Practical Effects and CGI (MMM #14)
Hey all,
Wishing you all a Happy Holidays and New year! Madeline here, back again with the first entry in The Movie Minute of 2025! Today’s topic will be the comparison of two main types of special effects used in filmmaking: practical effects vs. CGI. Special effects are an essential part of creating the most visually appealing film possible that will wow audiences. But what is the right way to implement such effects?
Originally, practical effects were pretty much the only option, which forced filmmakers to think outside the box to effectively convince their audiences. For example, the Pepper’s Ghost illusion made use of light reflection to make subjects appear on a glass panel without physically being in the area where the subject is standing.
Examples of various practical effects that are still used in the modern day, according to StudioBinder’s Jonathan Scott, include puppetry, pyrotechnics, miniatures, stop motion animation,prosthetics and makeup. Each of these necessitate the use of a dedicated team with skill and training to effectively and safely perform these effects to ensure an effective and safe production. And while practical effects are often used to make the film more immersive for audiences, they can also immerse the talent on-screen as well by further allowing the actors to interact with objects (i.e. props) and other elements that will greatly enhance their performances in their roles.
On the other hand, visual effects through CGI made their advent in more recent years as computer systems became more advanced and accessible. According to VFX Cookbook, technologies such as motion capture, green screen, and CGI animation have brought many new possibilities into the filmmaking world, especially when used in tandem with practical effects in films such as Jurassic Park. However, the use of CGI alone over practical effects in some cases has received criticism, often lambasting studios for “being cheap” or creating an “uncanny valley” feeling, with a notorious example being the 2019 film adaptation of the musical Cats, which used CGI and motion capture to transform the actors into anthropomorphic cats as opposed to using costumes and makeup.
Of course, there are some cases where CGI can be the more practical option. For example, while the original Star Wars trilogy portrayed the character Yoda through puppetry, the prequel trilogy used CGI to portray Yoda in some scenes that would be quite difficult to portray using a puppet. In addition, due to the cost in time and money associated with practical effects, as well as different limitation CGI may be the only viable option for certain productions depending on budget and turnaround time, and can even be beneficial whenever used on its own or together with practical effects.
”One of my favorite small channels for miniatures is called “slice of life” or slice of life films. They made a Blade Runner-inspired short film with next to nothing (won a few laurels/festivals) and posted the behind-the-scenes videos to their YouTube channel. This last year, they finished a feature film using miniatures that they laser cut and created using unconventional means. The film is based on a NASA engineer who invented the “splash” guard in urinals – that film was purchased by one of HBO’s area platforms in 2024.” -Jacob Centeno, Creative Director
Overall, both practical effects and CGI have their pros and cons, and ultimately whether to use one or the other or both depends on the production. Whether on a large-scale blockbuster or a small indie project, it’s vital that you go over the possibilities with your crew, as well as evaluating budget and time constraints to determine the best way to apply special effects to boost your project’s power and immersion.
And before we close out, let’s give a shoutout to Justine Shaw, a student at Savannah College of Art and Design (where I graduated from as well) who attended SOWF’s C2CT conference (then known as SFO). Justine is majoring in animation and illustration, and has extensive experience with miniatures, puppetry, and stop motion animation. The video resume we produced for her can be seen here, which includes a showcase of her work:
That’s all for this entry in The Movie Minute. Starting this year, we’re switching to posting every two weeks as opposed to every week, as this will help immensely in creating more engaging blogs. See y’all in 2! -Madeline
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Sources:
https://www.vfxcookbook.com/cgi-vs-practical-effects
https://www.studiobinder.com/blog/what-are-practical-effects-movies/