老电影中疯狂的视觉特效：英语精读讲义

This is a scene from Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey,

这是斯坦利·库布里克《2001太空漫游》中的一个场景，

released in 1968.

影片于1968年上映。

This was before computers and digital effects.

那是在计算机和数字特效出现之前。

So, how do you think he made this pen float in space? 語法

那么，你认为他是如何让这支笔在太空中漂浮的呢？

The obvious answer is string.

显而易见的答案是用线。

But this would get tangled up every time the pen rotated 短語動詞

但这样每次笔旋转时，线都会缠绕起来，

and would ultimately be impossible to hide.

最终根本无法隐藏。

The real trick behind the shot was simple but extremely effective.

这个镜头背后的真正戏法既简单又极其有效。

The pen was attached to a large piece of glass with double-sided tape

他们用双面胶将笔粘在一大块玻璃上，

and placed in front of the camera.

然后放置在摄像机前。

The glass was attached to bearings that allowed an operator to slowly move and rotate the glass to mimic the floating movement.

玻璃固定在轴承上，操作员可以缓慢移动并旋转玻璃，来模仿漂浮的动作。

It was incredibly simple,

这非常简单，

but the end result was perfect.

但最终的效果却非常完美。

This is just one of many creative tricks that allowed filmmakers to pull off crazy visual effects, 短語動詞

这只是让电影制作人能够完成疯狂视觉特效的众多创意技巧之一，

all before computers and CGI.

所有这些都在计算机和CGI出现之前。

They managed to duplicate heads,

他们设法复制头部，

make characters invisible,

让角色隐形，

turn miniatures into enormous movie sets, 語法

将微缩模型变成巨大的电影布景，

and even invent a green screen alternative that worked better than today's digital methods.

甚至发明了一种比现代数字方法更好用的绿幕替代方案。

This scene from The Man with the Rubber Head is over 120 years old,

《橡皮头人》中的这个场景已经有120多年的历史了，

and it shows filmmaker Georges Méliès inflating a copy of his own head.

它展示了电影制作人乔治·梅里爱将他自己头部的复制品充气变大。

But how did he pull this off in 1901?

但他在1901年是如何做到的呢？

You might think that these are two separate films layered on top of each other,

你可能会认为这是两部独立的电影叠加在一起，

but that's not the case. 語氣意圖

但事实并非如此。

In fact, everything was captured in camera. 用詞

事实上，所有内容都是在摄像机内拍摄完成的。

And so what came out was the finished film,

拍出来的就是成片，

and it didn't require editing.

完全不需要剪辑。

To pull this off, he'd record the first scene with a black sheet placed in the area where the head was going to appear.

为了实现这一点，他会在头部即将出现的区域放置一块黑布，然后录制第一个场景。

Then, he'd rewind the film back to the start and set up the second scene

接着，他把胶片倒回开头，布置第二个场景，

with only his head visible against a black background.

在黑色背景前只有他的头部可见。

This time, he'd record directly over the same strip of film used to record the first scene. 短語動詞

这一次，他直接在记录第一个场景的同一段胶片上进行录制。

Because this was being recorded onto a transparent film negative,

因为这是录制在透明的胶片底片上，

the dark areas around his head essentially remained transparent,

他头部周围的暗区基本上保持透明，

since almost no light was hitting the film.

因为几乎没有光线照射到胶片上。

This meant that as he recorded over the original scene,

这意味着当他在原场景上层叠录制时，

only his head was exposed onto the film strip,

只有他的头部曝光在胶片上，

combining the two shots perfectly.

从而将两个镜头完美地结合在一起。

But the real trick was how he managed to make his head grow and shrink. 短語搭配

但真正的戏法在于他如何让自己的头变大和缩小。

The obvious idea would be to use a zoom lens to slowly make his head fill the frame. 語法

最容易想到的方法是使用变焦镜头，让他的头慢慢填满画面。

But zoom lenses didn't even exist yet. 語法

但变焦镜头当时甚至还不存在。

Instead, Méliès set up a ramp where he could sit in a cart and be slowly pulled towards the camera.

相反，梅里爱搭建了一个斜坡，他坐在推车里，被慢慢拉向摄像机。

As he got closer,

当他越来越近时，

his head would grow from the neck until it eventually filled the entire frame.

他的头就会从脖子处长出来，直到最终填满整个画面。

The result was incredible by 1901 standards, 短語搭配

以1901年的标准来看，结果令人难以置信，

and this multiple exposure technique went on to be mastered in Kubrick's 2001. 語法

而这种多重曝光技术后来在库布里克的《2001太空漫游》中被发挥到了极致。

For these space shots,

对于这些太空镜头，

he'd first shoot the moon on its own,

他会首先单独拍摄月球，

with one half of the frame being completely dark. 語法

画面的另一半是完全黑暗的。

Then, sometimes months later,

然后，有时在几个月后，

he'd rewind the film and record the spacecraft shots directly over the same strip of film.

他会把胶片倒回，直接在同一段胶片上录制航天器的镜头。

By doing it this way, 表達脈絡

通过这种方式，

instead of combining separate films into one, 語法

而不是将独立的胶片合成在一起，

there was no quality loss,

就不会有画质损失，

and the film that came out of the camera was essentially the finished shot,

从摄像机里拿出来的胶片基本上就是成片，

as if the moon and the spaceship had been filmed together. 語法

就像月球和宇宙飞船是一起拍摄的一样。

Filming everything in camera was another key feature of this next trick from the 1927 classic Metropolis.

接下来这个来自1927年经典电影《大都会》的戏法，其另一个关键特征也是将一切在摄像机内拍摄完成。

These scenes placed real actors in enormous futuristic-looking sets.

这些场景将真实演员置于充满未来感的巨大布景中。

But not only was this all done in camera, 語法

但不仅所有操作都在摄像机内完成，

it was all done in one take,

且全是一镜到底，

without the need to record over the film strip.

不需要覆盖录制胶片。

For this shot,

在这个镜头中，

the actors were walking down a platform far away from the camera in order to appear much smaller.

演员们在远离摄像机的平台上行走，以显得小得多。

Then, directly in front of the camera,

然后，直接在摄像机正前方，

they placed a mirror at 45 degrees,

他们以45度角放置了一面镜子，

which reflected a detailed miniature model of the futuristic city into the camera.

它将未来城市的精细微缩模型反射进摄像机中。

By cutting out a very precise portion of the mirror, 語法

通过刮掉镜子上非常精确的一小部分，

it allowed the camera to see through the mirror to the actors in the distance.

摄像机就能透过镜子看到远处的演员。

The same trick was used for this scene.

这个场景也使用了同样的戏法。

The massive demon mouth wasn't massive at all.

这个巨大的恶魔之口其实一点也不大。

It was actually a much smaller miniature just off to the side of the camera.

它实际上是一个非常小的微缩模型，就放在摄像机的一侧。

But, when everything lined up perfectly, 短語動詞

但是，当一切对齐得完美无缺时，

it looked like the actors were walking straight into its mouth.

看起来就像演员们直接走进了它的嘴里。

Just 2 years before this,

就在这之前的两年，

the film Ben-Hur pulled off a similar trick of turning miniatures into massive sets,

电影《宾虚》也完成了类似将微缩模型变成巨大布景的戏法，

but without the use of mirrors.

只不过没有使用镜子。

These epic chariot racing scenes required an enormous coliseum filled with crowds.

这些史诗般的战车竞速场景需要一个巨大且挤满人群的罗马竞技场。

But the studio didn't have the budget or time to build a full-scale set. 短語搭配

但制片厂没有预算和时间来搭建全比例的布景。

Instead, they built the bottom half of the set for real and faked the rest with miniature sets hanging in front of the camera.

相反，他们真实建造了布景的下半部分，并用悬挂在摄像机前的微缩布景来伪造其余部分。

By placing them close to the camera,

通过将它们靠近摄像机放置，

these miniatures became enormous movie sets,

这些微缩模型变成了巨大的电影布景，

matching the scale of the real set perfectly.

完美地与真实布景的比例相匹配。

The miniatures even had fake audience members that could be mechanically moved up and down to simulate a cheering crowd.

微缩模型上甚至还有假观众，可以通过机械方式上下移动，来模拟欢呼的人群。

To pull all these tricks off,

为了完成所有这些戏法，

the filmmakers had to make the most out of the tools that were available. 習語

电影制作人必须充分利用现有的工具。

Nowadays, things are done very differently with digital effects and AI tools.

如今，有了数字特效和人工智能工具，做事的方式大不相同。

That's where Outskill today's sponsor comes in. 表達脈絡

这就是今天赞助商 Outskill 的切入点。

It's the world's first AI-focused learning platform.

它是世界上第一个专注于 AI 的学习平台。

This weekend,

这个周末，

they're doing their AI Mastermind,

他们将举办 AI Mastermind 活动，

a 2-day learning experience that will take your AI skills to the next level.

这是一个为期两天的学习体验，将把你的 AI 技能提升到一个新的水平。

AI can't do everything,

AI 不能做所有事情，

but if it's used right,

但如果使用得当，

it can be an amazing tool to help you monetize your skills and your business.

它可能成为一个极好的工具，帮助你的技能和业务变现。

Outskill's AI Mastermind will teach you how to simplify your day-to-day tasks,

Outskill 的 AI Mastermind 将教你如何简化日常任务，

build AI agents that plan and create your workflow,

构建能够规划和创建工作流的 AI 代理，

and AI automations that connect sheets,

以及能连接表格、

Notion,

Notion、

and other tools to help you tie your business together.

和其他工具的 AI 自动化功能，来帮你将业务整合在一起。

The Mastermind will be taking place this Saturday and Sunday from 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.

Mastermind 活动将在本周六和周日上午10:00到晚上7:00举行。

The best part is, this would normally cost $395,

最棒的是，这通常需要花费395美元，

but with Outskill's holiday offer,

但凭借 Outskill 的节日优惠，

you can join the Mastermind for free.

你可以免费参加 Mastermind。

Not only is it absolutely free,

它不仅完全免费，

you'll also receive extra bonuses worth $5,000.

你还将获得价值5000美元的额外奖励。

Outskill's Mastermind has been attended by more than 10 million people worldwide,

已经有超过1000万全球用户参加过 Outskill 的 Mastermind，

helping learners go on to monetize their business.

帮助学习者继续实现业务变现。

Check out the link in the description to grab your seat now before it expires.

查看简介中的链接，在优惠过期前马上抢占名额。

So far, all of the tricks we've looked at were about adding more things into the scene. 表達脈絡

到目前为止，我们看过的所有戏法都是在场景中添加更多东西。

But what if you wanted to make something disappear? 語法

但如果你想让某些东西消失呢？

That's exactly the kind of trick that was mastered in the 1933 film The Invisible Man.

这正是1933年的电影《隐形人》中运用到极致的那种戏法。

The main character drinks a potion that makes him invisible,

主角喝下了一种让他隐形的药水，

and he ends up going on a rampage while the police try to track him down. 講解

他最后变得暴虐无道，而警察则试图追踪他。

Throughout the film,

在整部电影中，

multiple exposures were used to make the man invisible.

剧组使用了多重曝光来让这名男子隐形。

But it's this shot of the man running through the snow that we're going to look at. 語法

但我们要看的是这个男人在雪地里奔跑的镜头。

In order to pull this off,

为了实现这一效果，

a fake wooden floor was created,

他们制作了一个假木地板，

and footprint-shaped holes were cut into the wood.

并在木头上挖出了脚印形状的洞。

The floor was covered in powdered snow,

地板上铺满了粉末状的雪，

and one by one,

然后一个接一个地，

the wooden cutouts were released,

这些木制镂空被松开，

causing the snow to fall and make footprints in the ground. 語法

导致雪往下掉，在地上留下了脚印。

This blew people away in 1933, 習語

这在1933年让人们大吃一惊，

and the invisibility effect looked incredibly realistic.

而且隐形效果看起来令人难以置信地逼真。

But what about scenes that aren't meant to look realistic at all, 語法

但对于那些原本就不想表现得很逼真的场景呢，

like these scenes from Kubrick's 2001?

比如库布里克《2001太空漫游》中的这些场景？

These shots were so abstract that they couldn't be achieved by simply pointing the camera at something. 語法

这些镜头极其抽象，单纯用摄像机对准某个东西是无法拍出来的。

In order to pull it off,

为了完成它，

the visual effects supervisor had to get inventive.

视觉特效主管必须发挥创造力。

He placed the camera on rails and pointed it towards a black screen with a thin slit in the middle.

他将摄像机放在轨道上，对准一个中间有条细缝的黑幕。

Behind the screen was a super long piece of artwork that was backlit by bright lights.

屏幕后面是一幅超级长的艺术画作，由明亮的灯光进行背光照明。

The camera was tilted slightly off-center,

摄像机稍微偏离中心倾斜，

so that when it moved forward,

这样当它向前移动时，

the slit would travel from the middle of the frame to the edge of the frame.

细缝就会从画面的中间移动到画面的边缘。

By keeping the shutter open for the whole duration of the move,

通过在整个移动过程中保持快门打开，

it created a streak of light across the frame,

它在整个画面上创造出了一道光轨，

just like when you take a long exposure image of a car at night.

就像你在夜间给汽车拍长曝光照片一样。

As the camera moved forward,

当摄像机向前移动时，

the colorful background would move a few inches to the right,

色彩缤纷的背景会向右移动几英寸，

revealing different parts of the artwork through the streak.

通过这条光轨展示出艺术画作的不同部分。

This single movement only created one frame,

这一单次移动仅创造了一帧画面，

and so the process had to be repeated hundreds of times to get the full sequence.

因此这个过程必须重复几百次才能得到完整的序列。

To record the other half of the frame,

为了录制画面的另一半，

the camera was tilted in the opposite direction,

摄像机向相反方向倾斜，

and the entire process was repeated,

并重复整个过程，

using the multiple exposure trick to record directly onto the original film.

使用多重曝光戏法直接录制在原胶片上。

The amazing thing is,

令人惊叹的是，

this machine was completely automated,

这台机器是完全自动化的，

and it ran constantly for several hours at a time to create these shots.

它每次都会持续运行数小时，以创造出这些镜头。

But perhaps the most impressive of all of these techniques is one that no longer exists,

但在所有这些技术中，最令人印象深刻的或许是一项已经不复存在的技术，

but it was so perfect that even the digital techniques today struggle to match it.

但它是如此完美，以至于即使是如今的数字技术也难以匹敌。

You're probably familiar with green screens.

你可能对绿幕很熟悉。

Put anything in front of one,

把任何东西放在绿幕前，

key out the background, 短語動詞

抠掉背景，

and replace it with anything you can imagine.

然后替换成你能想象到的任何东西。

This trick has been around since the 1940s, 語法

这种戏法自20世纪40年代就存在了，

when it was more common to use a blue screen.

当时更常见的是使用蓝幕。

But this whole technique had major drawbacks that still exist today.

但这整项技术有着直到今天仍然存在的巨大缺陷。

Actors were constantly surrounded by this horrible blue glow.

演员周围总是萦绕着这种可怕的蓝光。

Any kind of motion blur would reveal the blue background.

任何形式的运动模糊都会暴露出蓝色背景。

Detailed parts like hair would lose their sharpness,

像头发这样细节丰富的部分会失去清晰度，

and transparent objects simply became invisible.

透明的物体干脆就变隐形了。

The problem is that even if the background is perfectly blue, 語法

问题在于，即使背景是完美的蓝色，

the camera doesn't see it that way.

摄像机看到的也不是这样。

Areas close to the actor blend together and become vastly different shades of blue.

靠近演员的区域混合在一起，变成了完全不同色调的蓝色。

Even with modern digital techniques,

即使使用现代数字技术，

it's almost impossible to avoid these problems when keying out backgrounds.

在抠除背景时也几乎不可能避免这些问题。

But in the 1964 film Mary Poppins,

但在1964年的电影《欢乐满人间》中，

Disney somehow nailed this effect. 用詞

迪士尼不知怎么地就完美实现了这种效果。

The semi-transparent veil blends in perfectly. 短語動詞

半透明的面纱完美融合。

The salt leaves no trace, 短語搭配

盐粒不留痕迹，

and the actors are even wearing blue and green clothes throughout the film.

演员们甚至在整部电影中都穿着蓝色和绿色的衣服。

The edges are so perfect,

边缘如此完美，

better than almost anything that's possible today.

比当今几乎任何可能的技术都要出色。

So, how did they do it?

那么，他们是如何做到的呢？

Instead of a blue or green screen,

他们没有使用蓝幕或绿幕，

the actors were standing in front of a white screen,

而是让演员站在白幕前，

which was lit by powerful sodium vapor lights.

白幕由强力的钠蒸汽灯照亮。

These lights emitted a very specific wavelength of light at 589 nanometers,

这些灯发出一种589纳米的非常特定波长的光，

and so it was very easy to separate only this wavelength without affecting any other colors.

因此很容易单独分离出这种波长，而不影响任何其他颜色。

Inside the camera was a special prism with a coating that was extremely sensitive to this exact wavelength. 短語搭配

摄像机内部有一个特殊的棱镜，它的涂层对这种特定波长极其敏感。

As the light entered the camera,

当光线进入摄像机时，

the regular color light passed through onto a strip of film,

常规颜色的光穿过并投射到一段胶片上，

but the sodium light was separated and directed onto a different strip of black and white film.

但钠光被分离开来，并导向了另一段黑白胶片上。

The result was a black and white silhouette that perfectly masked the shape of the actors. 用詞

结果产生了一个完美遮罩出演员形状的黑白剪影。

This silhouette could be used as a transparency mask.

这个剪影可以被用作透明度遮罩。

Essentially, everything that was white became transparent, 表達脈絡

基本上，所有白色的东西都变成了透明的，

and everything that was black remained in the shot.

所有黑色的东西都保留在镜头中。

But it wasn't just black or white.

但它不仅仅是黑色或白色。

For blurry or semi-transparent areas,

对于模糊或半透明的区域，

the silhouette matte would be a shade of gray and essentially allow some of the original image through.

剪影遮罩会呈现出不同深浅的灰色，基本上允许一些原始图像穿透。

If the original footage had been filmed on a bright blue background, 語法

如果原始画面是在明亮的蓝色背景下拍摄的，

this would simply allow part of that blue to leak through. 短語動詞

这就会导致部分蓝色渗漏出来。

But with the sodium vapor technique,

但是使用钠蒸汽灯技术，

there was essentially no background at all.

基本上就完全没有背景了。

The color film didn't detect the sodium light,

彩色胶片没有检测到钠光，

and so almost no light from the background would end up on the film strip.

因此几乎没有来自背景的光最终会落在胶片上。

When it came to those semi-transparent areas, 表達脈絡

当处理到那些半透明区域时，

there was no light beneath the matte to shine through,

遮罩下方没有光线可以透出，

creating perfect transparency.

从而创造了完美的透明度。

By the '80s,

到了80年代，

this technique was largely forgotten about,

这种技术基本上被遗忘了，

since it was almost impossible to replicate the prism.

因为几乎不可能复制出这种棱镜。

Nowadays,

如今，

digital effects have taken over the film industry, 短語動詞

数字特效已经接管了电影工业，

but it shows just how much creativity went into the magic of these old movies. 語法

但这恰恰展示了这些老电影的魔力中倾注了多少创造力。

Thanks for watching,

感谢观看，

and I'll see you in the next video.

我们下期视频再见。