Mind Expanding Graphics.

After reading from one of the Harry Potter novels with my grade-school-age daughter recently, I casually mused, "Won't it be great when the movie comes out, and we can see what everything looks like?"

"NO, THAT WILL RUIN IT!" she blurted. "I have a picture in my mind of how everything looks, and so do all my friends, and we see things differently" she explained. "Like, I think the scar on Harry's forehead goes straight up and down, but some think it goes sideways. How could that be? But that's what makes it so much fun."

Gee, I thought, are the artists and animators that create fantastic scenes and special effects for movies such as Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (scheduled to be released this November) ruining the fun for people who want to invent fantasy worlds in their own minds? Have we reached a point where artists can create images of anything they can dream up with such realism that nothing is left to the imagination?

Before getting too carried away, I figured I should check in with readers, who, after all, have probably spent more time looking at computer graphics imagery than any other group and therefore could best speak to the issue. So in a recent issue of our weekly email newsletter, we surveyed readers to see if they felt that their imagination has been expanded or has atrophied as a result of computer graphics. Here's what we asked:

"As you're reading a novel, do you feel that your ability to imagine the scenes and actions being described--particularly those that might conjure up fantastical imagery--has been enhanced by the many computer graphics images and effects you have seen over the years? Or, do you rely less on your own imagination, preferring instead to wait to see a graphical representation of such scenes created by someone else, perhaps in a movie version of the novel?"

Well, the results are in, and I'm pleased to report that the majority of respondents feel that their imagination has not suffered from viewing computer graphics imagery, but has been stimulated by it. Moreover, for some, the act of creating computer art, compared to just looking at it, appears to play an even greater role in expanding the imagination. At the same time, respondents would rather not wait to see a movie version of a novel, but prefer to create their own mental pictures first. What follows are excerpts from some of the many thoughtful comments we received:

* I believe that my work in 3D and my enjoyment of 3D imagery has enhanced my imaginative state in all areas. I don't look forward to movie adaptations of novels I have read, because that spoils the visuals in my head. For example, I probably won't see the Harry Potter movie for that very reason. I want to finish the series, all seven books, with my own vision and not allow the limits of the studio film to inhibit my imagination. But I also look forward to seeing what others can create that my mind didn't catch, so I'll definitely check it out after the series is finished. I think the creation of visuals in movies has allowed our minds to expand into ever more fantastical realms than would have been possible before. --Shawn Sedoff