Calculated Imagery

This is a comprehensive history of computer graphics in Hollywood cinema.

As the first such work of its kind, it is an essential reference for anyone interested in the history of cinema, visual effects, or computer graphics, and the industries of which they are a part. The book begins with a look at the history behind the calculation of images, from weaving to screen imaging, and the faux computer graphics used in movies before real computer graphics were available or affordable. Next, the author examines the rise of computer graphics and computer-animated films, and the gradual introduction of computer-generated imagery into the cinema. The narrative moves chronologically through the development of computer-generated animation and its use both for cartoonlike imagery and for photorealistic imagery. The author discusses behind-the-scenes uses of computer graphics in the film industry, and how these uses have impacted the kinds of imagery made and the technologies by which they are made. The book also looks at how computer animation is combined with approaches such as procedural generation and simulation, and the ways in which computers automate imagery. Throughout the book, the histories of individuals, companies, films, and computer graphics techniques are explored in detail, as well as changes in the visual effects (VFX) industry itself over time. Calculated Imagery: A History of Computer Graphics in Hollywood Cinema is for anyone interested in how CG changed the VFX industry, film history, and filmmaking overall, and the people, companies, and techniques that made it happen.

Author Biography

Mark J. P. Wolf received his Ph.D. from the University of Southern California and is a professor in the Department of Digital Media & Design at Concordia University Wisconsin. His books include Abstracting Reality: Art, Communication and Cognition in the Digital Age (2000), The Medium of the Video Game (2001), Virtual Morality: Morals, Ethics, and New Media (2003), The Video Game Theory Reader (2003), The Video Game Explosion (2007), The Video Game Theory Reader 2 (2008), Myst & Riven: The World of the D’ni (2011), Before the Crash: An Anthology of Early Video Game History (2012), Encyclopedia of Video Games: The Culture, Technology, and Art of Gaming (two-volume First Edition, 2012; three volume Second Edition, 2021), Building Imaginary Worlds: The Theory and History of Subcreation (2012), The Routledge Companion to Video Game Studies (First Edition, 2014; Second Edition, 2023), LEGO Studies: Examining the Building Blocks of a Transmedial Phenomenon (2014), Video Games Around the World (2015), the four-volume Video Games and Gaming Culture (2016), Revisiting Imaginary Worlds: A Subcreation Studies Anthology (2017), Video Games FAQ (2017), The World of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood (2017), The Routledge Companion to Imaginary Worlds (2017), The Routledge Companion to Media Technology and Obsolescence (2018) (which won the SCMS 2020 Award for Best Edited Collection), 101 Enigmatic Puzzles: Fractal Mazes, Quantum Chess, Anagram Sudoku, and More (2020), World-Builders on World-Building: An Exploration of Subcreation (2020), Exploring Imaginary Worlds: Essays on Media, Structure, and Subcreation (2020), Fifty Key Video Games (2022), The Seven Stones (a novel, 2024), Zoophemera (an art book, 2024), and Navigating Imaginary Worlds: Wayfinding and Subcreation (forthcoming). He has published articles in a wide variety of periodicals, and he is the founder of the Video Game Studies Scholarly Interest Group (VGSSIG) and the Transmedia Studies Scholarly Interest Group (TSSIG) of the Society for Cinema and Media Studies (SCMS). He lives in Wisconsin with his wife Diane.