Special Effects in the Movie Inception - Research Paper Example

Special Effects in the movie Inception Nolan’s Inception was released in 2010 and got an amazing response from the critics and viewers around the world. The story of the movie is so interesting and unique that some have dubbed it as the ‘movie of the decade’. Inception is a movie based on a time where the technologically has sufficiently advanced to allow control over a dream. It shows the world of dreams and merges it with reality. The world of dreams is insubstantial but seems real when the people are in it. The movie focuses around Cobb who is a skilled dream extractor but has been given the task to implant an idea deep into Fischer’s mind so that he could think it as his own. To achieve the task he has to go into dreams within a dream. Inside these levels of dream, the world and the surroundings are all formed by imagination and since imagination knows no bounds these levels, although similar to the real world defy the basic laws of nature. 1 Special effects have been extensively used to make the world of dreams gullible to the viewers. The major part of the movie takes place inside the dreams. Hence, to create a world of dreams in the Inception was a formidable task indeed. It is the special effects in the movie which make it appear so real and appealing to the viewers. Even though the use of computer is extensive in films that depend on special effects, many of the scenes were actually created in reality rather than on computer. One of the most intriguing scenes of the movie is of the hotel which is at the second level of the dream. The fight takes place in zero gravity in a rotating corridor. The special effects supervisor of the movie Chris Corbould said in an interview that computer imagery could have been used to create special effects but it does not create the same impact. Special wooden rooms were created that were supported by steel tubing. Several hotel sets were created in an airship which included a long hotel corridor that can rotate both clockwise and anticlockwise. The actors were hung on wires and with two months of rehearsal and training they were able to ‘defy’ the law of gravity and the amazing scene was created. The scene shows Arthur fighting a couple of men in a rotating corridor under zero gravity. Then in the absence of gravity he moves on to his four teammates and ties them by a rope and puts them in a lift. This scene is a perfect example of showing the invalidity of the laws of science in the world of our imagination. The scene appears near the climax of the movie and mind boggles the viewers with its special effects.2 The dreams are also shown to lose shape as they begin collapsing. In the very start of the movie, the building where Cobb was standing begins to collapse and starts to get filled with water because the dream was about to end. Another interesting use of special effects is in the designing of dreams. Cobb hires Ariadne to design the dreams which would contain the team when it is on its mission. Designing the dream is not like designing in reality. The dreams are not bound by any laws and impossible structures cam be built just by using one’s imagination. In the movie we see this when Cobb is sharing a dream with Ariadne during her first lesson. Appalled by the truth that she was inside a dream, the revelation shakes her subconscious and the dream collapses. The film shows minute details of the scene which shows structures break into fragments and the buildings tear apart, resulting in Ariadne waking up. In the other lessons, we see Ariadne as a brilliant architect who knows how to play around with the laws of science in the world of dreams.3 Then it is the world created by Cobb and Mal during their limbo state. The world has been created at such deep levels of dreams that it is unstable even though it appears real to the dreamer. Chunks are constantly seen to be breaking away from the buildings and falling into the sea. To create the limbo world also made use of a lot of special effects. In the movie, the city is described as architecture but it has more resemblance to a natural landform. Nolan wanted it to be something like an iceberg from which large pieces are continuously falling. The Visual effects team first came up with a city which looked like the arctic version of the limbo world. The world was made elegant by the addition of roads, houses buildings and shops which made it look real and dreamlike simultaneously. 4 Apart from the complex effects like the creation of the limbo city and the folding up of entire city, there are simple animations too which regardless of their simplicity add life to the scenes. These parts are more frequent in the dream sharing lessons of Ariadne with Cobb and Arthur. Ariadne creates an elegantly symmetrical bridge across the Seine River which starts to form from the opposite ends and merges in the middle. Franklin, the visual effects director of the film played an important role in bringing to life the computer generated images created for the film. In one of his interview with ‘Wired’, he said: “Some of the more spectacular imagery of the film — the street folding over in Paris, characters creating architecture out of thin air — are VFX shots that we created from a combination of live action and copious amounts of digital animation.” 5 Another mastery of visual effects is seen when the city or Paris folds on itself and the streets and buildings get enclosed in a cubic space. In Franklin’s own words, “Ariadne [played by Ellen Page] looks down the street as it folds in on itself, forming a giant cube universe.” Buildings, roads, cars and everything folds to become a closed space with half the things on the ground and the other half hanging upside down. In other lessons, it is made evident that impossible structures are easy to build inside the dreams. Arthur takes Ariadne into a dream to teach her about these structures and show her the never-ending stair case. In the movie it is shown as small number of stairs that keep on going around in a circle and never seem to end. 6 Then again it is the first level of the dream when Cobb’s subconscious unintentionally tries to sabotage their operation. Cobb does not take it up to himself to design the dreams because he fears that he would inevitably bring Mal into it. The movie shows a huge freight train that appears in the middle of the road out of nowhere. These Visual effects however are not the only effects that make the movie so amazing. Special sound effects play an important part in setting the mood of the scenes. According to Richard King the sound designer of the movie creating sound for Inception was not an easy task as the sound effects had to complement the world of dreams. Everything related with the sounds of dreams has been modified to compliment the mysterious nature of dreams. From the sound of the bullets to the roaring of a freight train engine, these sound effects enhance the credibility of the happenings in the movie. In his own words, “Starting with real acoustics gets audiences to believe in what’s happening onscreen — even when it’s a complete illusion.” 7 Inception was greatly appreciated by the viewers and critics alike. The movie is completely unique and runs on a theme that is totally different from the other movies belonging to the same genre. The conflict between the existence of dream and reality pervades throughout the movie. The world of dreams shown in the movie has been created in such a way that it does not look fake or superficial to the viewers. 8 The viewers can feel and connect to the movie because in spite of being a science fiction, it is very close to reality. The amount of hard work needed to make this movie was immense and the whole team of inception had to work vigorously to make it a masterpiece. What make the movie so special are the special effects that are used in the movie. The world of dreams should be different from the real world but it should have certain resemblance to it. The team of Inception has indeed done a remarkable job by integrating the reality with dreams while leaving enough room to show a distinct boundary between the two. Special effects in the movie are indeed commendable and have played an important part in getting the movie immense acclaim around the world. Bibliography Bowles, Scott. Chris Nolan's 'Inception' thrills movie audiences. USA TODAY. 19 July 2010. Web. 13 06 2011. Cohen, David S. Inception' tops visual effects film noms. 10 January 2011. Web, 13 June 2011. Failes, Ian. Inception. 31 July 2010. Web. 13 June 2011. Hart, Hugh. Review: Smart, Sinewy Inception Injects Action Into Dreams. 15 july 2010. Web. 07 June 2011. Inception. Dir. Christopher Nolan. 2010. Film. Russell, Terrence. How Inception’s astonishing visuals came to life. 21 july 2010. 12 July 2011. —. Screen: How Inception’s Sound Designer Engineers Cacophony. 22 June 2010. Web. 13 June 2011. Whitty, Stephen. 'Inception' movie review: Leonardo DiCaprio dives into a dream. 16 July 2010. Web. 13 June 2011. Read More