Is there a danger of special effects taking over and spoiling films?

[alan french]

Hi,
Today, we have marvellous special effects. But is there a danger the film and television media going too far with them?

Alan French.

[Steve Crook]

Hi,
Today, we have marvellous special effects. But is there a danger the film and television media going too far with them?

Alan French.

Definitely. But I would even query the description of them as "marvellous". When the special effects are obvious then they aren't really very good. The best ones are where they look so natural that you hardly notice them.

The trouble is that special effects can be reasonably well done quite cheaply, and film-makers (especially producers) do like to go for the cheaper option.

This is what a good special effect should look like


Steve

[jaycad]

i agree with steves view,i have a dislike of CGI but like steve says,if the CGI is in the background and there is a point to it then fair enough (the CGI 'old trafford' stadium and surrounding area taken back to the 1950s for the BBC drama 'united' was very well done) but there's no place for CGI in the foreground IMO.

[Arfur Teacake]

When you look at an old film and see a special effect I tend to think "wow that is clever" but a modern film I just look and say "oh thats just CGI" So it hs cheapened the production for me.
But CGI has it use in enhancing the lower budget end of things ,bits of fluff like Dr Who for example.

[DB7]

Hi,
Today, we have marvellous special effects. But is there a danger the film and television media going too far with them?

Alan French.

Transformers 2 showed that sfx at the cost of acting can backfire - badly.

[Windthrop]

CGI certainly enhanced Thor for me but it can overwhelm, the last Indiana Jones is an example of that. It dominated and made the film look a bit souless to me. The King Kong remake was ruined partly by the the CGI IHMO - no atmosphere whatsoever. Also it was a rather pointless remake.

[torinfan]

CGI looks very contrived. It also makes me think I am looking at a laptop monitor, not a tv or movie screen. It's not just the era I grew up in - when I visited Ringling College last year I was looking at some of the computer generated artwork by the students and I felt like shaking my head. I still prefer Harryhausen, Danforth, Wah Chang, and Augie Lohman. Special effects that stand alone to make the magic of the film. CGI doesn't go well with biscuits and a velour wrap for me.