CGI is an acronym for “computer-generated imagery. (1)” It is certainly fitting that in Tron the inside of a computer was visually represented through the use of CGI. When asked, “What came first, the idea to use CGI in a movie or the story?” Steven Lisberger responded with “CGI. (2)” Rather than attempting to be a great narrative, Tron’s purpose was more of an experiment. Quite a bit of the CGI in the film does not involve a plot point. The visualizer-like images of the transition between the “real” world and cyberspace is entirely computer generated.
In fact, there are only about 20 minutes of computer-generated footage in the film (3).
Christine Cornea explains:
The film was launched onto the market on the strength of its cutting-edge computer effects, but it was not a success with audiences. It seems that while CG effects could provide a gratifying supplementary element within a film, audiences would not accept the complete immersion into the world of computer imagery proposed by Tron (4).
Tron took in $33 million at the domestic box office, which, while enough to double its cost to make (5), was far below the top grossing science fiction film of 1982: Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan (Meyer, 4 June 1982, USA) which brought in nearly $79 million (6).
Tron’s world inside a computer is very clean, geometric, and stark. The screen capture below pictures a landscape of this world.
This is far different from the live-action “real” world which is busy, disorganized, and cluttered.
It is immaterial whether this was a conscious decision on the director’s part or a product of the limitations of the CGI technology. The effect of “bracketing off” the two worlds – one using special effects and the other without any, makes it obvious to the viewer what is supposed to be the “real” world and what is fantastic.
The look and feel of cyberspace in Tron is quite reflective of the film’s narrative regarding computers and technology. Scott Bukatman aptly explains: “The purpose… of cyberpunk in the 1980s was to construct a new human… subject that could interface with the global, yet invisible, realm of data circulation – a new being to occupy the emerging cyberscapes. (7)” Tron’s narrative position regarding technology is one of wariness. Though it should be obvious that human users have complete control over their programs, it is strongly suggested in this film that we may not. Dillinger/Sark, for one, is completely at the mercy of his Master Control Program. The hero, Flynn, rather than running roughshod over the programs once inside the computer has to battle and run for his life to avoid deletion.
Though the scenario of having to battle against a computer for dominance is far-fetched, the idea that we do not really know what cyberspace is, or where we fit into it is an interesting thought to contemplate. Who are these new beings that occupy the cyberscapes? Tron’s use of CGI technology to depict the strange landscape of cyberspace – at once dark and mysterious, but also strangely bright with neon lights reflects the unsettled feeling about computer technology the narrative suggests. There is a sense of disorientation, or a loss of control in a world so different from ours. The “bracketing off” of CGI technology from the “real” world suggests that in “real” life we have more control over our lives. This is arguably untrue, but there is a definite feeling in Tron that the characters know exactly what needs to be done to achieve their goals in the “real” world, but have to experiment, improvise, and take risks in the uncharted territory of cyberspace.
Through a pioneering use of CGI technology, Tron succeeds in envisioning two separate worlds: one happy, cluttered, and busy and the other stark, unsettling, and surreal. The special effects help reinforce the narrative, treating the viewer to a visual representation of a wariness about technology. Tron succeeds in creating a visual spectacle which is both entertaining and thought-provoking.
Notes:
(1) Acronym Finder, “Search: CGI,” 1988-2009. http://www.acronymfinder.com/CGI.html
(2) Daniel Robert Epstein, “Steve Lisberger – Exclusive Tron (Disney) Interview.” http://www.ugo.com/channels/filmTv/features/tron/interview.asp
(3) Dominic Von Riedemann, “Benchmarks in CGI History,” 2007. http://animatedfilms.suite101.com/article.cfm/20_benchmarks_in_cgi_part_1
(4) Christine Cornea, Science Fiction Cinema (New York: Rutgers University Press, 2007), 251-252.
(5) Riedemann.
(6) IMDB, Top Grossing Movies for 1982 in the USA. http://www.imdb.com/Sections/Years/1982/top-grossing
(7) Scott Bukatman, “Zooming Out: The End of Off-Screen Space,” 253.
Works Cited:
Acronym Finder. “Search: CGI.” 1988-2009. http://www.acronymfinder.com/CGI.html
Bukatman, Scott. “Zooming Out: The End of Off-Screen Space.”
Cornea, Christine. Science Fiction Cinema. New York: Rutgers University Press, 2007.
Epstein, Daniel Robert. “Steve Lisberger – Exclusive Tron (Disney) Interview.” http://www.ugo.com/channels/filmTv/features/tron/interview.asp
IMDB. “Top Grossing Movies for 1982 in the USA.” http://www.imdb.com/Sections/Years/1982/top-grossing
Riedemann, Dominic Von. “Benchmarks in CGI History.” 2007.
http://animatedfilms.suite101.com/article.cfm/20_benchmarks_in_cgi_part_1
