Graphics in Movies

In the wake of my love for Inception, I have been thinking about computer graphics and special effects in movies.  In my opinion, I think people might rely on them a little too much and sort of put too much emphasis on graphics over storytelling or character development which is a shame.  With Inception, there are computer generated special effects, but they do try to capture as much as they can with the use of film which I find admirable.  It gives the film a better warmth to it which I think helps draw viewers and also allows them to come out of the theatre feeling more connection to the movie.  The biggest and most spectacular use of computer graphics that I can think of at the moment is probably Avatar.  I didn’t love the movie, but I thought it was a good movie.  However, I sort of didn’t see why the movie was getting so much attention and praise.  Sure it looked great and it’s directed by James Cameron which seems to be a money-making machine since it grossed the highest worldwide since Titanic which he also directed.  But there were some undeveloped characters whom I didn’t really understand why they would side with the Na’vi and protect them when everyone else didn’t share the sentiment.  I guess it’s mostly the Michelle Rodriguez character and Dileep Rao, whom I keep tracing him back to Drag Me To Hell.  Anyway, those two characters helped in key moments, but I don’t really know why.  The movie focused entirely on the main character and his relationship with the Na’vi, particularly the love interest.  So there weren’t too much else to look for in terms of characters which I thought was a shame because that’s generally what I enjoy the most in movies and how the supporting characters add to the movie.  However, I do believe that some movies can go solely on the strong relationships built by the two main characters and I just didn’t feel that way with Avatar.  The popularity of the movie I think, is mostly due to the spectacle it has with its landscape and use of computer graphics, but I think a movie should have more than that.  Yes I thought that this movie probably has the best use of CG than most movies in recent years, but I think it just lacked some connection.

With Inception and many other movies which garner my favor have is supporting characters who seem like people with their own problems, agendas and personalities and even if they do not have as frequent screen time as the main actors, they still have an impact.  Leonardo Dicaprio is the main character and the movie deals in large part with his own problems, but the supporting characters are there to help and lift up the character further making him more interesting as a person.  However, like I previously said, movies can focus on just the main characters with very little supporting cast with the best example I can think of is Let The Right One In, a Swedish vampire film that focuses on the relationship of a vampire who appears to be the same age as the human protagonist which looks to be around 14 or something like that.  I don’t quite remember, but the relationship they build is strong and it’s enough to make the movie work so well.  It also didn’t have much in the way of special effects, but the characters were enough to make me enthralled and kept me interested in how the rest of the movie will play out.

Computer generated graphics is a new technological device that should be used, but I think filmmakers should do as much as possible the old-fashioned way because so many things could happen that were unintended that might add tremendously to the film.  It adds a warmth to the movie in my opinion and computer graphics, as wonderful as they might look, is a little too deliberate to appear natural, even with the best in the business.  It grants filmmakers an ability to create in larger scales and use their imagination much more, but reliance on it could ultimately hurt the picture.  Like the saying goes, “too much of a good thing can be bad.”

Advertisement