Do films need so much special effects?

Kalimna

I suppose my point about the Lt Dan scene was that fx, done well, can enhance *any* film. Whether that film is about turnip farmers or a mad Titan trying to destroy the universe. Sfx isnt the sole preserve of the flashy film.

Adam

Chalky

Any CGI shots in the movie are not in the script, they are not created by the script writer. So they give the director a huge blank canvas to indulge their imagination without being hamstrung by finding locations, shooting permits, weather forecasts, etc.  This is their main attraction for a lot of directors.

Chalky

By the way, if you want some understanding of what a director can do without altering one word of the script, here is an educational demonstration. One short stock TV detective 2 page script filmed in five basic ways. No CGI, this is a very basic introduction.

slacker

How about an ordinary film like the grand Budapest hotel or Ameli no cgi there

Philly_Q

slacker said:

How about an ordinary film like the grand Budapest hotel or Ameli no cgi there

They both have lots of digital effects, but of the subtle/invisible variety.

Clashman

Smokey and the bandit.............

Chalky

Philly_Q said:

slacker said:

How about an ordinary film like the grand Budapest hotel or Ameli no cgi there

They both have lots of digital effects, but of the subtle/invisible variety.

I think @slacker knew that and was joking

Philly_Q

Chalky said:

Philly_Q said:

slacker said:

How about an ordinary film like the grand Budapest hotel or Ameli no cgi there

They both have lots of digital effects, but of the subtle/invisible variety.

I think @slacker knew that and was joking

You may well be right. 

But I didn't want anyone thinking they were the natural modern successors to Smokey and the Bandit (or its equally marvellous sequels).

Clarky

you can never blow too much stuff up

frank1985

Everything’s gone downhill since Smokey & The Bandit...

But seriously, as Philly mentioned CGI is just a tool to enhance an already decent script. 

Guitar_Slinger

Yes, especially if it's part of the plot.  A couple of weeks ago we watched Ready Player One, where kids spend their leisure time living in virtual reality.  Last night I watched Ghost In The Shell - crap film but all about blurring the lines between humans and computers.

Neither would have been anything without CGI, just like Tropic Thunder would have been lousy without the violence and explosions.

not_the_dj

The recent Dunkirk movie got a lot of criticism for not using CGI, which was the choice that Chris Nolan made. 

So you had clearly visible modern buildings and cranes in the back grounds and “not enough soldiers and equipment on the beech”, all of which could have been subtly done with CGI without going over the top. 

ESBlonde

The 1953 Movie Shane was just a western, but the special effects were used on the sound.
They fired off a pistol into a tin dustbin and got a Ringing boom. That was the sound dubbed across the gunfights.
Is that special effects and did they go too far?

FX_Munkee

ESBlonde said:

The 1953 Movie Shane was just a western, but the special effects were used on the sound.
They fired off a pistol into a tin dustbin and got a Ringing boom. That was the sound dubbed across the gunfights.
Is that special effects and did they go too far?

We just need to use Smokey and the Bandit as a datum to check. As we now know this is the standard of classical modern film making.

sinbaadi

I won't watch a movie that isn't one long continuous unedited shot, and they'd better not use any stunt-men or makeup!!

Gagaryn

I'd forgotten about Smokey and the Bandit. I want to rewatch it, can't remember the story, seems to be melded in my mind with Convoy. Where does Convoy sit in this scale? Should I watch both?

darthed1981

We do need to be careful, for example random terrible films: -

Casablanca - they had midgets standing next to a model plane at the end, why not just film in a real airport?  Also not a chase movie through rural America... Crap!

Citizen Kane - Xanadu was clearly a matte painting, they couldn't find any stupid big houses in hollywood?  Also not a chase movie through rural America... Crap!

Return of the Jedi - they clearly spent three months with models filming the climactic space battle, couldn't they have used a real plane and written "Tie Fighter" on the wings?  Also not a chase movie through rural America... Crap!

Vertigo - very clearly a rear projection when Jimmy Stewart is hanging off the roof, why not just throw him off a roof, he'd have done it if it was Tippi Hedren!  Also not a chase movie through rural America... - CRAP!

Lawrence of Arabia - clearly Alec Guiness is in heavy makeup, should have just cast an Arab, Also not a chase movie through rural America... CRAP

and so on.

rocktron

This movie is worth viewing. The graphics are quite impressive.

It starts out as a comedy, but it has deeper undertones about AI acquiring human qualities, as the movie progresses.

Not bad for a Bollywood movie (with English Subtitles), and Aishwarya Rai is watchable. If you can get over the culture barrier, this is quite enjoyable.:-

Endhiran (Robot)

 

EricTheWeary

darthed1981 said:

We do need to be careful, for example random terrible films: -

Casablanca - they had midgets standing next to a model plane at the end, why not just film in a real airport?  Also not a chase movie through rural America... Crap!

Citizen Kane - Xanadu was clearly a matte painting, they couldn't find any stupid big houses in hollywood?  Also not a chase movie through rural America... Crap!

Return of the Jedi - they clearly spent three months with models filming the climactic space battle, couldn't they have used a real plane and written "Tie Fighter" on the wings?  Also not a chase movie through rural America... Crap!

Vertigo - very clearly a rear projection when Jimmy Stewart is hanging off the roof, why not just throw him off a roof, he'd have done it if it was Tippi Hedren!  Also not a chase movie through rural America... - CRAP!

Lawrence of Arabia - clearly Alec Guiness is in heavy makeup, should have just cast an Arab, Also not a chase movie through rural America... CRAP

and so on.

You failed to point out that Casablanca wasn't filmed in Casablanca ( mostly filmed in California) and therefore fell at the first hurdle. 

darthed1981

EricTheWeary said:

darthed1981 said:

We do need to be careful, for example random terrible films: -

Casablanca - they had midgets standing next to a model plane at the end, why not just film in a real airport?  Also not a chase movie through rural America... Crap!

Citizen Kane - Xanadu was clearly a matte painting, they couldn't find any stupid big houses in hollywood?  Also not a chase movie through rural America... Crap!

Return of the Jedi - they clearly spent three months with models filming the climactic space battle, couldn't they have used a real plane and written "Tie Fighter" on the wings?  Also not a chase movie through rural America... Crap!

Vertigo - very clearly a rear projection when Jimmy Stewart is hanging off the roof, why not just throw him off a roof, he'd have done it if it was Tippi Hedren!  Also not a chase movie through rural America... - CRAP!

Lawrence of Arabia - clearly Alec Guiness is in heavy makeup, should have just cast an Arab, Also not a chase movie through rural America... CRAP

and so on.

You failed to point out that Casablanca wasn't filmed in Casablanca ( mostly filmed in California) and therefore fell at the first hurdle. 

Good point - why wasn't it filmed in Casablanca - even worse than first thought!!

But it was filmed in America, therefore it could have been filmed as a chase movie through rural America, and greatly improved, missed opportunity I think.