Putting Hi-tech in perspective

SOME of us, let’s admit it to our shame, are no special effects (SFX) buffs. In fact, every time a movie, laden with 10 minutes or more of SFX and other advanced computational graphics is unleashed on theatres and greeted with much fanfare by the media, including SCREEN, some of us secretly wonder what all the fuss is about. Who knows, we may not be in a minority here, after all!

SFX, particularly as they exist in our own movies, have left us cold. They have failed to enthuse most viewers simply because they’ve been tagged on as a gimmick. In nine cases out of ten, it’s the producers who’re not quite sure of the merits of the story and script who opt for SFX and other high-end graphics. Always at prohibitive costs, too. They hope at least the effects will bring in the viewers if nothing else will.

The same rule applies in other fields as well. Nearly always, it’s the incompetent musician who resorts to gimmicks such as smashing guitars and other equipment during a live concert. The good ones don’t need to do this: they have faith enough in their music. Imagine what would happen if the gimmick were the only highlight of the concert. In fact, such has been the case with most of our SFX-packed movies.

CONFESSIONS OF A GURU
THAT’S why the Mumbai visit of Bill Buxton, Hollywood’s SFX guru, last week, could serve as an eye-opener for some. As chief scientist with Silicon Graphics and professor of Computer Science with the University of Toronto, Buxton’s expertise has powered some of Hollywood’s biggest blockbusters. He’s seen it all, done it all. Yet, he admits, people have over-estimated the power of technology. Technology, he feels, will never dominate the filmmaking process at any point in the future, because the story will continue to do so. And no amount of SFX can hide the lack of a good script.

Not that we need Buxton to tell us that. It’s just that so many of our filmmakers seem so utterly sold on the lie that gloss and technical finesse and the presence of stars in the cast can ensure success, that sometimes, they need a stranger to put things back in perspective. Lavishly-mounted movies and graphics tagged on at huge costs do not hide the lack of a story -- they only make it stick out like the proverbial sore thumb.

True, digital filmmaking is on the verge of completely, ruthlessly re-writing the rules of the game. Thanks to the new technology, all it takes is a modest camcorder -- some of them come for as little as Rs 1 lakh -- and of course, your home PC, that will enable you to shoot, edit and thus, produce a truly broadcast-worthy film. We’re bang on the threshold of transition from a chemistry-oriented system of filmmaking to a technology-oriented one. Silver negatives will soon go the way of all obsolete technology. But let’s not forget that here, too, technology does not obviate the need for a competent story. In the absence of a good enough script, your own digitally-made film will amuse few others but yourself. And filmmaking will remain purely an exercise in self-indulgence.

In India, the idea of 3-D and virtual reality films are yet to become a major thrust area for our filmmakers, though some of them can well afford to give it a try. In Hollywood, it has. The way technology is headed, moviebuffs may soon experience near-perfect simulation inside the theatres. It may cater to almost our senses. But will it all work? Buxton is unwilling to nod in the affirmative, because with virtual reality, the credibility element takes a beating. Chances are, you will always be aware that everything you’re experiencing has been simulated, that none of it’s for real. Will you still like it then? You tell us.

Yet, it’s not as if our special effects houses, homegrown success stories, all of them, are going to take the back seat from now on. In fact, they’re going to hog a lot more of the international spotlight and business, if Buxton’s to be believed. As in the case of information technology, the costs of hiring Indian talent are infinitely lesser than those in Hollywood and elsewhere. So, more of the production work will soon be outsourced from India.

And the boom time could begin any minute now.

Shaju George Alex