Obviously there was a lot of CGI in last year’s Jurassic World, even more than you may have thought. That said, not everything was done entirely with a computer. A lot of the movie’s effects were still practical, or at least partially practical.
What was real and what wasn’t? How was it all done? A new video from Industrial Light and Magic gets into it with highlights that include a breakdown of how much of the scenery was CGI during the movie’s final “roaring T. rex” shot (almost all of it), and hilarious pre-VFX footage of kids riding guys with saddles on their backs for the “dino pony rides” scene. Oh, and no, Bryce Dallas Howard running everywhere in high heels wasn’t an effect. That was apparently all her.
By the way, Industrial Light and Magic wasn’t the only special effects company to work on Jurassic World. VFX company Imagine Engine has also released a video showing how they achieved some of their visual trickery (they mostly worked on the movie’s raptors):
Interesting stuff. I feel like Jurassic World somewhat over-utilized the CGI effects (Jurassic Park with its heavy use of practical props still looks more believable), but there’s no denying there were some pretty fantastic shots in the movie. Hats off to the countless VFX artists who gave us the T. rex/Indominus rex/velociraptor throwdown of our nerdy dreams.
