Multimedia Editor
Kaleb Fobair
Since the first use of computer-generated imagery in the 1973 movie, Westworld, the film industry has made major breakthroughs with CGI. Sometimes a movie can use a little too much CGI which can ultimately hurt the film in the end. I believe that filmmakers today are becoming too dependent on the use of CGI which is hindering the realism of films today.
Before CGI, special effect artists had to come up with creative ways to bring the director’s ideas to life. That is where practical effects come in. Now that CGI is used in almost every major motion picture, it has caused the use of practical effects to go down. Now that we can create everything on a screen.
But using CGI for everything isn’t the best idea. The overuse of CGI can cause a film to look fake and unbelievable. This causes many people to believe that too much of it can ruin a film. “CGI is an amazing tool, and it’s only as good as the artist behind it,” makeup artist Rick Baker said in an interview with Tested.
Not only can too much CGI ruin a movie but also the overuse of practical effects as well. A director has to find a good balance of realistic practical effects and good CGI. One of the best examples to date is Jurassic Park. Directed by Steven Spielberg, Jurassic Park changed the film industry forever. Released in 1993, it showcases the best use of practical effects, with huge, terrifying, realistic dinosaurs, mixed in with CGI. The effects in this film still hold up 28 years later.
Special effects can be the make or break for a movie. There are a ton of great movies that have utilized practical effects beautifully. These effects can bring such an enhanced sense of realism that it can make the audience completely inversed in the film. Practical effects can also help the actors with their performances when they are given something to interact with. Rather than acting in front of a huge green screen with nothing around them.
Not all CGI is bad, there are a few movies that are great examples of using CGI as a great tool. The best example is Avatar, directed by James Cameron. They used CGI to create a stunning, imaginary world. An example of a bad movie and good CGI is the Transformers franchise. Even If they are not great films, the use of CGI is amazing. You cannot deny that Transformers look super real and cool.
At the end of the day, I believe that practical effects are the best way to go when it comes to creating imaginary things. Though CGI is a great tool used properly, it does help creates amazing things. But practical effects bring the realism that most films need when they are trying to invoke certain emotions or feelings in the audience. I hope that more films will be made that find a good balance of both. But for now, I guess we will have to settle for blown-out CGI battles.
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