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The Speed Death of the Eye: The Ideology of Hollywood Film Special Effects

University of Western Ontario

In the late 20th and early 21st centuries, increased computing power has made possible extraordinary leaps in film special effects. This article argues that special effects developed since the beginning of digital animation, when coupled with standard editing room techniques (jump cuts, cutaways), have brought us to an era where the eye cannot keep pace with on-screen events. It is arguable that video gamers are best equipped to handle the visual overload produced by action films' effects. The article enumerates a series of techniques used in current action films to bring about visual excess that has an upsetting, exciting, overwhelming somatic effect on the viewer; these same effects are indispensable for the success of contemporary blockbuster action movies. Following theorist Paul Virilio's arguments, this article suggests that a machine ideology drives the perceptual system to dizzying limits, resulting in the "speed death of the eye."

Key Words: film • special effects • action movies • Paul Virilio • visual overload

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