In the 2D digital, or CG world, the idea of movement is still critically important. The danger, however, in using this technique, is that often scenes that are rotoed stand out from others that are developed "by hand." The effect makes the animation literally come to life. Once filmed, say a scene with a couple dancing, animators trace off each frame, often in silhouette, and then "apply" this to their animated characters. Usually this is accomplished by first filming scene elements in live-action form, that mimic the intended movement within the animated film to be produced. Traditional animation rotoscoping is used to heighten or accentuate movement by imbuing it with a more life-like quality.
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Unlike the rotoscoping done in traditional cel animation (most recently evident in Twentieth Century Fox's Anastasia), the roto work in Titanic served a related but different purpose. Rotoscoping is a process which involves tracing stages of movement from live-action film, to attain a realistic motion in animation or visual effects. © 1997 Paramount Pictures and Twentieth Century Fox. Some of the most subtle visuals, however, were also CG-based and involved extensive use of techniques based in traditional animation. This is not to mention all of the breathtaking work done surrounding the actual ship itself. Among its CG effects are the first ever truly realistic "digital ocean" or "digital water," virtual stunt extras created in CG, and state-of-the-art use of motion tracking.
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From what is assuredly some of the most elaborate model work ever done for a movie to the extensive work in digital 3D CGI (computer generated imaging), Titanic is replete with cutting edge visual effects. A Twentieth Century Fox/ Paramount film of massive proportions, Titanic is the stand-out example of the future of effects work. From the splashy effects in the Star Wars saga re-issues or Jurassic Park and The Lost World to the story-serving and subtle yet stunning effects of James Cameron's Titanic, we not only wonder at what's real and what's not, but now expect to see new and innovative visual effects. In big-budget Hollywood films, visual effects are de rigueur.