Preface

Technology and art have always gone hand in hand. In recent years, we have seen technology evolve rapidly, and for many of us, the advancements are hard to keep track of. The technology behind movies is no different.

I grew up in the 1980s when all film technology was analog. An incredibly inspiring film for me was Clash of the Titans (1981). Learning that the visual effects animation was created by just one person, Ray Harryhausen, amazed me. Fast-forward to the 2000s, and there are now teams consisting of hundreds of visual effects artists and animators, with several companies working on one single film title.

With Unreal Engine and MetaHuman Creator, things have seemingly gone full circle. Gone are the days when cinema-quality animation and VFX tools were exclusive to large and wealthy studios. With a reasonably powered computer, even a laptop, people can now make their own films. There are no boundaries and no excuses. We are at the exciting dawn of a new era, where we will see new Ray Harryhausens emerge.