ABSTRACT
Throughout the history of film, action movies have meant two things: big explosions and bigger budgets. These films are often labeled “escapist” or “popcorn” but the action genre is also well proven at the box office. In today’s action film, the VFX artist is often required to do two major things: save money on expensive, hard-to-get shots and save stunt people from the various dangers of on-set disasters. In the 1930s, most action films were geared toward period pieces, with as many sword fights as today’s action films rely on gun duels. By the 1970s, the tide had turned to the rough and tumble, not afraid of bending the law cop flick. Since the mid-1990s, it has become more and more common for action films to VFX over real explosions and stunts to keep movies from going way over budget.
