Greater Cost

• By some estimates James Cameron's "Avatar" is the most expensive movie ever.Kevin Winter/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images
  
  Paradoxically, a growing reliance on computer technology has actually driven film production budgets higher. Although the cost of physical sets, models and traditional effects has gone down, the cost of computers, software, servers and, most of all, the highly paid CG artists and animators has driven the total cost of popcorn films higher. "Jurassic Park," which relied remarkably little on computer effects, cost less than $100 million (in 2010 dollars). Recent hits such as "Alice in Wonderland," "Iron Man 2" and "Avatar" all had budgets exceeding $200 million.
  
  

Blurring the Lines of Animation

• Steven Spielberg's "Tintin" film employs both live actors and animation.John Shearer/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images
  
  Not long ago, there were live-action films and animated ones. Today, that distinction is growing increasingly fuzzy. Was "Avatar" an animated film with occasional live-action actors? What about the motion-capture "Tintin," which had actors perform their roles wearing state-of-the-art suits that dictate the movement of an animated character? Many film-goers feel that despite the increasing sophistication of computer generated imagery, it nevertheless feels unreal and distances the viewer from the greater immediacy of authentic live-action images.
  
  

Escalation of Expectations

• The effects in Sam Raimi's "Spiderman" have not aged well.Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images
  
  Computer technology has improved so rapidly that once impressive images from just a few years ago now look dated, in a way that traditional film images from much longer ago do not. Computer effects from the late 1990s and early 2000s are often singled out for ridicule among film fans. Movies such as "Twister," "Spiderman" and "The Matrix: Reloaded" had ambitious computer effects that now can cause cringes among fans. Digital cameras themselves have developed significantly, and all-digital films like "Star Wars: Attack of the Clones," shot on an early Sony 24p prototype, have significantly lower resolution than recent digital movies.
  
  

Challenges for Actors

• Ewan McGregor has been vocal about his dislike of green screen acting.Kevin Winter/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images
  
  Many actors long for the days when sets were real, stunts were live and directors sat inches out of frame instead of parked yards away in front of a bank of digital monitors. The increased technological challenges of filmmaking have pushed the task of the actor close to that of a technician. Actors frequently are asked to react to unseen, as-yet un-animated sights or even characters. Sets are often replaced with a green or blue screen. Sometimes actors are shot at different times, with their performances spliced together after the fact, without ever meeting one another.