PHOTO POST PRODUCTION & CGI Jun 2008

Welcome to the first issue of Spotlight CGI brought to you by Production Paradise.

CGI debuted with cinema blockbusters like Terminator 2 and Jurassic Park announcing the arrival of first-generation Computer Generated Imagery. The development of high-powered computers and sophisticated, customisable software has meant generating high-resolution photorealistic marketing images has become an industry in itself. "CGI is the perfect tool for people who like to make pictures, and is no longer seen as a compromise," comments Thorsten Jasper Weese from recomCGI. "The decision to use CGI rests with clients, and if they choose to represent their products using CGI instead of the real thing then it shows CGI to be an increasingly 'realistic' alternative."

There is no 'impossible' in the world of CGI, but there are limits of rationality, budget and sense. "If you have the real object or scenario in front of your nose, you'd still be well advised to pull out the camera!" insists Thorsten. "But if you want something new or existentially unreal, with CGI the possibilities are there." The big challenge for CGI is to generate an emotionally responsive human face - even the most expensive Hollywood productions don't achieve perfect results. So there are limits, but these will vanish as technology advances, no doubt to be replaced by new, more challenging issues as CGI continues to push even further.