Sarah A.

Campos de la Iglesia
4/12/15

WRITING FOLDER 2 PART 2 REVIEW

P. 38 SPECIAL EFFECTS: ESSENTIAL NOWADAYS OR DISTRACTING?
Special effects are considered as a common feature in nowadays films, but actually they
are an invention of the XX century. One of the first films I saw as a child and that
caused an impact on me, especially because of the special effects, was Titanic. It was
realised in 1997, and by the time technologies were remarkably developed.
Titanic describes the romantic history of two of the passengers aboard the RMS Titanic,
a transatlantic on its first travel from The Hamptons to New York. The story has a subplot about the struggles the couple, which comes from different social classes, has to
confront. The main plot is how they and all the travellers faced the unfortunate sinking.
Special effects appear during the whole film, recreating the calmed water, the flow of
the waves, the movement of the vessel. But the strong point is the moment when the
boat breaks in two, due to the iceberg and the water comes like a rough river thought the
corridors, devastating everything that is on its way. I could feel I was in there trying to
scape from death.
The key for the major success of this film is in my opinion the special effects, as well as
the touching romance and the dramatic memory of a terrible reality that was the sinking
of the RMS Titanic.
Are special effects indispensable in nowadays films? As I see it, it depends on the type
of film. On the one hand, it cant be denied that an action film without special effects
makes it really unreal. Due to this technological progress the public is able to transport
to other time, country, situation and that makes us enjoy and experience more a film.
One the other hand, other kind of films, not action-based, but romantic, comedies, and
so on, may not require this digital imaging in order to fascinate the audience.