CGI - When did photorealism become so important?

[Frelga]

I didn't watch GoT, but doesn't it have CGI dragons? I'm just guessing. How are those compared to Smaug?

[Voronwë the Faithful]

No, they use real dragons.

[Frelga]

Ah, thanks, V. I was wondering.

[Voronwë the Faithful]

[Beutlin]

Therein lies my problem with PJ's films. If he only had some restraint, ala the creators of GoT (who really have no choice, given a much smaller budget) these films could have been absolute masterpieces, IMO.

Are you just talking about the Hobbit films, or Peter Jackson's Middle-earth films in general?

You are right, "Game of Thrones" has a smaller budget than the Hobbit films but I would not call it "much smaller". Season 1 had a budget of $60 million, Season 2 $70 million, and I assume the latest season had an even bigger budget.

http://mic.com/articles/87169/here-s-ho ... es-episode

[Smaug's voice]

I didn't watch GoT, but doesn't it have CGI dragons? I'm just guessing. How are those compared to Smaug?

I think this is also a crucial point while discussing any CGI debate between TH vs GoT.
It is a fact that Weta had far less time on their hands to perfect the CGI of these other secondary shots compared to Smaug - on whose success the entire film depended.
I bet that the GoT animators never had anything as crucial and difficult at hand as compared to Weta, and hence had more time to perfect those shots.

[narya]

Frelga, the GoT dragons strike me as more realistic. They are younger and smaller and have leathery wings. They are more like a bat plus a (quick) fence lizard, whereas Smaug is more like a (sluggish) Gila monster because of his size, if I recall, in the treasure chamber scene, but I only saw it twice.

[axordil]

Smaug struck me as rather serpentine in movement on his horde at times, very crocodilian at others.

[Frelga]

You are right, "Game of Thrones" has a smaller budget than the Hobbit films but I would not call it "much smaller". Season 1 had a budget of $60 million, Season 2 $70 million, and I assume the latest season had an even bigger budget.

http://mic.com/articles/87169/here-s-ho ... es-episode

Don't they also have more hours to cover in a season of episodes?

[Beutlin]

Don't they also have more hours to cover in a season of episodes?

Do not get me wrong, "Game of Thrones" definitely has to work on a stricter budget than "The Hobbit".

The average Game of Thrones episode costs $6 million to make. That's two to three times what a typical network or cable show costs per episode (Breaking Bad episodes cost around $3 million, early Big Bang Theory cost $2 million).

I guess we are comparing apples with oranges here but for a TV series "Game of Thrones" is definitely not cheap.

[narya]

Frelga, if you want a glimpse of the GoT dragons, go to about 6:25 in the video on this page. The full video has massive spoilers for season three, but you are safe seeing this short series of dragon scenes.

http://hollywoodlife.com/2014/02/10/gam ... iew-video/

[Elentári]

And right on cue...

Weta World: EMPIRE visits The Hobbit's VFX Team

I see even EMPIRE can still mix up Azog and Bolg...

[Voronwë the Faithful]

I saw that too. About the only thing notable about the article, unfortunately.

[yovargas]

Think any of the elements in that pic are real? I'm kinda doubting it.

[Dave_LF]

What is "real" anyway? It's all just images.

[Smaug's voice]

Think any of the elements in that pic are real? I'm kinda doubting it.

Well, I do not have to *think* if it's real, since I know it isn't.
But it looks as much real to me as a magician's magic despite knowing he's simply using tricks.
(and that is subject to change on seeing the actual, moving scene)

[Smaug's voice]

Minus that Azog-contraption, I actually love the shot.

[yovargas]

Think any of the elements in that pic are real? I'm kinda doubting it.

Well, I do not have to *think* if it's real, since I know it isn't.

Everything in that shot except Azog could've been done shooting real live things and then piecing them together the way the GoT clips showed them doing instead of, as I suspect, creating the entire thing in a computer. I suspect it would've looked more natural if they had (the lighting in a lot of the pure-CGI shots often looks odd and a bit off IMO).

[Voronwë the Faithful]

I know this is going to get me in trouble for saying this, but I think to a large extent that negative opinion is based on the fact that since you (the general you, not specifically yov-you) know it is computer-generated you process it as "not being right".

[Smaug's voice]

I do not care if it could have been done naturally or not.
To me it all looks natural enough (once again, except Azog) including the lighting.

In any case, I cannot comprehend how it is any less natural than the charge of the Rohirrim in RotK. (one of my favorite scenes in cinema)

ETA:

For comparison