CGI Sucks

Editor's Notes

• #2: Unfortunately, I would be most enthusiastic if I could give a presentation about religion, politics or sex, and these are all banned. So, I apologize in advance for presenting less enthusiastically than I am capable. I do care quite a lot about this topic, though.
• #3: As a lover of film, and especially science-fiction and horror films, I am bothered by the growing trend of inappropriate and overused CGI. For those who don’t know, CGI stands for “computer generated imagery”, and it is used to create all sorts of things in films, including landscapes and environments, buildings, creatures, and special effects.
• #4: My objection is primarily aesthetic – I think that CGI often looks cheap and unrealistic, and I believe the surreal quality of CGI can undermine the effectiveness of films it features in. Films in the horror, fantasy, and science-fiction genres are all about immersing the audience in an unfamiliar world and getting them to suspend disbelief. An unnatural-looking effect can remind the audience that what they’re watching is just a movie. Once that thought enters a person’s mind, the film loses its power over them.
• #5: Also, while a science-fiction or fantasy film might still be entertaining if the audience is invested in the films characters in spite of the film’s horrible CGI, horror is particularly dependent on its believability if its goal is to terrify the audience. Horror films can only be successful by managing to trick viewers’ minds into thinking what’s going on could actually be taking place.
• #6: What looks more real?
• #7: What looks more real?
• #8: What looks more real?
• #9: What looks more real?
• #10: What looks more real?
• #11: To sum up my feelings:If you can tell it’s CGI, it’s shouldn’t be used.
• #12: CGI has come a long way (Dragonheart (1996) vs Reign of Fire (2002)) and will likely continue to improve until the point that I no longer complain and can’t tell the difference between CGI and reality. But is it killing other interesting art forms?
• #13: I’m sure everyone in this room has seen something Jim Henson was involved with. ‘The Labyrinth’ and ‘The Dark Crystal’ are what stand out most in my mind as great examples of realistic puppetry. Yoda from the early Star Wars films was his creation as well. He is probably most well-known for his creation of the Muppets. He died in 1990. :(
• #14: I’m sure everyone in this room has seen something Jim Henson was involved with. ‘The Labyrinth’ and ‘The Dark Crystal’ are what stand out most in my mind as great examples of realistic puppetry. Yoda from the early Star Wars films was his creation as well. He is probably most well-known for his creation of the Muppets. He died in 1990. :(
• #15: I’m sure everyone in this room has seen something Jim Henson was involved with. ‘The Labyrinth’ and ‘The Dark Crystal’ are what stand out most in my mind as great examples of realistic puppetry. Yoda from the early Star Wars films was his creation as well. He is probably most well-known for his creation of the Muppets. He died in 1990. :(
• #16: I’m sure everyone in this room has seen something Jim Henson was involved with. ‘The Labyrinth’ and ‘The Dark Crystal’ are what stand out most in my mind as great examples of realistic puppetry. Yoda from the early Star Wars films was his creation as well. He is probably most well-known for his creation of the Muppets. He died in 1990. :(
• #17: I’m sure everyone in this room has seen something Jim Henson was involved with. ‘The Labyrinth’ and ‘The Dark Crystal’ are what stand out most in my mind as great examples of realistic puppetry. Yoda from the early Star Wars films was his creation as well. He is probably most well-known for his creation of the Muppets. He died in 1990. :(
• #18: Stan Winston was a master special effects artist who created some of the most memorable creatures in film. He worked on The Terminator, Aliens, Predator, Jurassic Park, Edward Scissorhands, and Iron Man. Winston was as wise as he was talented, and he had this to say about CGI:
• #19: Stan Winston was a master special effects artist who created some of the most memorable creatures in film. He worked on The Terminator, Aliens, Predator, Jurassic Park, Edward Scissorhands, and Iron Man. Winston was as wise as he was talented, and he had this to say about CGI:
• #20: Stan Winston was a master special effects artist who created some of the most memorable creatures in film. He worked on The Terminator, Aliens, Predator, Jurassic Park, Edward Scissorhands, and Iron Man. Winston was as wise as he was talented, and he had this to say about CGI:
• #21: Stan Winston was a master special effects artist who created some of the most memorable creatures in film. He worked on The Terminator, Aliens, Predator, Jurassic Park, Edward Scissorhands, and Iron Man. Winston was as wise as he was talented, and he had this to say about CGI:
• #22: Stan Winston was a master special effects artist who created some of the most memorable creatures in film. He worked on The Terminator, Aliens, Predator, Jurassic Park, Edward Scissorhands, and Iron Man. Winston was as wise as he was talented, and he had this to say about CGI:
• #23: …Unfortunately, he died in 2008, but his studio continues his legacy.I would love to see an increased interest in ‘practical’ special effects as is done with puppets and animatronics. On the whole, Hollywood seems uninterested, but there are a few shining examples of filmmakers who seem to share my sentiments about CGI…
• #24: (from 2:30)…like Christopher Nolan, who actually had a semi-truck flipped on the street instead of using CGI.We need more people committed to realism like Christopher Nolan and the stunt person brave enough to be driving that truck. Kudos to him.