12 Insanely Subtle CGI Movie Moments Nobody Noticed
1. Digital Rain - We Own The Night
James Gray's Joaquin Phoenix-starring crime thriller is best-remembered for a spectacular car chase in the pouring rain, one that's all the more impressive once you learn that all the rain and weather effects were added in post-production.
Due to the virtually impossible logistics of shooting a car chase in either real rain or fake Holllywood rain, Gray actually filmed the chase in broad, sunny daylight, and crossed his fingers that the film's modest $21 million budget would allow him to add rain later.
According to Gray, there were only four VFX artists in the world who knew how to program the complex CGI water effect program for the movie, and they previously worked on high-concept blockbusters like The Perfect Storm and The Day After Tomorrow.
The end result is ridiculously convincing, with even water droplets off the windshield passing as totally real. It's really only when you start to think about the technical impossibilities of filming a rain-sodden car chase that you realise some digital assistance must've been involved.
What do you think of these insanely subtle CGI moments? Got any others to share? Shout them out in the comments!