Practical vs. CG Effects in Film

What to the viewer might seem simple is the result of many many choices on the part of the filmmakers. For those practicing the art of film, there is one choice that stands out among all the others: digital or practical effects? 

Though this option hasn’t existed for long, it has inspired fierce debate among moviegoers and critics. If that’s so, the new effects must have created an all-out war in the film industry. Right? Filmmakers and filmgoers have been faced with many choices. Even the base choice to go out and see a movie is one that must be pondered. For filmmakers, the choices loom large overhead.

To dissect the ‘battle’ between the old and new methods, it’s important to first understand them. Practical effects have been around since the very beginning of the industry. Films like A Trip to the Moon (1914) started to push the envelope in terms of effects and the imaginations of those people who decided to make films as well. There are many common methods of practical effects that make films come to life, from talented makeup work to the use of miniatures and matte painting to make unreal spaces. Miniatures are by far the best way to make unrealistic spaces and creatures and are extensively used in sci-fi films. These miniatures are neat relics as well, and oftentimes end up in museums or in the hands of collectors. While the effects created by skilled miniature work are quite impressive, creating them is very expensive. That goes for the rest of practical effects as well, as the craftsmanship and raw material use drive up the cost of any potential effect. As of the late 1980s, CGI (Computer-Generated Imagery) became an increasingly alluring alternative to the expensive practical effects.

As the power and versatility of computers grew, it was only a matter of time before they were applied to the world of film. Primitive CG effects began to leak out into the world of entertainment, first gracing music videos and television before jumping onto the silver screen. When these effects did begin to appear, they were often implemented with uncanny looks. However, through their development and prominent use in films like T2: Judgement Day, CG became more and more commonplace. With CG, filmmakers can create whatever they wish, using the power of artists and computer environments. While this allows greater freedom, it also produces new challenges. CG characters and elements can look unreal in physical spaces if care is not given to proper lighting or some other small details. CG can be used in large and small ways, from creatures as large as the T. Rex in Jurassic Park to items as small as painting in Knives Out.

CG, while pervasive in today’s film environment hasn’t fully pushed out the practical ways of the ‘past’. This circles back to the ‘battle’ between CG and practical effects. Well, here’s the moment we’ve all been waiting for…well, there is none, really. After the rise of CG, filmmakers quickly learned two things: it’s hard to act without any environment to act in, and there is still a place for practical effects in the industry.

Though they have fallen widely out of style, practical effects live on through character makeup, and the occasional use of miniatures. Many in the industry consider the art of miniatures to be widely lost, due to the expense of the medium and the versatility of CG. Yet miniature work still lives, being periodically used in films like Blade Runner 2049 and the Dark Knight proving that there is a place for miniatures within the industry.

Though the growth of CG has pushed practical effects aside, there are still people who prefer to both watch and use practical items. They have a certain onscreen weight that makes them feel more real than their CG counterparts, in my opinion. Though I largely prefer practical effects, the advancement of CG has continued to create more fantastical yet grounded environments, allowing audiences to be swept away in pure fantasy.