New Jurassic World Trailer Hides Improved CGI in Plain Sight


Notice how the composition has been reworked entirely to foreground the beast itself.

Notice how the composition has been reworked entirely to foreground the beast itself. Source



No matter what you think of the new Jurassic World trailer, keep one thing in mind: The movie will probably look better in theaters. Just look at how much these shots have improved in the last few months.

Back when the first Jurassic World trailer came out in November, I saw someone suggest that the dodgier bits of CGI could be cleaned up by the time the film hit theaters. So when the new teaser arrived just before the Super Bowl, I thought I’d go back and see if anything had changed. Sure enough! A scene of a humungous aquatic dinosaur leaping out of a lagoon to eat a shark has been extensively reworked. A flock of flying dinos have materialized over a panicked crowd where there were none before.


"I said more lizard bats!"

“I said more lizard bats!” Source



It’s a fascinating glimpse into modern day moviemaking, hidden in plain sight. Instead of letting the cameras roll and hoping for the best, today’s directors can build and rebuild the action over the course of months. It means what we see in trailers might well be work in progress.


Take the feeding session. It’s obviously meant to be a big set piece. Jurassic Park does Sea World—you can’t really go wrong. But notice how the money shot has been refined over the last few months. The background has been redone, with a mountain shoved to the side and a monorail erased entirely. The splash from the dino has been dialed back. It’s hide has been made darker, the water bluer. Humorously, a Facebook-esque header on one spectator’s smartphone screen has disappeared.


Cumulatively, the changes simplify the shot’s composition and foreground the beast itself. The new version is definitely an improvement. But is it perfect? Who knows. Presumably, there’s always some small thing you can do to make a shot more memorable. And there’s plenty of time to fiddle between now and summer.



New Jurassic World Trailer Hides Improved CGI in Plain Sight


Notice how the composition has been reworked entirely to foreground the beast itself.

Notice how the composition has been reworked entirely to foreground the beast itself. Source



No matter what you think of the new Jurassic World trailer, keep one thing in mind: The movie will probably look better in theaters. Just look at how much these shots have improved in the last few months.

Back when the first Jurassic World trailer came out in November, I saw someone suggest that the dodgier bits of CGI could be cleaned up by the time the film hit theaters. So when the new teaser arrived just before the Super Bowl, I thought I’d go back and see if anything had changed. Sure enough! A scene of a humungous aquatic dinosaur leaping out of a lagoon to eat a shark has been extensively reworked. A flock of flying dinos have materialized over a panicked crowd where there were none before.


"I said more lizard bats!"

“I said more lizard bats!” Source



It’s a fascinating glimpse into modern day moviemaking, hidden in plain sight. Instead of letting the cameras roll and hoping for the best, today’s directors can build and rebuild the action over the course of months. It means what we see in trailers might well be work in progress.


Take the feeding session. It’s obviously meant to be a big set piece. Jurassic Park does Sea World—you can’t really go wrong. But notice how the money shot has been refined over the last few months. The background has been redone, with a mountain shoved to the side and a monorail erased entirely. The splash from the dino has been dialed back. It’s hide has been made darker, the water bluer. Humorously, a Facebook-esque header on one spectator’s smartphone screen has disappeared.


Cumulatively, the changes simplify the shot’s composition and foreground the beast itself. The new version is definitely an improvement. But is it perfect? Who knows. Presumably, there’s always some small thing you can do to make a shot more memorable. And there’s plenty of time to fiddle between now and summer.