Practical vs CGI In Movies

It’s an argument almost as old as digital effects and practical effects themselves and something that has become a growing conversation with the lines between the two blurred over time – there’s no doubt that technology can help in many ways and can lead to a great experience, outside of movies this has been shown in options like gaming as those here at maximumcasinos.com have been greatly improved by technology, but in movies it can detract from the experience too. So, when it comes to practical vs CGI, what stands out the most and why is one often preferred more than another?

Unexpected results can lead to exciting shots

Whilst CGI can add some fantastic polishing touches, it doesn’t leave anything up to chance and there often aren’t any happy little mistakes that come – after all digital gives complete control over a scene. With practical effects, however, it can lead to something a bit more unexpected that can really make a scene – the most popular example here is often the hospital scene of The Dark Knight, where Heath Ledgers Joker is walking away from the hospital trying to get the detonator to work as there’s a delay – the delay was a real blunder in the practical effect, but the acting and the scene combined have led to a very famous cinematic piece being formed. 

Too much CGI can hurt a movie too

Some movies of the past have become beloved for their use of practical effects, the original Lord of the Rings trilogy is one of these where practical effects were used in such a great way it enhanced the entire trilogy – the Hobbit trilogy that followed wasn’t able to live up to the same expectations, however, as it strayed away from the use of practical effects and leant much heavier on the use of CGI and it was immediately noticeable. Abandoning the winning formula and changing it may have only been a small part of why the second trilogy didn’t go so well but will always be remembered as a noticeable reason why.

Practical effects will always just look better

There are some scenes that just feel different, it may be something that can’t quite be understood but when seen there’s certainly a different feeling – a great example would be a scene from a recent Marvel movie of Shang-Chi as videos had emerged of the practical effects used during a bus scene. It has a visceral feeling that’s hard to replicate with CGI and shows how impactful the use of practical effects can be in comparison.