Why CGI sucks and The Thing (1982) is the GOAT special effects

[ReAnimator Reagan]

Cool video talking about the psychology of why CGI looks fake and what makes something scary.

Interesting point are 1) Thing 2011 is not slimy and wet and splatered with blood 2) shadows are not done right in thing 2011 3) thing 2011 teeth of alien are not attached to jaws 4) CGI effects are too smooth 5) thing 2011 does not have a good variety 6) thing 1982 transformations look painful.

Bonus video

 

[Liquid Smoke]

I like the old days when you had to build special effects using real materials. CGI is cold and is ruining movies.

 

[axstar713]

Rob Bottin's work on The Thing was awesome - The Howling is another old favorite, also. Bottin, Savini, and Baker were doing some great stuff back then.

 

[HOV]

Cool video talking about the psychology of why CGI looks fake and what makes something scary.

Interesting point are 1) Thing 2011 is not slimy and wet and splatered with blood 2) shadows are not done right in thing 2011 3) thing 2011 teeth of alien are not attached to jaws 4) CGI effects are too smooth 5) thing 2011 does not have a good variety 6) thing 1982 transformations look painful.

Bonus video

I would put Legend in that convo too

 

[ReAnimator Reagan]

Rob Bottin's work on The Thing was awesome - The Howling is another old favorite, also. Bottin, Savini, and Baker were doing some great stuff back then.

yeah, I prefer The Howling transformations over that other werewolf movie. I don't think CGI will ever do monsters convincingly.

 

[Horse Style]

I disagree

 

[ReAnimator Reagan]

I disagree

Wow, this is by far your strongest argument. Far more convincing than the one you try to give about you being black. Nice fiction though.

 

[BisexualMMA]

I don't know. Spawn looked pretty good.

 

[sloppypie]

The biggest problem with cig is imagination gets lazy. It becomes more about the cool factor than it is about what the director wants from the scene.

These two films are a great example. I agree with TS on the use of lighting and fluids to invoke fear than just having cig twist a person apart.

It's ironic that cgi costs so much more and yet it is often far lazier in terms of the conveyance of the scene. Some directors can do it like ang Lee and James Cameron, but most get so overwhelmed by it that the movie suffers as a result.

 

[Horse Style]

Wow, this is by far your strongest argument. Far more convincing than the one you try to give about you being black. Nice fiction though.

I made an argument about being black?

Well that's news to me.

 

[Chesten_Hesten]

The Thing was fucking fantastic!

 

[Prefect]

Cheap CGI sucks. Jurassic Park had models and CGI and it is still a benchmark. The Lord of the Rings battle scenes were made epic with CGI. Mad Max : Beyond Fury Road looked beautiful with the scenes enchanced with CGI. CGI is awesome when it isn't rushed and is used correctly. Jurassic Park still looks good because the CGI guys had all the time in the world to make it look great.

The Thing looks great and it is one of my favorite movies. I wish more horror movies would just stick with standard effects due to CGI not yet being able to create that same eerie fucked up scary shit quality that triggers something in your reptilian brain. That said, The Thing shouldn't be used as a benchmark. The guy who did those effects put in ridiculous hours to pull it off and vowed never to do that again. The Thing is about as far as you can go with standard effects.

 

[raty tat tat]

CGI has its place but I do prefer Practical effects.

I like to think that there's alternate universe where CGI was never invented
and practical effects are much better.

 

[INTERL0PER]

Don't have time to watch the video, but I basically agree.

I prefer "real" effects, augmented with CGI. But the reliance on CGI had become lazy and has removed singer of the "magic" from films. I never think "WOW! How did they do that?!" anymore, because it's basically just CGI.

BTW, my vote for best special effects still goes to 2001: A Space Odyssey. Shit was made in the late 60s and still looks amazing.

 

[Randy Trevor]

Rob Botin's work on the Thing as well as Tom Savini on Friday the 13th part 4 and Day of the Dead are better than any computer crap

 

[ReAnimator Reagan]

I made an argument about being black?

Well that's news to me.

Ha, the last HORSE crosses the finish line.

The biggest problem with cig is imagination gets lazy. It becomes more about the cool factor than it is about what the director wants from the scene.

These two films are a great example. I agree with TS on the use of lighting and fluids to invoke fear than just having cig twist a person apart.

It's ironic that cgi costs so much more and yet it is often far lazier in terms of the conveyance of the scene. Some directors can do it like ang Lee and James Cameron, but most get so overwhelmed by it that the movie suffers as a result.

A big part of practical effects is figuring out how we are going to do this plus some of the surprises how things work. With CGI you just paint whatever you want.

Rob Botin's work on the Thing as well as Tom Savini on Friday the 13th part 4 and Day of the Dead are better than any computer crap

I love the F13 pt 1 effects the best from Savini--- the cut and not the uncut ones. Blood spurting into Kevin Bacon's mouth was classic.

 

[Horse Style]

Ha, the last HORSE crosses the finish line.

Interesting. Please tell us more about the happenings within the world in your head.

 

[GSP_37]

The CGI in Batman v Superman was pretty noticeable. Not looking or moving like human actor.

The Grand Moff Tarkin in Rogue One kinda looked like a human.

 

[TheRuthlessOne]

Practical base with CGI to enhance it a bit

 

[Tyrannosaurus rex]

Predator is a good example of this as well IMO.

The Predator looked fantastic. The animatronic mask looked amazing. Looks far better than CGI monsters today.