Most of us who watch a lot of movies enjoy doing so because of the story, the setting, the writing and the list goes on. But these are all the final on-screen projects. We hardly ever think about the things that happened during the development process. As long as what we’re watching is fun and enjoyable, we watch it regardless of it being animated or otherwise. But which one is better and why, are the questions that occasionally pop up in our heads. Today we look at few of the factors involved in decidingbetween animation and live action features and hopefully get our answers.
Genres:
Depending on what genre the movie is, directors and producers decide what style suits the best. Don’t get me wrong, almost all the genres work for either of the styles. The factor here is the setting and the story of the movie. If the movie is supposed to have a lot of futuristic technological sci-fi stuff, then the producers would likely go for an animated movie. If the movie is a major drama where the majority of it takes place in a closed area, (for example, a court room, a hotel, etc…) a live action movie will most certainly receive better than an animated one.
Budget:
Studios with a lot of budget can produce a lot of high quality movies. The production value of such movies usually shoot up through the roof. But, there are a lot of upcoming independent directors and producers who have the potential to create high quality content, but not enough budget. In these cases, more often than not, the studios prefer to choose animation over live action. They don’t have to spend a lot of money as they can tell their story through the characters they create from scratch.
Target audience:
This is a big one. You always keep your target audience in mind before making anything. Because, if you make a movie catered to one particular set of people but try and sell it to everybody, you will get more negative feedbacks instead of positive ones. Which is why you see a lot of family movies being animated now a days, and a lot of live action movies getting mixed reactions.
Accessibility:
A lot of people who are new to making movies, won’t have enough money to do so. Most investors wouldn’t even be interested if they don’t know who you are. But there are animation software and websites available that teach it to you for free. You can browse online animation here skillshare.com and take a look for yourself. This helps the indie developers make a name for themselves without spending much.
At the end of the day, each has its own advantage and disadvantage. It all comes down to your preference and what type of content you want to produce.