Do you miss the fog machine?

Hmm... So that is why some newer movies look so clean? I never considered that. Perhaps real time fog makes for more difficult retakes or CGI? Only guessing here.

Or maybe there is a second hand fog complaint among actors.

My theory is, apart of the possible legal issue, that directors just no longer want to take the trouble of doing things the oldfashion way, even if they have to sacrifice realism in doing so. Maybe nowadays time is more expensive than cgi, and they don't want to take the time to fill a up a set with smoke anymore. In "Blade Runner" they created a whole miniature model of the cityscape and they filled it up with smoke to create the illusion of space and distance. This type of artistic ingenuity is what makes that movie one of a kind. I am pretty sure Blade Runner 2049 will use just cgi, unfortunately. 

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It's really not that expensive if planned for. In an enclosed environment, a decent fog machine can pump out quite a bit. I have done so DIY training Medics. I get the feeling Hollywood types get bothered about possible effects on actors' lungs and all that hippy dippy crap.

Save the fog machine from extinction!!
Cuz cgi fog just does NOT work.

Some examples of a look you don't see in movies anymore

Fog is now the cowbell of special effects. MORE COW...err I mean FOG!

Acccording to the cast, Veronica Cartwright in particular, Ridley burned incense throughout A L I E N to create the effect.

The fog certainly added to the beauty of A L I E N and Blade Runner. I think it gives real depth to a set or landscape.

I doubt if the Health and Safety police would allow for it's use today!

Well, fog is simply a sugary water concoction that is vaporized. It's not dangerous at all, and the newer formulations are just like being outside on a humid day.

So...BRING BACK THE FOG!

Now, the HUGE WHITE BRIGHT LIGHTS in the middle of darkness, sometimes strobes, illuminating sets from behind even in the middle of unexplicable places---like, the middle of the woods and in an Alien nest on an unknown planet----those can stay extinct.

Even Cameron saw the value in a well placed smoke machine. One of my favorite uses of one in film is the very first scene I ever saw from an Alien movie.

Fog was used to give a certain atmosphere but most importantly it was used to hide parts of the set. It is a clever way of saving money while building sets in that they don't have to build the whole thing and just focus on what's going to be in front of the camera. The fog or smoke can easily cover the rest (especially if they're shooting in a sound stage).