Stories transcend cultures, generations, and time. Human beings have always communicated by story-telling, and it is no surprise that it remains one of the best, if not the best way to gain or give information.

In the early years, stories were communicated verbally around camp fires or over a cup of coffee. These action-filled, eloquent tales were passed down through the years and so spun tall tales and fables.

Ever since that time we have had plays, dramas, books, the printed press, and many other forms of story-telling. So when it comes to arguably the most exciting way to tell a story—cinema—it is of utmost importance that everything done by the creators of the movie supports the story.

For writers, directors, and actors this seems obvious, but for the VFX artist it is of equal importance to realize the significance of rich visuals that help tell the story.

When an audience walks into a theater, they expect to be wowed and astonished by what they see on the screen, but perhaps more importantly, they want to get lost in an experience.

This can be done by transporting the audience to worlds they never otherwise could have seen or experienced, or simply by suggesting concepts or emotions that connect with the audience member on a personal level.

From the very first few seconds of the movie, the audience should be asking questions about the protagonist or the antagonist. They should be asking questions based off the visual clues and cues they are given.

Therefore, those clues and cues have to mean something. Nothing is worse than pointless information thrown at the viewer simply because it looks cool. However grand or mundane the movie is, the story is how we make the connection to the audience and create something they will remember.

This means that visual effects should always aid in telling the story. The last thing you want to do as an artist is to distract from the true star of the movie: the story. A good rule of thumb to live by as an effects artist is: if it doesn’t help in telling the story, then change it or take it out.

Truly good effects, whether practical or computer generated, only exist to support the progression of the story being told. In the digital era, movies have gotten bigger and more impossible and some shots and scenes call for massive amounts of VFX to be added in post-production.

This only works if the effects are intricately designed to keep the audience fully engrossed in the moment and not distracted by something cool. This is why sometimes less is more. Consider Stephen Spielberg’s Jaws.

A terrifying story about a shark eating people, right? Yet the shark is only visible to the audience in a handful of shots and is kept a mystery for the majority of the film.

Drawing out the suspense helped to tell the story of Jaws and keep the terror fresh in the minds of everyone who watching it. Spielberg’s wisdom in movies is one of many examples of proper usage of any effect to further a movie’s tale.

Visual effects can be as simple as smoke added to a scene or as complex as an exploding star-field in space. Whatever the case may be that you are tasked in creating, take the time to look at just one frame of your work.

Does it speak to you? Does it cause you to ask questions? To want to know more? To have the urge to continue the journey? The answers to these questions should help in inspiring your endeavor to make it the best it possibly can be for betterment of the plot line.

Movies are an enormously exciting way to tell stories. The way we tell each story can have an impact on the individual watching either for good or for bad.

Make sure in all your work you strive for the best possible, achievable visual that supplements the story in a compelling and exciting way. This will lead to truly memorable stories that stand the test of time and entertain for generations to come.

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