CGI and Its Effects on the Film and Animation Industry

Literature Review

Doyle (2009) says ‘There are many movies that use their special effects and explosions to attract a crowd, while they barely bother to work on the rest of the movie’. She is talking about movies heavily influenced by computer generated imagery (CGI) selling themselves through just that, even if they do not have a strong storyline or acting. Another point brought up from Doyle (2009) is ‘Movie goers have always been interested in seeing something they've never seen before, for things to be bigger and better on the screen then they are in real life’. She is saying that the reason for CGI’s success lies primarily with people wanting to see new things on the screen, and that there is only so far you can take a film without using CGI.
‘Mist Haven’ (2009?) says ‘If something that isn't real looks too real, it will turn people away’. He/she is talking about the public’s reaction to CGI, more specifically fully CGI films with no real actors in them. According to Mist Haven CGI has a good effect on the film industry, with no real threat to actors’ careers. King (2004) says ‘It used to be said the camera never lies, but that was before computer graphics’, referring to the use of CGI in bringing historical figures such as Adolf Hitler, or Winston Churchill back to life on television.

In summary the effect that CGI has had can be taken in many different ways, but generally most people agree that it should not be used to try to sell a bad plot or acting – rather to supplement a good story. As for the overuse of CGI, it seems more opinionated than fact whether it is loved or hated in the film and animation industry.

References

Doyle C. 2009. Is Excessive CGI And No Plot Becoming A Trend In Movies? [Online](Updated 10 September 2009) Available at: http://www.starpulse.com/news/index.php/2009/09/10/is_excessive_cgi_and_no_plot_becoming_a_ [Accessed 7 November 2009].

Mist Haven. 2009? Will Computer Generated Imagery (CGI) Actors Replace Real Ones in Movies? [Online] Available at: http://hubpages.com/hub/Will-CGI-Actors-Replace-Real-Ones [Accessed 7 November 2009].

King T. 2004. History gets a computer graphics make-over [Online](Updated 19 November 2004) Available at: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/click_online/4025541.stm [Accessed 7 November 2009].