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So instead of using special effects should alien movies just be done in costume? And flying objects suspended by strings? Or should these movies that cannot be made by old-school filmmaking just not be made at all?
I think he’s addicted to making great films, unless you think the over-the-top and mind-blowing effects used in Titanic also come from his addiction…

I think it may be possible that you are missing the point of this post as well as this video. It is all in jest. As it clarifies at the bottom of the story “This is obviously all in good fun.” I’m certain no one actually feels as if Mr. Cameron is addicted to effects, as someone would be a drug.

If you want to get serious in this discussion for a second then I will tell you no, I am not opposed to effects being used in film. Obviously, this would be very closed minded of me as a lover of film. Effects have made things possible in movies that would otherwise not be without them. Effects allow the human imagination to conceptualize a vision and run with it without boundaries. They’ve taken us to the past, the future and, in AVATAR’s case, new planets beyond Earth and reality.

However, in the broad spectrum of things, effects can also be a crutch just as much as a creative tool. I am from the school of thought that they should only be used if justified by the film. In other words, just because we have the bazooka in our arsenal doesn’t mean we have to use it when the pistol gets the job done just fine. Look at what Christopher Nolan did with THE DARK KNIGHT. That film had very few effects considering it was a huge blockbuster. In that case, it worked for the film and its story, ultimately making it a better experience. But then look at a film like I AM LEGEND. They created their creatures out of CG when practical effects (IE: people in make-up) would have worked for the film, its story and its emotion much more than the CG creatures. WOLVERINE is another example of a film which used CG in place of practical effects (his claws) ultimately taking me out of the film instead of drawing me in more.

Bringing it back home to AVATAR, that film would not have even been possible without effects. In its case, it was not a crutch or a helpful tool but the creation itself. It’s no doubt that it would not have been the same film without its technology. Like the movie or not, that effects are the one thing most people have seemed to agree on and praised about the film.

So, to reiterate, no. I do not believe that these movies that cannot be made by old school filmmaking should not be made at all. I do however think that they should be made accordingly, whether that means using effects or not.

We just discussed this last night in group. Thanks for sharing.