by Matthew Gammond
I’ve got a peeve, and it’s as hot as my pants. I get it; I’m pretty young and am not fully informed on the wonders of ye olde movies from way before my time. So be it, I can deal with it, bro, but what I can’t stand are people who hate on new movies just because they use a lot of CGI.
I’ve got a peeve, and it’s as hot as my pants. I get it; I’m pretty young and am not fully informed on the wonders of ye olde movies from way before my time. So be it, I can deal with it, bro, but what I can’t stand are people who hate on new movies just because they use a lot of CGI.
I’ve been inspired to write this little feature by the sheer amount of arguments I’ve had with, shall we say, some of my older film friends who seem to think that if a film uses CGI it’s automatically a pile of unimaginative crap. I’m not here to discredit the use of in-camera effects; I love them, I think there’s a lot of talent involved there. The Thing is one of my very favourite movies and there’s no CGI in sight, just a heap of awesome practical effects. I’m a believer, man.
What I want to do is give CGI (or “the computer stuff” as some people call it) a fair crack of the whip. There are merits to both techniques and I don’t think it’s fair that digitally-created content should get so much stick. It really irks me when people hate on stuff for no real reason; I swear to God some of my conversations have gone something similar to this:
“So why are in-camera effects better than CGI?”
“They just are.”
“Why?”
“Because they are.”
“No, really… why?”
“Shut up, they just are. Deal with it.”
That’s the main problem; these people are the hipsters of the film fraternity. In-camera techniques are old school and, by extent, have to be cool and therefore… better. At least, that’s the logic these people use. It’s bloody daft when you think about it.
What I want to do is give CGI (or “the computer stuff” as some people call it) a fair crack of the whip. There are merits to both techniques and I don’t think it’s fair that digitally-created content should get so much stick. It really irks me when people hate on stuff for no real reason; I swear to God some of my conversations have gone something similar to this:
“So why are in-camera effects better than CGI?”
“They just are.”
“Why?”
“Because they are.”
“No, really… why?”
“Shut up, they just are. Deal with it.”
That’s the main problem; these people are the hipsters of the film fraternity. In-camera techniques are old school and, by extent, have to be cool and therefore… better. At least, that’s the logic these people use. It’s bloody daft when you think about it.
I don’t want to throw everyone in the same basket, but a prevailing opinion is that CGI represents “lazy filmmaking”, as if some guy in an office just presses a button and out pops a giant dragon or collapsing volcano. Further from the truth this could not get. It takes hours, days, even weeks for a huge team of people to come up with credible CGI creations that look and move realistically. CGI is something that receives so much judgement from the press and the public alike that it has to be perfect, lest it crumble under severe scrutiny. The pressure is immense.
There’s an enormous amount of talent involved. These people are artists and blowing our minds is their craft. CGI offers so much to the film industry; it can take us to worlds we’ve never visited or give us a perspective that no in-camera technique ever could. To call it a lazy, soulless endeavour is the epitome of arrogance – there’s a whole profession of hard workers surrounding it.
There’s an enormous amount of talent involved. These people are artists and blowing our minds is their craft. CGI offers so much to the film industry; it can take us to worlds we’ve never visited or give us a perspective that no in-camera technique ever could. To call it a lazy, soulless endeavour is the epitome of arrogance – there’s a whole profession of hard workers surrounding it.
What Do You Think?
Do you prefer In-Camera effects?
Or do you champion for CGI?
With the advancement of technology, is one really better than the other?
Let us now in the comments
RSS Feed
