In recent years, the use of visual
effects has grown substantially in
television. Producers realise that
special effects can set their content
apart in a crowded programming
space. It can transport viewers to ex
otic locations, make improbable
scenes real to audiences and turn pre
viously inaccessible ideas into tangi
ble products.
Special effects - or VFX, as they are
known in the trade - are no longer
confined to the genres of science
fiction and fantasy. But producers
must be careful not to indulge them
selves. An excess of computer-gen
erated imagery is no replacement for
strong plots or believable characters.
Television in the 21st century has
evolved into an interactive viewing
experience. Viewers can vote, play
and participate on their favourite
shows, all via their remotes. Pro
ducers of scripted entertainment are
battling to keep viewers' attention.
In keeping with this evolution, spe
cial effects are changing the way sto
ries unfold on TV screens. No longer
are audiences satisfied with descrip
tion. They demand to see how much
damage a bullet or an explosion caus
es. VFX can satisfy audiences' hunger,
but gratuitous visuals for their own
sake will merely spoil viewers' ap
petites.
The evolution of video effects has
changed the world of television pro
duction, too. Producers, freed from
the shackles of physical sets, are now
able to take audiences all over the
world, via green screen. When Daw
son's Creek went to Paris, only the
audience got to visit the Eiffel Tower.
All of Katie Holmes' scenes were
filmed in a production suite in North
Carolina.
Star Trek promised to “boldly go
where no man had gone before,” and
it did so by pioneering the use of
VFX. Today, we may have lost the
preoccupation with space, but shows
like Nip/Tuck and CSI give us images
of the human body that would pre
viously have seemed as alien to au
diences as any Klingon.
The quest to push the envelope
continues, but, as box-office flops
like Sky Captain and The World of
Tomorrow show, VFX is not a re
placement for physical sets.
But it has allowed producers to de
velop visually rich content at lower
cost. Budget shows with fixed shoot
ing schedules can now take viewers
anywhere they want. But audiences
are just as discerning about special
effects as they are about bad act
ing. Done correctly, though, special
effects can expand the range of con
tent by broadening storylines and
genres.
So, though Star Trek may no
longer be prime time viewing, VFX
can still take viewers where no fan
has gone before.