I’ve been playing with 3D effects for years, and I routinely ask “how did they do that?!”
Anyone who thinks the computer does all the work has no idea what they’re talking about. It takes an enormous amount of work and creativity to pull some of this stuff off. That doesn’t detract from the old school special effects stuff, it’s just different.
Agreed. Just because the artist is using a computer rather than film, it doesn’t make them any less an artist.
In the end, if you don’t have a good story, and good writing—the best artists couldn’t make a good production.
It’s about the end product.