Re: Star Wars: Episode VII (12/18/15) Discussion Thread
Just because you have the technology to make everything look super realistic doesn't mean it has to be used IMO. Often it's going to depend on the goals of the creative team, and the aesthetic feel that they want to produce. Practical effects--generally speaking--have a certain charm and appeal that is lost in many films nowadays that go the total CG route in the pursuit of cost savings and/or the pursuit of the most realistic possible result. I don't think that's just nostalgia talking. ET, Gizmo in Gremlins, Yoda (from the OT), R2, 3PO, Kermit the Frog, and Miss Piggy (even Slimer) are some of the most beloved characters in movies, and this was despite their not being full CG creatures like your Smeagels or Jar Jars. Could they have been done well with CG? Maybe. Yoda was pretty good in the prequels. But it worked fine without CG, and at the same time maintained a level of tactcile realism that guys doing CG still have a hard time with.
Having said all that, it's always possible that the shot today will have very little bearing on the overall approach to these movies, so maybe guys who want totally CG aliens will be more than satisfied when all is said and done. This approach could be reserved simply for background or comedic characters.
Just because you have the technology to make everything look super realistic doesn't mean it has to be used IMO. Often it's going to depend on the goals of the creative team, and the aesthetic feel that they want to produce. Practical effects--generally speaking--have a certain charm and appeal that is lost in many films nowadays that go the total CG route in the pursuit of cost savings and/or the pursuit of the most realistic possible result. I don't think that's just nostalgia talking. ET, Gizmo in Gremlins, Yoda (from the OT), R2, 3PO, Kermit the Frog, and Miss Piggy (even Slimer) are some of the most beloved characters in movies, and this was despite their not being full CG creatures like your Smeagels or Jar Jars. Could they have been done well with CG? Maybe. Yoda was pretty good in the prequels. But it worked fine without CG, and at the same time maintained a level of tactcile realism that guys doing CG still have a hard time with.
Having said all that, it's always possible that the shot today will have very little bearing on the overall approach to these movies, so maybe guys who want totally CG aliens will be more than satisfied when all is said and done. This approach could be reserved simply for background or comedic characters.
