My recent 24th birthday has been a particularly special occasion largely due to a certain present which I received, one that allowed me to take a trip down memory lane and recall the excitement of my childhood. This present was the complete box-set of Gerry Anderson’s original ‘Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons’. Joyfully re-watching these old favourites (ok, I wasn’t around when they first aired but so what?) reminded me that great spectacle and great imagination can be done WITHOUT the need of a computer screen.
Gerry Anderson’s peak was long before Computer Generated Imagery even existed (computer graphics would first appear in the 1970s). Along with ‘Captain Scarlet’ there was of course Supercar, Fireball XL5, Stingray, Thunderbirds, and Joe 90. Each programme required intricate planning and any explosions set off were very real. In the latter programmes (‘Scarlet’ and Joe 90) greater attempts were made to ensure the puppets had more lifelike features (five o’clock shadow and smaller eyes/ lips). Every single detail was constructed with the help of actual human hands.
Aside from these amazing special effects (which still hold up well today) each programme had a genuine story and characters that were well developed and highly likeable.
I may be sounding old before my time but to me shows like these contain a certain charm which is (largely) absent in films and television programmes nowadays. Having watched certain movies that rely heavily on CGI but are lacking in genuine creativity, I have been reminded how much we currently take special effects for granted. The fact that trash like ‘Transformers 2’ has raked in as much money as it has (around $800 million worldwide) is frankly a travesty.
I do not seek to condemn CGI entirely however. When it is used well (i.e. backed up with a strong creative script) the results can be genuinely impressive. Animation company Pixar have arguably pulled this off most effectively with the likes of ‘Toy Story’, ‘Monsters Inc.’ (in particularly Sully’s fur, which required each individual hair to be animated), ‘Finding Nemo’ (which took three years to produce) and, most recently, ‘Up’, which I am still desperate to see. More importantly however films such as these contain a certain charm and demonstrate a strong imagination. Sadly these films increasingly seem to be the exception rather than the rule.
Maybe it is a case of too much of a good thing and like all good things they can be overused. However if I had to watch either giant computer robots smashing each other to pieces or a model Thunderbird 2 blasting off into the sky, I know which one I would pick.
Richard
3 months, 1 week ago
How right you are - as a middle aged Andergeek, I went to one of the conventions held from time to time. By far the most exciting items on display were either original or quality copies of the sixties models. It’s the fact that they actually existed that endowed them with a certain cachet. Whilst the much under exploited New Captain Scarlet was a technical triumph, it was “only” CGI.