#because i certainly never thought that cgi wasn't a real art form it definitely IS

[official-lucifers-child]

please correct me if i'm wrong, but i believe that the belief "cgi is bad" is a bit more nuanced than a repackaged "digital art isn't real art"?

vfx workers only JUST unionised, meaning that before then, studios were able to heavily exploit and overwork them, which more often than not created shoddy cgi jobs that were obvious, uncanny, or just not up to the same standards of practical effects. because of that, cgi has gotten an overall bad reputation of being comparably worse quality than practical effects.

if you compared a lord of the rings movie with a more modern marvel movie, there are a HUGE bunch of differences that affect how you perceive the movie. the cgi can feel flat, obviously fake, and awkward, whereas in say the fellowship of the ring, you perceive the shire as real because it literally was.

from an acting standpoint, it's also a lot more rewarding to talk to a real thing rather than a greenscreen block or rubber ball. i mean, we've all heard about sir ian mckellen's breakdown on the set of the hobbit because he was talking to nothing and nobody, and it would all be edited in afterwards. i'm not going to say that cgi and greenscreen effects should be completely trashed, but there should be a better balance between "real" effects and edited effects, if only for the benefit of the actors.

the way to change people's minds is to support the unions and support movies that utilise cgi in a cohesive, safe manner (safe meaning that the actors and workers are able to fulfil their jobs without ridiculous hours or undue stress) and integrate practical effects where cgi is unnecessary (like using puppets and the like)

i'm really sorry if this is preachy, i just feel strongly about this as both an actor and a watcher of movies. yes, the "cgi is bad" crowd can be overwhelming, yes it's frustrating if/when they dismiss cgi as bad simply because it's "not real", but yes, it's more nuanced than just that.

kinda sucks that 'cgi bad' is the prevalent opinion about special effects in films these days