First of all, one explanation that supports this claim is that audiences have grown to have an interest in the development of technology shown within today’s films. This means that movie fans will only go and see a film that offers an advanced visual experience in order to observe whether or not the special effects are going to suspend belief. An example of this is a movie such as the 2013 box office hit Gravity, the company which made this project would have to provide the most realistic and ground breaking visual effects due to the fact that the film’s setting is in space. As this is a movie pitch that has been seen many times before, the visual effects team working on this film would have to upstand the special effects of previous movies revolving around space because this would attract a larger audience. Due to the hard work of the company, audiences would be mainly attracted to a film such as Gravity because they would want to find out if the filmmakers have set a new standard for visual effects in sci-fi movies and not necessarily for the plot.
Despite this, visual effects may not be the main attraction for audiences in terms of film as directors can also be considered a huge marketing success. The directors are the ones who turn a written idea into a global visual experience and there are several of them who are well known and apply to a variety of target audiences. Therefore, if the director of an upcoming film is popular then the chances of their latest work being seen by a large number of people is in their favour. This can be evident by the example of Steven Spielberg, who is one of the most recognisable names and faces in the directing industry, he applies to a large selection of interests of movie fanatics which has the effects of all his movies having an attractive appeal. Furthermore, directors have been around since the days of which visual effects were not as astounding as they are now and this means that majority of directors have a long term fan base who are loyal. Regardless of how spectacular the visual effects are, if a movie is brought to you by a well-known and respected director, then audiences will be instantly attracted to a film as they are a supporter of the director’s work.
However, the statement of visual effects being the supreme attraction for audiences can still be accurate because many people in today’s age enjoy seeing visually stunning films. If a movie has a solid set of special effects that are interesting to witness, then audiences will go and see the movie due to how advanced it looks. Some critics and everyday movie buffs would agree with the concept of “bigger is better” therefore they will only think that a movie is worth seeing if the visual effects are of a high standard. This argument can be developed further by suggesting that audiences have a desire to be blown away by what they see in a movie. This means that someone may go watch a movie because they want to feel an unforgettable experience provided to them by the visual effects. An example of this could be the movie Ben Hur (2016 remake) because it can propose the type of atmosphere that audiences are searching for in this idea. The chariot scene in this remake may shock audiences due to how spectacular the visual effects are as well as the aftermath they may have on viewers. As the scene was done with amazing special effects then audiences watching will be astounded and feel as if they are in the moment of the film because of how realistic the effects are. They make the scene impossible to ignore and all in all giving the audience a worthwhile experience that they will want to share with peer movie lovers.
On the other hand, a solid point that disproves the claim is that it is in fact an A-lister cast that holds the main attraction for movie fans. Similar to directors, many Hollywood actors have supporters of a large scale globally and this has the effect of any movie with themselves featured will be one of the main reasons anyone will see the film. Actors can appeal to children and also adults so a variety of ages will be interested in an upcoming role they are playing. In addition to that they are many actors that are associated with a discrete genre of film. If someone is a huge fan of comedy, then a movie with stars such as Seth Rogen or Kevin Hart for example, will be a movie that they want to see because of the attraction of the cast which works well within the comedic style. Another example is that if a star of a film is an academy award winner such as Jack Nicholson, then people will feel that the movie must be worth putting time into because academy award winners will want to uphold their reputation by being in movies that benefit their winning streak. In order to succeed further in the film industry, actors such as Nicholson will choose to appear in films that they think are going to be popular, this will have the effect of audiences deciding to see a film due to the respectable starts portraying roles in it.
One more reason as to why the claim is not agreeable is that films share the purpose of telling a story. People enjoy being distracted by the reality of their own lives through the use of an interesting plot a movie has to offer, if the storyline is solid and keeps the audience focused on the movie then they will be attracted to it because of that instead of effects. Many movie fans care more about what they film is trying to tell them in its story and this drives them to only give a film their time if the plot is well drafted, causing them to give less attention to the visual aspect of the experience. Many would agree that a film should provide more of an experience using storytelling involving creativity and emotion rather than providing aesthetically pleasing features using technology, as this gives the film a more grounded feel to it.
In conclusion, I personally feel that visual effects are not in fact the main attraction to audiences as majority of movie fans that I have met tend to appreciate a film’s interesting story and selection of talented actors. Of course, visual effects play a huge part in bringing a director’s story to life for audiences to experience and enjoy for themselves. However, if a film aims to be successful then it must provide a story that stays with the audience for the long term as well as having an effect on how they see future films and the craft of making films. This is done through an emotive story and well portrayed roles of likable characters and so visual effects play no part in having this aftermath of watching a film.
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