Can this effect be done easily with CGI?

[jmixon]

I'm super new to this sort of thing, but this video game (I know it's weird) in the first few seconds, has the ground appearing out of nowhere for this person. Can a similar effect be done simply through CGI nowadays and look realistic? Or would that be something really requiring a lot of time and money? Or the reverse, running and ground chunks disappearing underneath the person.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7X8C6CMiuR8 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7X8C6CMiuR8)

[Chris Adler]

One way to do it would have you shoot the actor in a green screen cove (perhaps with a treadmill) and the ground/terrain would be added later using CGI.

[jmixon]

And just chunk in the terrain plate later in post. What about making it look like cleaved off layers exposing dirt and rock as chunks fell? That would have to be all CGI in right? Difficult for a decent CGI person?

[Cassius]

It can be done with CGI, but I think you have a misunderstanding of what that entails. All CGI is expensive and time consuming when it needs to look real. CGI artists put an incredible amount of time and effort, not to mention accumulated skill, into creating realistic models. More so than most traditional artists. Add to that compositing, rigging, lighting and even rendering and you end up with a massive workload for even a small scene. I don't do 3D work, only after effects, but I can tell you from the month I just spent on about ten minutes of special effects that there's a lot to it.

On the other hand, it could be done cheap. And it would look a bit cartoony. You could use 2D tiles which would not look realistic at all, but could work depending on the effect you want. Something overly digital looking. Or you might be friends with a 3D artist who can give you some shattered ground chunks if he cares enough about the project.

[jmixon]

I don't have a misunderstanding at all. I have a large understanding of what it costs, which is why I was asking here if it was even a feasible effect on a somewhat limited budget. I have no delusions that you can just whip something like this up and have it look good in 10 minutes for cheap, which is why I wanted opinions from people who actually do this stuff, as I don't.

For a project I'm considering this shot would be wonderful to have, and as I'm still in the pre-production/writing phase, I'm weighing options as to whether or not this shot is doable, and as you said, I don't want anything that looks shitty.

[Cassius]

Good. A lot of people think of CGI as cheap, I'm glad you're not one of them. But as I said in the previous post, tiles instead of chunks of organic earth can be done pretty easily. If you can alter the effect to be done that way it could be feasible, but obviously I don't know the context.

[electrofilms]

Well if you're looking for an artist, let me know.