: Impossible, jurassic park, The Hack sequels and black sail.
Murphy said one of the biggest game-changers in recent years has been the growth of virtual production. Popularization of this technology The Mandalorianallowing filmmakers to instantly create virtual environments on LED screens, replacing traditional green screen backgrounds.
Murphy experienced the power of this technology firsthand on set Murder on the Orient Express Back in 2016, a train car was surrounded by LED screens showing high-resolution footage of the world whizzing by. “The actors don’t have to pretend they’re watching a snowy mountain scene. They’re immersed in it, and it has a huge impact on their performance. Things in the past actually draw their attention,” he notes, which gives the audience a more realistic feel. feeling, thus bringing an immersive experience.
Responsive tools like Epic Games’ Unreal Engine and Unity have also revolutionized visual effects workflows. “These tools allow us to create, edit and test our work on the fly, which was not possible ten years ago. You can see the results immediately without having to wait hours for rendering.
He likens the change to the move from analog to digital photography: “The whole process has become more flexible and collaborative, allowing us to explore creative options and see what works best in the moment.”
As artificial intelligence advances at a dizzying pace, it’s quickly finding a place in the visual effects toolkit. For Murphy, artificial intelligence brings both opportunities and challenges. He noted that AI can simplify labor-intensive tasks such as motion viewing (manually isolating elements in a scene) or tracking (tracking moving objects or characters in a shot).
“With artificial intelligence, we can now do in minutes things that previously took hours or even days,” he said. “It allows artists to focus on the more creative aspects of their work”
Still, he believes that while machine learning is very powerful, it cannot replace the creativity and ideation of filmmakers, at least not yet. “Artificial intelligence can process large amounts of data and can imitate styles based on what it sees. But it cannot experience emotion and therefore cannot capture the essence of human storytelling. This is something that only artists who have lived life and felt it can bring to a project Something,” he suggested. Number
Another exciting development for Murphy is the expansion of storytelling across different media and platforms. during his work The Hack In the sequel, he witnessed the potential of what he calls “storyworlds.” The Hack The series has expanded its narrative through video games, animated shorts, and comics, allowing fans to explore stories beyond the main films. Murphy believes this approach is critical to the future of entertainment as audiences look for ways to engage more deeply with stories.
This “multiverse” narrative is becoming increasingly popular, especially with the rise of streaming and interactive platforms. Murphy believes that as technology advances, audiences will be able to interact with story worlds in new ways, perhaps even experiencing them in virtual or augmented reality. “We’ve only scratched the surface of what’s possible,” he said. “Once VR becomes more accessible, the way we tell and experience stories will fundamentally change.”
Looking to the future, Murphy is enthusiastic about the possibilities technology brings, but also worried about the potential loss of craftsmanship.
“There’s an artistry to physics, to building things by hand, and that’s still very valuable. It gives you a vital foundation in reality, even when working digitally.
Ultimately, Murphy believes technology should serve the story, not the other way around, and remains optimistic about the future of filmmaking.
“These tools are just new brushes in our paint box,” he said. “They allow us to push the boundaries of what’s possible. But the artist’s hand will always be there, guiding the story and making sure it resonates with the audience.
