A few days ago I watched the latest installment of the HP universe, Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore. I filmed the last scene of the film with my phone...terrible quality, I admit. But, I wanted to capture something that noticed in the film.
The scene ends with a close-up of Albus Dumbledore. We see a wizard unsure of what he's lost, unsure of where he's going. He begins walking on a lonely street, the shot changes, we see the solitary figure take steps into the unknown as the music rises and the scene fades to black.
Just how much of that last scene was real?
The film--like many modern films--looks spectacular. The effects are well done. Throughout the film, something looked...off. So many sets, so many locations that would be almost impossible to replicate in real life. Okay, not impossible, but very very expensive. And why build sets when a computer can make them look almost as good? At times, it was distracting.
Of course, the role for the audience for many films is the willing suspension of our disbelief. The role for the creators is to do their best to allow this to happen. I look at that last scene, the man walking up the street. It's almost as if nothing in that scene is real...the computer could have even generated Dumbledore (maybe it did...).
I'm amazed at the technical achievements of these films. They are some of the best in the industry. Still, at times, even the best...seems well, not authentic enough.
