r/Damnthatsinteresting • u/padfoony • 3h ago

Christopher Nolan avoided CGI and used 7ft stuntmen to portray Laestrygonians in The Odyssey. The giant leader, King Antiphates, is portrayed by actor Josh Stewart, while Matt Damon’s stunt double is Devyn Dalton, who is just under 5ft.

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u/DShepard 1h ago

Idk, they're pretty interchangeable in a lot of contexts. I've heard "could we make that with CG" and "could we do that with VFX" about the same exact tasks pretty often.

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u/ctaps148 23m ago

VFX adds dramatic flair, CGI invents what was never there

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u/RedHawk_94 1h ago

They're not interchangeable. To people who don't understand the difference, sure, and they are used together when editing a movie, but they're not the same thing

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u/DShepard 1h ago

CGI is a form of VFX, which makes them interchangeable in a lot of contexts. Even Nolan movies have plenty of CG, but it'll be subtle particle effects and background elements more than characters and props.

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u/RedHawk_94 1h ago

It is not a "form of VFX". Layering different shots to make 1 shot is VFX, creating the character model for the Hulk is CGI, putting that character model in a scene with real people is VFX, taking a particle/fire/smoke effect over an existing shot that didn't have that element is VFX.

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u/DShepard 52m ago

You're just describing compositing in your first and third example, which again is a form of VFX, but is not all it is.

But I guess how you view it also varies from what area if the industry you're in and what your educational background is. I know a lot of film and art schools are real sticklers when it comes to certain topics.

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u/RedHawk_94 47m ago

Exactly, not all VFX is CGI. Compositing is VFX with 0 CGI included, but people would call that CGI. Removing wires or compositing one shot (Odysseus with the cyclops puppet) removing the puppet and overlaying the shots of the physical cyclops actor is not CGI. An areal stunt with wires being shot then removing the wires is not CG either. Green screening a persons performance onto a new background shot is not CGI either

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u/DShepard 41m ago

No, but adding a layer of fine dust particles simulated in Houdini or whatever is CGI and could easily be in a shot like the OPs, and is what I think of when I think "invisible" CGI like the commenter was referring to.