From Practical Effects to CGI: Godzilla's 70-Year Evolution

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The Godzilla franchise is the longest-running cinematic universe and it's gone through a ton of changes over the years. Join us in this video as we take a look at GODZILLA's Journey From Practical to Digital Effects in all eras of Godzilla.
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0:00 Collider Interviews Godzilla
0:30 Godzilla's Modern Mistake
1:04 Shōwa era (1954-1975)
4:10 Focus Rat and Godzilla vs. Monster Zero
6:43 Heisei Era (1984-1995)
7:52 TriStar Pictures - American Films (1998)
10:25 Millennium era (1999-2004)
11:59 Godzilla (2014)
14:00 Reiwa era (2016-present)
15:25 Godzilla Minus One
18:21 Godzilla Legacy a celebration of effects work
18:51 DUNE PART 2
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#godzillaxkong #godzilla #FrameVoyager

[@FrameVoyager]

It was super awesome to get to partner with @focus_rat to make this video! Be sure to check there AMAZING channel out here --> www.youtube.com/@focus_rat

[@dustingmyguitars]

The more I learn of Godzilla, the more respect I have for it. Most filmmakers I know snub their noses at it, I don’t like that

[@chaoticiannunez2419]

Unfortunately that’s just the attitude that most “serious” artists and critics have about monster movies. They’re just trash in their minds. Well, pardon my French (hehe) but fuck ‘em.

[@dustingmyguitars]

@@chaoticiannunez2419 That's how I feel about a lot of the criticism levied at various directors. Most of the people criticizing them have not made anything themselves or if they had it's something inconsequential. I'm not against criticizing something you didn't like, but I think their still needs to be a balance where you respect the effort put forward

[@FrameVoyager]

Lot of people have a lot of different film types they like. Sometimes it's fun to just watch a film like Godzilla that's just so preposterous you just are along for a fun ride! Except Godzilla Minus One, that one was emotional haha

[@snaprifice]

For 100 frames, I was able to motion track a test shot last night. It was mostly a disaster, but was my first attempt at joining reality with digital. We love to debate practical vs. CGI and all that, but the more I look "behind the curtain" and try these things for myself, the more respect I have for digital effects.

[@FrameVoyager]

Motion tracking is the worst haha! To me it's never really a debate between practical and cgi but what's the best for the film and the story it's trying to tell? I have respect for both, but I think studios poor planning and all the Disney remakes have made people tired of "CGI" to the point where the studios like cover up the artists who contribute to these films

[@neilhannan5112]

Run It's Godzilla it looks like Godzilla, but do to international copyright law, it isn't. 😂

[@FrameVoyager]

😂😂😂

[@FactsDontCareAboutFeelings_97]

Brilliant reference

[@les4767]

But, we should run like it's Godzilla! No, it's not.

[@Metalhiram]

Amazing video, felt like it could of been much longer video! Sad to see the low view count, one my favorite movie released channels!

[@FrameVoyager]

Appreciate it! And yeah, we could have been here for an hour and a half talking about all the crazy stuff they did. Hoping the video catches some more here in the coming days, I think I just missed the godzilla window trend by a few days unfortunately

[@clutchthecinnamonsergal8493]

Godzilla x kong the new empire had a budget of 135 mil…the lowest in the monsterverse. And yet it had consistently good, great, to perfect cgi through its over 1 hours of monster screentime…and the hollow earth. Plenty of on location filming for that and incredible visuals using cgi…

[@JoMcMullen]

The reason that the budget for minus one seems so low is that when you carry over corency it’s not much here but a lot there the economy works differently. The people onset are underpaid due to how shady the Japanese government sector of filming is and finally it’s straight up a differnt economy if australia did the same thing it would be even more impressive since everything here is expensive but japan is cheap

[@FrameVoyager]

For sure! And I'm all for VFX artists getting paid fairly, believe me.

[@dmmpg]

2014 Godzilla is the best-looking one, in my opinion.

[@M_k-zi3tn]

Yes! I think that has to do with the director, Gareth Edwards, starting out as a vfx artist before becoming a director.

[@armedraptor5114]

The intro was brilliant

[@FrameVoyager]

haha appreciate it!

[@jmalmsten]

The more I hear about Monus One. The more I hate the Region Blocking shenanigans that stops me from watching this film legally.

[@FrameVoyager]

no one can currently see it 😢

[@hyattonwyattboys]

don't worry, you aren't missing out on much. Minus One is extremely over hyped and it's honestly a subpar, but good movie.

[@AtragonZero]

@@hyattonwyattboys good lord what a bad take!

[@jabbarmuhammad]

The Godzilla franchise is huge

[@ADIoS-dt2xd]

Awesome Video! Can't wait to see Godzilla Minus One 😀 and also you Nailed the Pronunciation of Villeneuve my man!!!

[@FrameVoyager]

Appreciate it! And I loved Godzilla Minus One. Great film!

[@The_Story_Of_Us]

Where Minus One makes its budgetary constraints the most evident to me is the depiction of the creature on land, walking around. In animation an important aspect of animating a character is adding in little details or accents like a loose hair flopping around a character's head as they move or follow through details such as musculature and fat tissue that ripples as a heavy animal takes a step. There isn't really quite enough of that to make the movement of the creature on land feel convincing. The movement also lacks an organic component, as the creature will take one step, pause, then take another, pause and so on, the footsteps aren't blended together into a seamless animation, wherein each step feels like its own animation, little of the movement from the previous step carries into the next. It looks much more convincing when it's standing still or swerving around or is occluded by water or precise camera angles. Which is understandable given the budget. I love Minus One, it's my favourite Godzilla film by a long shot, but I do want to make sure I don't give the impression that the effects were immaculate, they weren't and saying they are or expecting that to be the case given their budget is delusional. It just makes the work they did get right (which was most of it tbh) even more impressive when you acknowledge the hurdles they faced.

[@GrootGuitar]

What a fantastic walkthrough. Well researched and delivered. 👏🦖🤘

[@kieran9141]

CGI makes things easier, if you can do anything with CGI then that comes at the cost of creativity but it's also an incredibly useful tool, the best approach to film making would be a decreased CGI budget on larger films with a director thinking of creative ways to get shots they needed in camera, it's a win win for everyone, studios make more money and the best directors are born from that kind of adversity

[@kellylingro3288]

I love the 98 Godzilla. I got my mom to rent it over and over again until i was finally old enough to buy my own dvd

[@FrameVoyager]

I saw it at a friends house. Honestly what makes it work is the humor throughout the film, it's super fun. Wouldn't call it a "Godzilla" film though haha

[@Peter-JohnBrown-ru4uw]

Have heard of the animated series​@@FrameVoyager

[@tytanium654]

I loved Minus One, saw it in theaters. My other favorites are the Heisei movies. Nice video! I like it!

[@FrameVoyager]

Appreciate it!

[@adistantwail8419]

This deserves way more views

[@FrameVoyager]

Yeahhhhh... It looks like it's starting to gain some traction. We shall see

[@CNC-Time-Lapse]

lol I love how you continued to host the show in your Godzilla suit. Seeing you use gestures with Godzilla claws made me chuckle a number of times. lol This video has so many great moments. lol Great video as always! Pretty awesome effects (practical or not) have made Godzilla entertaining over the years. I remember watching Godzilla (1998) in the movies. I had to pee so bad that I missed that last 5 minutes of the movie. lol Although that movie wasn't great, Dean Devlin is one of my all-time favorite producers / writers. I would love to see you do a practical (only a few elements were digital) effects of Stargate (1994), another Devlin film (co-writer). :-D

[@FrameVoyager]

LOVE STARGATE! And haha the claws are what really sold the whole thing imo!

[@CNC-Time-Lapse]

Shal'kek nem'ron ❤

[@plank2x495]

People have been glorifying the director/writer/vfx role of minus one creator as budget saving, but going down this route could be seen as pretty exploitative. I don't know the actual earning from the creators side and if they were compensated accordingly for all the multiple hats they wore. This part of the discussion gets left out when comparing Hollywood budget to foreign films, Hollywood budgets are huge because unions fight for everyone involved to have living wages. Except ironically vfx people lol. But yeah, all the people doing the practicals in Hollywood Godzilla movies were protected and compensated for the long hours. All the recent strikes in the US has sparked discussions about the working conditions over in Japan. Japan Times wrote an article about the topic

[@FrameVoyager]

I don't disagree

[@FrameVoyager]

Which is your favorite interpretation of Godzilla?

[@davidbirkam4413]

I'll always love the 1980's heisei era. Super dedicated to the craft of miniatures with a mix of early CGI full of that bubble era Japan confidence.

[@MagnitudeReviews]

I’m not nostalgic for the character at all. But for me there are only 3 Godzilla films that stand out to me the most. - The original 1954 film - Shin Godzilla - Godzilla Minus One I’m definitely greatly looking forward to seeing what Toho has in store next after they follow up their most successful Godzilla film to date. Both from a commercial and critical sense.

[@FrameVoyager]

@@MagnitudeReviews Shin godzilla is wild haha

[@CNC-Time-Lapse]

80's Godzilla movies are the best!

[@marcaddow7326]

It’s a hard back and forth between 2014’s Godzilla and Godzilla Minus One. Ahhh Minus One and the movie whoooo phenomenal. More screen time for Godzilla too. I get the “Jaws” don’t show the creature yet approach too, from Gareth Edwards’s movie.

[@lewatoaofair2522]

10:36 it’s “hey-say”

[@LamationsakaThatDude]

The intro made me Laugh... and I was drinking milk.

[@FrameVoyager]

Glad it hit the right comedic note! 😅

[@Giggles_iJest]

Should've used Minus One for thumbnail with the classic

[@tokutexascosplay5066]

I loved every bit of those, except the mispronouncing of heisei @ 10:35, it's "hey-say". Other than that, well done. also, where did you get that Godzilla suit?

[@FrameVoyager]

Whoops, I think I forgot to take that cut out 😅 my bad!

[@LaughMuBai]

Gojira rocks!

[@pokemonsushi-chinglao8235]

heisei is pronounced: "hey say" btw

[@FrameVoyager]

Yeah, I missed that one on accident. Sorry about that!

[@IanDanielCassidy]

1954 Godzilla is a destructive force of nature without any malicious intent.

[@chaoticiannunez2419]

Heh. 98th like. ;)

[@gwillis9797]

The Japanese are still better at Godzilla monsters than anybody.

[@citrusreality64]

Yeah... just look at gigan, biollante or destoroyah, they're way more visually striking and eye catching than most original monsterverse kaiju. It feels like most were created in 5 minutes. I like Shimo and the Skullcrawlers though.

[@hyattonwyattboys]

this unhinged love for Minus One is honestly getting cringe, you spent more time talking about that subpar movie than any of the others which, honestly were quite better, including Legendary.

[@FrameVoyager]

lmao, we don't even talk about it until 15 minutes into the video. It maybe has 35-60 seconds more on it than other sections 😅 No unhinged love here. I thought it was a good film

[@Mrpoop6640]

187 to like 3100 to view