Spielberg predicted the direction of film development in The Mask of Zorro

Years ago, Spielberg predicted where cinematography was headed. So much so that he told Antonio Banderas to be proud of The Mask of Zorro, which he said would be one of the last major blockbusters to rely entirely on traditional special effects.

Spielberg is a veteran of the film industry and knows it well. So as early as 1997, he realized that there would be a major change in the way movies were made and what audiences expected. He talked about this with Spanish actor Antonio Banderas when he visited the set of The Mask of Zorro, starring Banderas.

Banderas recounted this conversation with the director in a recent interview. He admitted that Spielberg came to the set as the producer of "The Mask of Zorro" and then they had a conversation that Banderas still remembers vividly.

Banderas said: "Steven Spielberg said to me when we were shooting: 'This is probably the last Western that will be made like the old days, with real sets, real horses, everything is real, (real) sword fights, no CGI.' Everything is based on traditional special effects."

"He also said, 'But things change, and they change quickly. So you should be proud of this movie.' I'm more proud now than I was then. When I made Zorro, I didn't fully realise it would have such an impact, and that it still does 25 years later. It's a really great adventure movie with so many elements that make it great. I'm just filled with great memories."

As you can see, both men were proud to be involved in a project that relied entirely on traditional special effects. Later, as Spielberg had predicted, CGI technology became more and more common, and many films today cannot do without it. CGI has become an integral part of film photography, and in many cases, special effects production takes precedence over traditional special effects.

So, as you can see, Spielberg did succeed in predicting what modern cinematography would look like.