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One of the most promising applications of computer technology to film and television production is computer graphics. The advantage of computer graphics systems, like that of the character generator, is that the images do not have to be recorded by a camera and individual frames can be digitally stored. Computer-generated images and graphics applications offer a wide range of fonts, font sizes, colors and backgrounds. Movement, such as crawls, rolls or digital transitions, is limited only by the particular model of computer. In additions, because the files are stored digitally, they can be called up and used immediately.
A variety of hardware and software systems are currently available for use in video and film production. Most systems allow the operator or artist to control of all of the elements of graphic design, including, line, shape and color. Images can be created directly on the screen, using a light pencil, stylus, mouse or keyboard. The artist can select and control various lines and shapes, as well as image size, color and placement on the screen. It is also possible to use a stylus to trace a hand-drawn sketch or outline so that it can be computer manipulated and stored in disk form. Some computers have frame-grabbers, which allow the computer to manipulate a single video frame from a camera or VCR. Some computer software allows graphics programs to be integrated with animation programs to create apparent motion. Images can be placed in disk storage and accessed at any time. A graphic computer that has an SD or HD video signal output can be fed directly to a VCR or a switcher.
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