11.3M views · Aug 4, 2015 · 7:40 · 3 HN recommenders · 7 mentions · discussed 2017–2023
RocketJump Film School argues that we only notice bad CG while great CG is invisible, so CG seems to be everywhere ruining movies when it often is not.
Why Hacker News points people here: Used as a counterpoint whenever commenters claim CGI always looks fake.
“This video from a few years ago is a great counterpoint”HN comment, 2022
“Highly relevant YouTube video”
We only notice bad CG; good CG is invisible
Computer graphics are already better than a lot of people realize, because now you only "see" the bad effects. The good effects you often don't notice. Highly relevant YouTube video: this video While they may not quite be there yet, I think a lot of the modern animated movies are deliberately affecting a style, rather than being forced into one by the technology.
“Related video about why people think CGI sucks or is still in the uncanny valley”
We only see bad CGI, so we think it all sucks
Related video about why people think CGI sucks or is still in the uncanny valley: this video Basically we consider CGI bad because we only see bad CGI. If it's used properly and the director/creator understands its limitations we either don't notice it or use our suspension of disbelief and don't care.
“This video from a few years ago is a great counterpoint”
Argues we only notice CGI when it is bad
This video from a few years ago is a great counterpoint: this video It's not defending all CGI, just arguing that we only notice it when it's bad. It's basically a toupée fallacy
Cited to rebut claim CGI looks fake
> He's saying that CGI, despite decades of progress, seem _fake_ in a way that subtly destroys our sense of immersion Because he choses to use bad CGI in comparisons and completely ignores all the cases where CGI is invisible. See Why CG Sucks (Except It Doesn't) this video "I think that CG looks bad is because we only see bad CG. Amazing, wonderfully executed CG is everywhere, we just don't know it"
Only bad CGI is distinguishable from live action
> even today, a discerning viewer can still tell CGI apart from live action You can tell BAD CGI apart from live action. this video
Modern CGI is more plentiful and better than before
> CGI now somehow looks worse than VFX 10-30 years ago It's somewhat incorrect. We now have significantly more CGI, and most of it significantly better. See, e.g., Why C.G. Sucks (Except It Doesn't) this video However, the over-reliance on CGI is a problem
Analogy: good CGI goes unnoticed like good SPAs
> A good SPA is indistinguishable from a native app. Exactly. It’s like CGI in movies. People always talk about how bad CGI is, without realizing just how much good CGI they never notice. this video
