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Yes, movies like "Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow" and "Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith" are very technically advanced and successful movies. But, did you also know that the idea of actors performing in CG rich environment was not pioneered by any of these movies.
Although the environments were not created by computer - but rather miniatures - actors performing in "blue screen rich" environments was (as far as I'm concerned) pioneered by CTV and their short lived sci-fi television show, "The Starlost", back in 1973. Although the CTV did not invent the technology, they certainly were the first to base a production around it.
I'm not going to blog much about what the show was about... even though I think it was a very novel and unique concept. You can read more about it by referring to my video post or by visiting Wikipedia here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Starlost
What I wanted to comment on was the technology that this series pioneered... creating and filming a television show on a small budget, using miniatures and blue-screen effects in place of a large studio, driven by the script and plot elements rather than fast action and special effects.
Now, I'm not saying that the results were spectacular, because they were not. However, actors performing in a small studio in front of blue screen was not common place back then. But even more innovating was how the show was filmed. It was not done with film cameras, but rather video cameras. And the backgrounds that were going to be used to fill in blue-screen were shot at the same time as the live action.
One video camera was pointed at the action, while another video camera was pointed at the miniatures - or backdrop. The recording of the performance was then combined (in real time) by the recording device, replacing the blue-screen with the miniatures.
The direct-to-video (rather than film and post production blue-screen work) concept was an experiment in cost reduction associated with filming such a series; along with replacing large studios with a blue-screen and miniatures. It was ambitious, but ultimately failed.
But, I would not blame the failure on the concepts for the show or the technology used. I would put more of the blame on the producers and over-size egos associated with the production. At lease, from the information I've been able to find regarding the show, that's how I feel.
When watching the video clip I posted, keep in mind that most of the backdrops you see, like the forest scenery, the buildings in the background and most of the starship's interior, are all miniatures. In fact, I would not be surprised to learn that the actual studio itself was no more than few hundred square feet.
There's one scene where you'll see Rachel running after Devon through the "wilderness". Other than the actress herself, the entire scene around her is blue-screen.
Although "cheesy" by today's standards, I think The Starlost was one of the most innovative and daring projects to come out of Canadian broadcasting. It's unfortunate it didn't have the dedication it deserved from it's producers.
So, yes, George Lucas may have perfected the CG generated world with live actors inserted into them, he was not the first to incorporate the idea into a production. The CTV did that.
Hope you enjoy this look into the past of science fiction television.
