How Important Is Visual Effects In Film?

“The most important thing is that you have to have the visual effects working for you instead of you working for the visual effects” – David Heyman

In my case, regarding my short film, visual effects are very important! But let’s rewind a bit and talk about my grant. The news about my grant win was great and I was glad that I’d put in the extra time to create a synopsis, movie poster, and detailed budget which allowed me to pounce on the opportunity when it presented itself. However, the feeling of elation was short-lived because I still had to finish editing the trailer.

As Alyscia, Ihana, and I were on the zoom call, I finally got to see the backend systems of Adobe Premiere Pro for the first time. Quite honestly, I was all the way confused. Seeing all the blue, orange, and red colors being moved around simultaneously as Ihana worked her magic to keep up with Alyscia’s advice made my head spin.

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What is the purpose of visual effects?

To create a breathtaking experience. It enables a form of art to go from dull to exquisite.

Visual effects are mainly known for creating the supernatural, fierce battles, transformations, magical powers etc.

When you watch these films for the first time, what did your eyes do? They lit up, didn’t they? I mean, eyes wide, eyes glued to the screen, appetite and thirst suppressed, not knowing whether or not you blinked within the last 2-3 hours. Visual effects make us believe that there’s a world outside of normal humanity. 

Audiences want that – to get a break from the stress and struggles of everyday life. To be able to turn off the lights for a few hours and be somewhere else (in an alternate universe). 

Visual Effects = attraction

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Currently, the trailer sat at 1 minute 38 seconds. Realizing that it was too long I had to accept that it contained too many characters and shots that revealed too much information for the end viewer to see. Also, we decided that the core scene that explained the main premise of the film should be split into multiple shots that held specific lines and played throughout the entire trailer while incorporating 2-3 second supporting shots in between.

Make’s complete sense!

After about 45 minutes we took a little break so Ihana could digest her notes. I took the opportunity to finally eat some breakfast as I was feeling a bit tense because I was afraid that some of the scenes we cut would cause some friction with the actors.

But I had to realize that it’s a part of the process – nothing personal.

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How important are visual effects in film?

Visual effects allow a filmmaker to bring the impossible and/or unrealistic stories to life. The highest grossing films of our century are known for their spectacular visual effects. Examples include franchises such as: Titanic, Avatar, Marvel, Transformers, Twilight, Game of Thrones, Jurassic Park, Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter and Planet of the Apes.

Visuals attract attention and attention is needed for marketing. To market any film people, need to first see snippets of it and then work to figure out where the film is showing, what it’s about etc. These visuals can be in the form of drawings, images of scripts, behind the scenes etc. Visuals create engagement, it gets people talking and when people talk, money talks.

Let’s take this conversation out of film for a moment and let’s look at music. Who is the most popular female musician today?

Easy. Beyoncé.

Why is that so?

Mainly because of her tours. 

Why are her tours so successful?

Her visuals. From the lights, fire, wardrobe, choreography, dancers, stage design etc. It’s unmatched. Each time she makes a post, her attention and engagement increase adding to her success.

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I quickly finish my food and return to the zoom call where Ihana had finished implementing the changes. The trailer is now 38 seconds. Much better. We watched what she’d come up with and we were all relieved and happy with what she’d produced. You could still understand everything and still be left with a lot of interesting questions. Finally!

A week later I send the trailer off to the visual effects artist (Dannie Leigh) who’d been waiting 4 months to receive the footage. After a few days, she sends me an email asking if the footage was shot in S-Log and if it had already been color graded? I tell her “No” to both questions and she immediately asks for a zoom call. (Oh no. That can’t be good. My nerves start picking up again).

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What is the need for visual effects?

Honestly, there is no mandatory need to have visual effects in your film if you don’t desire to have it. Also, visual effects can be pretty costly especially if you want to have it done right.

But visual effects help in giving your film an appeal and most importantly it gets people in seats to watch your film.

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We finally meet-up and I was glad to see that she was in good spirits. She informed me that because the footage was not shot in S-Log it would be a bit difficult to add in the VFX. However, difficult didn’t mean it couldn’t be done. Only that her stage of the post-production process would take longer than normal.

Okay. I can work with that. I can be patient!

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Check out this video by Insider:

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Other Posts You May Be Interested In:

• How Important Is Production Design In Film?
• How To Save Money With Archival Footage?
• What To Do When Your Film Shoot Fails?

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Disclaimer: 

The author is not liable for any losses or damages related to actions of failure to act related to the content in this article. If you need specific legal advice, consult with an attorney who specializes in your subject matter and jurisdiction.