Outline for the Third Term Paper

In my paper, I will compare/contrast the creative visual effects used in the animated film, "The Lego Movie" (2014) with the realistic live action film, "The Avengers" (2012).

1. The Lego Movie used a distinctive stylistic approach in creating the visual effects.

- the film is created to feel like stop motion but used digital technology to craft each effect to look as though it was made out of legos.
- to tackle one of the hardest effect, water, the filmmakers played into the fact that the characters are toys and have limited movement in order to allow the audience to believe the effects

2. The Avengers broke ground on the technology used to create the realistic effects.

- panorama shot of New York and how it was compiled and built digitally.
- realistic explosions and breaking of buildings to make the surrounding area believable


3. Combining both films: What are the design decisions and why the movies chose to follow that direction?

Lego Movie wanted the audience to feel as though they were children playing and imagining stories with legos. The Avengers wanted to appeal to a variety of audience members, from the average movie-goer to the classic comic book nerd. Shots such as the sweeping panorama fight shot were both an important story moment and homage to comic book lovers.

In conclusion, there are stylistic approaches to visual effects that are determined by the story.



"Special effects are characters. Special effects are essential elements. Just because you can't see them doesn't mean they aren't there."
Laurence Fishburne

"So, when the special effects are at the service of the story and draw you into it, that is really the magic."
Bill Sienkiewicz