3. Computer Generated Imagery (CGI)

Computer generated imagery means that computer graphics are used to create special effects in movies and computer or video games.

Specialist computer software is used to make the C.G.I. for movies but it requires a huge amount of skill in order to create something which looks realistic.

More powerful computers have allowed C.G.I. to be used in many of the movies made today for example, Lord of the Rings, Pirates of the Carribean and Spiderman where the C.G.I. is mixed in with human actors.

Whole movies can now be made using just C.G.I. for example, Shrek, Ice Age and the Polar Express.

C.G.I. is now so good that it can be hard to tell what is real and what has been made by the computer.