Serious Time #20 SFX vs. VFX

SFX is better! No VFX is better! This is the argument people tend to get caught up in when bringing up effects in general. They are both great in movies, one is not better then the other, they both have their pros and cons. Lets get into definitions, SFX is are practical effects, ones that are actually in the given space. VFX are virtual or CGI which are effects animated and put in the given space in post. Though both different one is not better then the other. For example, SFX has been used in many great instances the main one being Jurassic Park. Jurassic Park didn't just make them look good they also made you feel immersed and more "realistic". Why? Because the dinosaurs were actually there, and you could tell because they were puppets and not animated what so ever. The downsides are that you use them limited because of their sensitive angles and in some cases require more work then CGI or VFX. VFX is great which they use in a lot of today's modern movies a good example would be The Hobbit Trilogy, almost everything is CGI, this isn't bad when used correctly like Peter Jackson does in The Hobbit. One instances where there was bad CGI was I am Legend the dark seekers in this movie weren't all that great, none of it looked real, to fix this problem they could have just had a few actors play as them. Good directors with good tools make good movies, crappy directors with good tools still make crappy movies.

I liked this article just by reading it I could imagine hardcore fan boys mashing their keyboards in rage, which is funny because there isn't that much to get mad about. Like I said above they both have their advantages and disadvantages. Still others I know will disagree. Honestly if I had to choose between CGI or Puppets I would probably choose CGI in most cases just because that's my preference. One of the cases I wouldn't choose CGI would have to be an Alien reboot or something of the sorts to give it that classic or original feel. This article was pretty straight forward that being said I didn't learn nothing new. This is relevant to both classes of Digital Media. Overall entertaining article.