A lot of people talk about how much they dislike CGI in films, and how they want more practical effects. They want more particle sets. They want more make up effects. They want to really feel like the character and setting are real, and not made on a computer. While CGI is over used in films: does that mean that they should not be in films at all. When is it appropriate to CGI, and when is it not? Also take in to mind that making CGI is a lot of work, and takes weeks or months to get right. With that said: is making images for film on a computer screen not considered hard work, or is just fans of practical effects not giving credit, where credit is due?
I love the tangible special effects of Stan Winston and Tom Savini, I often find CGI to be insipid in comparison, especially when violence is concerned - you can't beat a bit of corn syrup! I think time has shown that smart, sparing use of CGI ages the most gracefully. Winston's work in Predator and particularly Terminator 2 are examples of this, neither film looks that dated. With so many films like Avatar and Transformers having CGI as their chief selling point, I think it takes narrative and character development to make strong visual effects most memorable. – Hawkensian10 years ago
Might also be worth talking about CGI replacing people - like how Philip Seymour Hoffman's scenes in Mockingjay were supposed to be finished off with CGI, and that Final Fantasy: Spirits Within film which was fairly ground-breaking. – Hannah Spencer10 years ago