All too often visual effects is called
upon to create the illusion of something "real" in a
literal sense of that overused word. So, for example, when visual
effects creates a giant robot beating the shit out of another robot,
the intent of that sequence is nothing more than to show the
protagonist literally hitting the bad robot with a giant metal stick,
or whatever that particular action-filled moment may call for. But
there are other uses of visual effects that are possible even though
they are rarely used and it is our intent to showcase some of them
here on this blog.
Unfortunately, these unusual and
non-conformist uses of visual effects can also be misunderstood by an
audience who has been fed a steady diet of literalism as we will also
show.
The particular sequence we discuss in
this post is the flight of the bus at a key moment in Jan DeBont's
underrecognized masterpiece, Speed (1994). In this highly
intellectual film, good and evil struggle for the lives of the
passengers of a Los Angeles public transit vehicle, the lowly bus.
These lives are held at risk and if the bus is slowed to below a
certain speed, the bus will explode. At one point in this drama it
appears as though there is no hope as the bus is travelling at high
speed towards an uncompleted freeway, can not turn around, can not
stop and hurtles towards the precipice and certain death. But our
protagonist encourages the passenger / driver / love interest to
accelerate as fast as she can and the bus hits the ramp at the end
of the freeway and in a moment of triumph leaps over the precipice
onto the continuation of the freeway beyond.
Fly, Bus! Fly!
Movie audiences were thrilled by this
unexpected escape from certain death, but of course there are always
those who are critical and, predictably, some small-minded critics
laughed at this apparent physical impossibility. The internet forums
are filled with endless discussions of mass, angles, inertia, stunt
drivers, and other irrelevant matters. What completely went over
their head is that the bus flying is an example of
"self-transcendence" as the bus, who is of course a
character in this film, strives to transcend, to leave behind, its worldly,
wheels-on-the-ground existence and, wishing to fly, by using all its energy
and will does so and, in doing so, defeats evil.
I suspect that it was Jan deBont's
intent for all of us to be inspired by the bus's achievement and for
us to also strive to transcend our daily existence and limitations
just as our noble bus has.
Speed at Imdb
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0111257/
[NOTE: I think the shot above was done by VIFX but I am still confirming this.]
[NOTE: I think the shot above was done by VIFX but I am still confirming this.]
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