Animation and visual effects are so much part of our life these days that it may at times influence our perception of reality. George Lucas virtual effects in the original Star Wars open the path for wonders that make it hard today to separate virtual and actual realities. Documentary makers, among others, are well aware of our unquenchable thirst for images and frequently call on 3d animation and visual effects to recreate events that may or may not happen in the future.
The creators from companies such as Atmosphere virtual effects can bring just about anything back to life... from dragons to Roman legions, not to mention the various monsters from outer space... and with such virtuosity. I sometimes visit their website, just for the pleasure of watching the introduction. Advance visual effects feed us images of our world... present, past and future... perhaps not always accurate, but undoubtedly dramatic. And we keep craving for more.
Our interest goes beyond the fun of watching the Dinosaurs roaming the earth once more though... we want to do it ourselves and search the web for visual effects programs to enhance our own productions. Visual effects courses attract many youngsters, raised with video games and eager to create realms of their own.
We may know by heart the 50 most influential visual effects films of all time and spend our evenings in cyberspace... but let's nonetheless keep an eye on the real world though. For no visual effects will ever delete the increasing pollution with a single click and our world has no backup.