Spectacular Digital Effects by Kristen Whissel PAPERBACK 9780822355885

Spectacular Digital EffectsCGI and Contemporary Cinema\nAuthor(s): Kristen Whissel\nFormat: Paperback\nPublisher: Duke University Press, United States\nImprint: Duke University Press\nISBN-13: 9780822355885, 978-0822355885\nSynopsis\nBy developing the concept of the \""digital effects emblem,\"" Kristen Whissel contributes a new analytic rubric to cinema studies. An \""effects emblem\"" is a spectacular, computer-generated visual effect that gives stunning expression to a film's key themes. Although they elicit feelings of astonishment and wonder, effects emblems do not interrupt narrative, but are continuous with story and characterization and highlight the narrative stakes of a film. Focusing on spectacular digital visual effects in live-action films made between 1989 and 2011, Whissel identifies and examines four effects emblems: the illusion of gravity-defying vertical movement, massive digital multitudes or \""swarms,\"" photorealistic digital creatures, and morphing \""plasmatic\"" fig.