10 CGI Moments In Recent Movies NOBODY Noticed
1. The Dog-Shaped Shadow - The Power Of The Dog
Jane Campion's Oscar-winning western The Power of the Dog uses way more CGI than you'd ever guess simply from looking at it.
From the mostly digital animals to the extended sets and CGI buildings, it is a testament to how subtle effects can add so much presence and atmosphere to a film.
One of its most memorable scenes involves Phil (Benedict Cumberbatch) and Peter (Kodi Smit-McPhee) staring at what appears to be the shadow of a barking dog in the hills near his ranch.
While you might assume that a lower-budget "arthouse" film simply location-scouted a hilltop that resembled the profile of a barking dog at a squint, it was ultimately less hassle to just rely on VFX to create the precise visual that director Jane Campion wanted.
In post-production the entire topography of the hills was changed, with new lighting and shadows layered on top to both create the dog silhouette and make it blend believably into the originally shot material.
Check it out at 3:04 in this clip.