Sunday, April 27, 2014

The Overuse Of CGI In Film

By Rebecca Mills


CGI is, in my view, one of the most important components to consider in the way of contemporary film-making. After all, it is able to bring life to special features that might not have that degree of life otherwise. There are so many ways in which it can be used, whether it is the creation of characters that cannot be seen in reality or bringing life to landscapes that are able to prove aesthetically pleasing. With that said, is it possible that CGI can be argued to be one of the most overused features in film?

It certainly appears as though CGI is becoming used to a fault. However, we have come to expect CGI, not only in terms of movies but television shows as well. There are many great visuals that have come to the surface as a result of CGI, amongst them being Iron Man as he descends from the sky in order to save civilians. However, I feel as though this is an example of CGI done in the right away, since we do not question its realism but rather allow ourselves to become immersed in the movie's universe.

You can look at CGI in a movie almost like whipped cream set atop a bowl of iced cream. It is a nice feature to have, of course, but it's not something that should be considered the focal point. What happens when there is too much whipped cream, though? It can become over-saturated, which is what I feel as though has been the issue of CGI in regards to film and related forms of media. While some parties can make CGI look authentic, this is not the case for everyone.

As you can probably imagine, CGI can be used poorly and there are a few examples of this. The first "Twilight" film is a great example of this, as its visuals in terms of the CGI werewolves were not exactly the most convincing. While I understand that werewolves are not real and that no film can change that fact, the goal of special effects is to make you believe that what is being shown can be believed. Unfortunately, "Twilight" was a case of me having difficulty as far as suspending my disbelief was concerned.

Keep in mind that "Twilight" was not meant to be a movie that was aware of itself; otherwise poor CGI would have been excusable. However, this is an example of a studio not utilizing CGI in the way that others are able to. With so many different effects that can be incorporated, it's clear that there are some will come across more than others, depending on not only experience but the competency of the studios behind certain films. Perhaps one day the movie industry will reach a point where CGI will appear authentic across the board.




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