COP3 Proposal

Visual Effects and the audience's perception of story in contemporary TV drama.

In my project, I want to explore the power of how a story is delivered. Most people would agree that in TV and film entertainment, the story is paramount. However in modern content, you’d struggle to find a show or film that does not utilize visual effects in some shape or form. Whether it is used to establish a scene in a matte painting or to have a full on CG character/creature, it is used usually used to aid the story.

Popular opinion is that visual effects are being overused in movies to the point where it is actually a hindrance to the story, that the filmmakers are being lazy in telling their stories because they know they still have visual effects to make it look interesting.

I wish to learn and evidence that it is not so simple as that. If visual effects are used well to the service of the story they should be seamless in an effort to immerse you further into the story.

For my practical, I am planning to create a scene three separate times. The first without any visual effects (filming around the need for visual effects). The next version will be done with simple practical effects to at least tell the story in a more visual manner. Then the final version will be that same scene but with visual effects to the best of my ability. They should all fundamentally tell the same story, however the delivery of the story could also make an impact on which version people prefer and which they feel communicates the information needed more effectively. This should hopefully help me learn about the differences needed to tell a story and also how to work around the tools we have at our disposal.

At this moment in time, I am still in search of what scene I am going to make into my three clips. I will choose based on how much information is communicated in the scene and how complex of an effect it would be.

For case studies I will be selecting drama that involves good story and less so effects, and then something else with a rather lackluster story but with stunning visual effects. I can find a few examples of both and compare how they sit with popular opinion.

Some books I am using to aid in my research are:

• Story - Robert Mckee
• The Hero with a Thousand Faces - Joseph Campbell
• Digital Storytelling: The Narrative Power of Visual Effects in Film - Shilo T. McClean
• Digital Visual Effects in Cinema: The Seduction of Reality - Stephen Prince