2023.11.03
As long as the film industry has existed, there have been visionaries innovating new technologies to help capture their story, and immerse us in fantastical worlds. But as the exponential growth of technology begins to seep into every facet of our lives, I see it starting to pervert movies as well, turning a powerful medium for storytelling into a series of cash grabs. This is no clearer seen than with the increased use of blatant CGI in blockbuster films, filling films of little substance with bright colors and large explosions, drawing in the lowest common denominator of movie enjoyers.
When people refer to CGI, or “computer-generated imagery,” it is generally used as a catchall turn for anything involving image/video manipulation. Special effects (SFX) are practical tricks captured on camera, such as a squib that explodes with blood when shot. Visual effects (VFX) is the process of altering images or video after the fact, such as changing the color of someone’s shirt, or removing a different brand’s logo from an ad. Computer-generated imagery (CGI) specifically involves 2D or 3D graphics that were created digitally, such as Toy Story, or the Mucinex Man. It is important to clarify these terms because a film can have incredible special and visual effects, while not relying too heavily on CGI.
A perfect comparison can be made between the recent Godzilla vs. Kong, produced by Legendary Pictures, and Godzilla Minus One, produced by Toho Studios in Japan (spoilers for both movies ahead). In Godzilla vs. Kong, the movie culminates in a fight scene between Godzilla, Kong, and Mechanogodzilla (a mechanical recreation of godzilla) in the dense metropolis of Hong Kong. As the giant beasts pummel each other to death, I can’t help but feel taken out of the experience. As the viewer, we are shown this brawl through the eyes of a virtual camera, flying around the cities and beasts in ways that could not be possible practically. Godzilla moves much faster and more gracefully than a creature of his size should, as if he is simply a man wearing an elaborate costume. The beasts are all anthropomorphized versions of themselves, with eyes and mouths that express emotion as any of us would. It is a standard Hollywood fight scene, seen time and time again in movie franchises like Pacific Rim, Transformers, and Marvel movies. Cut to Godzilla Minus One, and I can feel true fear looking into the eyes of Godzilla. All of the camera angles are shot from the ground, as we humans would see such a mighty beast, or from helicopters swarming like bees. The Godzilla in this movie is not a wonder of CGI that could start tap dancing if it wanted to, but a hulking, mass of evil and destruction. There is still CGI, but it is used tastefully, and fully captures the awe/terror that Godzilla should inspire.
In my mind, the golden standard of VFX and CGI in our modern age is Dune, released in 2021 (spoilers ahead). The set pieces are grand, with the grand, forested hills of Caladan contrasting the harsh, desolate environment of Arrakis. As the wind blows and whips around the clothing of the characters, I can feel the grains of sand brushing against my face, and the dead heat of the sun beaming down. As they navigate the desolate world in flying machines called “thopters,” the vibrations of the wings evoke the droning hum of dragonflies, blurring together like the wings of a hummingbird. And they understand how to do scale. When the first sandworm appears in the movie, it is buried under an ocean of sand, and it is only with the second appearance of the worm do we get a sense of the massive scale. As the worm moves through the sand like butter, it is a goliath, looking down on our small, human protagonists. It is a moment that made me shudder in my seat when I saw it in theaters, the scale incomprehensible to me. Dune would go on to win the Oscar for Best Visual Effects (along with five other Oscars), and I can’t think of any film more deserving of the award.
In the end, CGI is not inherently good or bad. It is just another technique in the toolbox of filmmakers alike. Filmmaking is about telling stories, and immersing viewers in a world like or unlike their own. In my mind, the platonic ideal of CGI is not to be the story but to augment it, helping the viewer to place themselves in the shoes of their favorite characters. But when CGI is clunky, or excessive it only acts as a wakeup call to the viewer that they are indeed not one with the story they are seeing. And in a time where CGI artists are being drained for all they are worth, spending hundreds and thousands of hours working on these big-budget thrillers, it calls into question whether that work is even necessary to tell coherent, compelling narratives.
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