The use of CGI in films and on television has grown exponentially over the last decade to the point that we cannot tell when computer effects are used in most cases. Sure, we know when THE AVENGERS uses CGI, but we don’t notice all of the subtle places technology has tweaked our entertainment.
With TED, I doubt anyone actually thought the bear was real. But, it was pretty damn convincing. With months of development and testing, TED came to life in a very realistic manner. So, when I saw this clip of TED appearing on Jimmy Kimmel Live, I was blown away.
I expected it to be a cheap ad for the Blu-ray that hit stores today, but there had to have been a good deal of planning into this little stunt. Jimmy Kimmel Live is a taped show much like The Tonight Show so they would have had most of the day to add in the visual effects. I am sure the CGI wizards got the layout of the studio ahead of time to work on the effects and possibly even fully scripted the interview, but the results speak for themselves. This does not look like cheap stunt. In fact, it looks downright amazing.
It is hard to tell for sure if the studio audience saw anything on stage or if Seth MacFarlane was off camera delivering the lines. Either way, this is going to be the next stage in technology. We have already had The Muppets on the press junket. Now, we can have Buzz Lightyear and Woody give their own interviews as well.
