The Empire Strikes Back is credited with paving the pay for the future of CGI. VFX supervisor John Dykstra pioneered a computer-manipulated motion camera system, fittingly called the "Dykstraflex". The Dykstraflex created the illusion of motion by filming a spaceship model against a blue screen while the camera circled around it.
Avatar
James Cameron had been drafting Avatar since the 1990s, but the director had to wait for technological advancements that could bring his vision to life. The cast acted out their scenes wearing full-body motion-capture suits on a performance capture stage six times larger than anything Hollywood had ever seen. A whopping 900 people were employed by Weta Digital to work on the movie.
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