“In the analog world there were strict limits: you could only make a piece of wood or a violin do what it was capable of doing. In the digital world, there are no physical limits: it’s only a question of storage capacity, processor speed....”
This is probably the main reason why people use so many virtual set extensions nowadays rather than build sets. With built sets, puppets and people acting everything out, it might get a little too complicated, depending on the story. It might sometimes be that it is physically impossible to do something that the story requires to be done. For example, characters in a lot of horror movies twist up and walk all over the ceilings and walls. It is possible to build a set upside down and have the person walk ordinarily creating an illusion, however it is much quicker and simpler to shoot the actor on a green screen and have the rest done digitally.
“... it’s all about creating a window onto another world. A world where each of us can find our dreams, our fears and ourselves. All these effects we have are just tools to help us get there… And we have some fantastic tools, so use them, and make something great.”
The action can sometimes take place in outer space, or in a very abstract environment. As previously stated, it is possible to build a set that would make it look like the required environment, however in most cases, the completed effect does not look as realistic as the creators intended for it to look.
There are locations people can simply not be able to get to. Some movies are so abstract that no camera trick and no set will make it believable. It is also not just about us judging the movie when we watch it - it is about making it too. George Lucas talked about how limited he was when making the original Star Wars trilogy.
“Things have advanced so far in the last 20 years in terms of the ability to portrait things on the screen that were literally impossible before.”
The movie may not always be what the director wanted it to be, purely because of the limitations. Producers and creators have to settle to save money, as they cannot do such things, or it is too difficult or simply impossible. This is where the vfx comes in handy. With the use of special effects Lucas could make Yoda walk and fight and do all the things he wanted him to do and make the movie a lot more interesting from this specific point of view. Vfx makes artists proud of their outcome. They do not have to settle for anything anymore or change the script.
“Jackson has admitted that he could not have made the Lord of the Rings trilogy on the epic scale that he did without the help of the computer-generated imagery”
“Filmmakers no longer need to build elaborate sets or amass hoards of extras in order to create crowd scenes.”
When creating a digital environment you have a lot more control over it, whereas if you are shooting on location you have to pray and hope for a lot of external forces, e.g. weather to be ideal.
It is also more convenient, as the actors or the crew do not have to be taken away from their families for weeks or sometimes months. A lot of the time it is cheaper to bring the actors in front of a green screen and create a backdrop for the scene, rather than sending them up into the Himalayas and shoot there. When thinking of a location shooting it seems pretty straightforward, however it is not that simple to go out into the field with a camera and few lights, as there are many conditions which has to be considered.
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