In a world filled with movies and television sporting the latest trends in digital, data-driven effects, we tend to forget how good optical compositing and keen artistic interpretation will trump these digital hydras every time. Just because the data in the computer for a particular shot is accurate to the laws of physics, why does it still feel rigid and cold compared to the vinyl-aged practical effects? The art is missing. The art has been slowly cornered by science, rather than an artist interpreting a scene by instinct.
In a recent video that was reposted by Prolost (Stu Maschwitz’s blog) from a previous post on FX Guide, Dennis Muren, ILM legend discusses this trend toward data and away from art.
When Stu references the T-Rex's big reveal in Jurassic Park there is a strong blue light shining from apparently nowhere in the real world, yet it works. Why is that? Artistic interpretation for heightened effect. We don’t go to the movies to watch a film. We go to the movies to be immersed within a film.
We are at a crossroads where the latest digital techniques need to be corralled back toward the arts. Science is a great foundation for a shot, but knowing when to bend the rules, and sometimes even break them in order for the shot to become memorable to the viewer is key.
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