Digital Storytelling - Shilo T. McClean.

The Bastard Spawn: Hollywood computer-generated-effects movies

In the first chapter of the book called “Digital Storytelling” by Shilo T. McClean, the author is trying to answer five questions.

Does using DVFx undermine classical storytelling structure?
Are DVFx being used as a substitute for story?
Do DVFx always draw attention to themselves?
Should DVFx be limited to certain genres?
Have DVFx fundamentally changed the filmmaking process? And if so, how?

He does this by looking at other peoples reviews of films to try and see their point of view. Then he says his point of view. He concludes that digital effects are derived from the story and most of the time you would not know what is computer generated and what was actually real. He also talks about have DVFx can be used in any genre.

Paraphrasing

McStay (2017) talk about a common question that is asked about people’s use of online media is if they care about their data practices. For example, people do not read terms and conditions. McStay (2017) and his colleagues have studied this by reviewing people’s feelings about privacy and surveillance in the UK and Europe from 2013-15. The found that the advertising industry, NGOs and academia had a lot of concern about their control of personal information.

Mcstay, A. (2017) 2017 in privacy and the media. London: Sage

Lights, camera ... too much action: how special effects are ruining movies

By Lauren James

This website talks about three people’s views on visual effects. Steven Williams, Scott Ross and Mark Dippe. They are all working in the visual effects industry and they have all said that visual effects are ruining a lot of new movies.

One reason that they think VFX is ruining movies is that the film company’s look at the top 20 films and see that they use a lot of visual effects and think that the best way to make a good movie is to use a lot of visual effects. But usually, they do not do well because the main focus should be the story.

“Dippe feels VFX is simply too much of a good thing. “It’s like chocolate,” he says. “Everybody loves it, so they just keep pouring it on. But now the whole thing is covered in chocolate.”

“Williams sums up the group’s views, saying: “Unfortunately, we’re just not fans of special effects anymore – it has destroyed movie making. The viewer’s imagination isn’t given a job anymore, it’s all shovelled on them.”

James, L. (2017) Lights, camera ... too much action: how special effects are ruining movies. Available at: https://yp.scmp.com/entertainment/movies/article/105341/lights-camera-too-much-action-how-special-effects-are-ruining (Accessed: 07/10/2018).

Planning for the first assessment

Uncanny valley - 1 minute paper

In concise, well-planned sentences, please answer the two questions below:

1. What are the two [three, four, five] most significant [central, useful, meaningful, surprising] things you have learned during this session?

The most surprising thing that I learned in this session was that the galaxy advert created a computer generated version of Audry Hepburt. Even after we watched it again it still looked like a real person.

The main thing that I found useful was the uncanny valley graph. It showed me that you will make the audience happier if you create something that is not supposed to look realistic, rather than trying to make it look realistic and it not looking right.

2. What question(s) remain uppermost in your mind?

How do you know if the character that you are trying to create looks relistic enough to cross over the uncany valley?

3. Is there anything you did not understand?

I feel like I understand everything that was talked about in the session.