The Matrix

: This article is about the film The Matrix. For other usages of the term, see Matrix.

Visual Effects

The film is known for popularizing and evolving the use of visual effects such as the one now known as "Bullet Time", which allows the viewer to explore a moment by the use of slow motion and a camera which appears to orbit around the scene at normal speed.

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While many fans believe the effect was invented for The Matrix, there are artistic precedents for Bullet Time. Bullet time is effectively a technically expanded version of an old art photography technique known as time slice photography. In time slice photography, a large number of cameras are placed around an object and fired simultaneously. When the sequence of shots is viewed as a movie, the viewer sees what is in effect two-dimensional “slices” of a three-dimensional moment. Watching such a “time slice” movie is akin to the real-life experience of walking around a statue to see how it looks at different angles.

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In his online resume at timeslicefilms.com, freelance photographer Tim MacMillan claims to have pioneered by the mid-eighties “a way of freezing apparent time in a motion-picture tracking shot by means of multiple apertures registered to the frames of motion-picture film.” The work of Harold Edgerton, who Macmillan pays homage to in one exhibition, could be considered a yet earlier precedent.

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The Wachowski brothers and effects creator John Gaeta expanded upon concepts of the spatial exploration of “frozen” time by providing temporal motion, so that in Bullet Time a scene isn’t totally frozen but is rendered in slow and variable motion. Matrix engineers at Manex Visual Effects pioneered 3D visualization planning methods to move beyond mechanically fixed views towards complex camera paths and flexibly moving interest points. There is also an improved fluidity through the use of non linear interpolation, digital compositing and the introduction of computer generated

Related Topics:
John Gaeta - Manex Visual Effects

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"virtual" scenery.

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The objective of Matrix Bullet Time shots was to creatively illustrate "mind over matter" type events as captured by a "virtual camera". However, the original technical approach was physically bound to pre-determined perspectives. The resulting effect, while appearing virtual, only conceptually suggested the infinite capabilities of a higher technology.

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The evolution of photogrametric and image based CGI background approaches in Matrix' Bullet Time shots set the stage for greater innovations unveiled in the sequels Reloaded and Revolutions. Virtual Cinematography (CGI-rendered characters, locations and events) and the high-definiton Universal Capture process have completely replaced the use of still camera arrays, thus reimagining Bullet Time as a format more comparable to interactive games and virtual reality. In this form, the virtual camera has been realized, ushering in a new generation of Bullet Time possibilities.

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