Avatar Superthread

_Turismo4

James Cameron confirms that Project 880 is Avatar..
March 1, 2006 –
Filmmaker James Cameron has confirmed that his next Project is indeed a revival of Avatar, a highly ambitious science fiction picture that Cameron has had on the back-burner for years. Cameron told the news to AICN, http://www.aintitcool.com/display.cgi?id=22599 and confirmed that it's in active development along with another sci-fi project of his, Battle Angel Alita.
Although Avatar/880 has gotten more attention lately, Cameron admitted that he doesn't know yet which of his films he will made first.

Avatar, based on a script treatment Cameron wrote years ago, is the story of an interplanetary war, a love story, and strange aliens that manifest themselves by using humans as their avatars. It sounds like a remarkable departure from anything Hollywood has produced lately, and even Cameron himself described the film to Business Week as "completely crazy, balls-out sci-fi". The director also has plans to tie the film in with a massively multiplayer online role-playing game.

Cameron's other sci-fi project, Battle Angel Alita, he envisions as a "three-year cycle", an epic trilogy. It's based on a Japanese manga series and tells the story of a 14-year-old cyborg in the 26th century.

Since no big names have committed to lead either project, Cameron says he can afford to put off deciding which to do first until the last minute. Whichever he picks, it'll be the first movie to use the new digital 3-D film technology he's been hard at work developing. Cameron, like many in the industry, feel that 3-D is going to have its day soon, and the technology for watching 3-D features at home is ready — simply waiting for the movies to become available. Cameron also intends to take advantage of the faster frame-rates that new digital projectors are capable of; unlike traditional film, which projects 24 frames per second, digital projectors can do 40 fps and faster — speeds that are "absolutely essential" for the fast-paced action scenes he's putting into Avatar and Battle Angel.

In a few months, Cameron expects to know which film to concentrate on. Whichever he chooses, filmgoers can expect an experience they've never had before.

Lex_Diamonds

Sounds great, very excited to see what this new 3-D gubbins will be like.

_Turismo4

Yep, 3D is the way of the future, it seams to be coming back, with the release of Shark Boy and Lava Girl in 2006 which I know was for kids and I know it was a rubbish film but the 3D was good, but more advanced then that is IMAX technology which is fantastic visually to see… I can only imagine what the future holds… Cameron obviously thinks 3D film is the business.

lostexpectation

maybe this is the silver lining to Titanic the fact that he made all that money allowed him to plow it into his pet projects which happen to be v.cool.

Goodshape

So it's a pile of months away yet (Christmas release date afaik) but any one know what the story is with James Cameron's Avatar and whether any cinema in the country will be able to show it in all it's intended glory?

Or is that 'intended glory' just hyperbole and are you expecting it to play just fine in the average multiplex?


PS. Can't fraking wait for Avatar!

abouttobebanned

I think after all the hype about the film, it simply cannot be watched in a normal Cinema.

Goodshape

abouttobebanned wrote: »

I think after all the hype about the film, it simply cannot be watched in a normal Cinema.

So what's a non-normal cinema? And have we got any knocking about the country at all?

abouttobebanned

Well maybe a "normal" cinema that has a 3D Digital Projector...

Richard Dower

The tech being used seems very advanced...i read that Lucas/Speilberg came on set to see the tech in action. Photo realistic SGI characters now a reality?

The Eye cinema in Galway are advertising it on the back of all their flyers in the 3D section. I really hope that they do as otherwise I'll be forced to travel to see it. It's being released on the 18th of December my birthday and I plan on spending it in the company of Mr. Camereon.

*Simone*

As far as I know, Cineworld Dublin will be showing this in all its glory in 3D.

qwertplaywert

Dundalk IMC will be showing in 3D

johnmct77

A film that will supposedly "revolutionise cinema", a herald in 3D
the biggest event since the original star wars
people who have seen footage have described its as or "mindblowing ,wow!"
"i had a strange feeling the next day that i had actually visted the locations in the film(in reality)pandora ,earth" was one insiders view of the footage.
biggest thing since the matrix?
and with James Cameron at the helm surely this will be nothing short of a perfectionist work?

BopNiblets

Yep, can't wait for it, Cameron spent 2 years making T2, and 4 years making this, gonna be great I think!

humanji

I'm looking forward to it, but trying to avoid the hype.

BlitzKrieg

Avatar is the test to see if 3D cinema can actually do something rather then be a pain in the ass gimmick

paulieeye

BlitzKrieg wrote: »

Avatar is the test to see if 3D cinema can actually do something rather then be a pain in the ass gimmick

I was at a screening of Aliens and the Abyss with a half time chat with cameron recently in LA and he seems to think that there is a high possibility in the coming years that 3D will be standard across all cinema. He likened it to the jump from black and white to colour. Colour was available for years before it became standard but took its time in goin mainstream

He also said that all movies could benefit from being in 3D, including Dramas..that if a very dramatic scene was in 3D, he used Titanic as an example, the viewers are sucked into it much more. He said that given the choice again he would shoot the whole of Titanic in 3D, 1st half as well and the 2nd.

He didnt give away that much bout Avatar, just how they were filming and stuff like that..but he did use the words mindblowing and saying 'WTF!!' when looking back over shots..cant wait :pac::pac:!!!

Josey Wales

Can't wait to see the first trailer for this. I was hoping a while ago that the first trailer would be with Transformers 2 but it is coming out so soon that I doubt it will.

BlitzKrieg

paulieeye wrote: »

I was at a screening of Aliens and the Abyss with a half time chat with cameron recently in LA and he seems to think that there is a high possibility in the coming years that 3D will be standard across all cinema. He likened it to the jump from black and white to colour. Colour was available for years before it became standard but took its time in goin mainstream

I know Cameron is a strong advocator of 3D cinema, and its because he is such a strong advocator and that he has proven himself time and time again to be adapt at advancing technology that I am holding out for him to prove to me that 3D cinema is something serious. Until then 3D has brought nothing worthwhile beyond a few chuckles to cinema in my opinion.

Though the cynic inside me mutters that he is also a big investor in 3D cinema.

He also said that all movies could benefit from being in 3D, including Dramas..that if a very dramatic scene was in 3D, he used Titanic as an example, the viewers are sucked into it much more. He said that given the choice again he would shoot the whole of Titanic in 3D, 1st half as well and the 2nd.

Its a shame he didnt give any more concrete examples then saying the film would benefit. My experiance (alot less then cameron) is that 3D so far has a tendancy to weaken the focus of scenes and drag the viewer away from the drama. I would have liked to have a specific scene in mind to examine how 3D would improve it.

It could all be down to how the scenes are directed to take advantage of the technology.

paulieeye

Didnt really give any examples other than any dramatic scene in 3D would bring the audience into the tension and he only offered that when asked by the audience what it would bring to a rom-com or the non-action parts of titanic. basically he was getting at improving our screen viewing expierence in general. Course wether it does that or simply becomes a distraction is still to be seen

SoupyNorman

BopNiblets wrote: »

Yep, can't wait for it, Cameron spent 2 years making T2, and 4 years making this, gonna be great I think!

Arghhh, this man is just a man...not a super natural being, can we not reserve judgement until we see the finished product.

humanji wrote: »

I'm looking forward to it, but trying to avoid the hype.

Yes, this should be the line of thinking.

BlitzKrieg wrote: »

Avatar is the test to see if 3D cinema can actually do something rather then be a pain in the ass gimmick

Like Video calling.

krudler

3D works brilliantly for stuff like short IMAX movies and theme park rides (Spider-Man in Universal being a great example) but it can be annoying watching it for long periods of time, gave me a headache after a while too

Magic Eight Ball

SoupyNorman wrote: »

Arghhh, this man is just a man...

You take that back right now!!

johnmct77

the gospel according to james cameron (JC), funny:D
but you cud take it further
JC, Jesus Christ:P
JC, John Connor, a messiah figure really

yeah he ain't superhuman, but cinema has been missing this guy for far to long,he goes shoots a story the way he wants it and GETS HIS WAY with the studio, rather than been a slave to them
if JC had made TS he certainly wouldnt be working on the script with Christian Bale every nite, he'd tell him 2 eff, because he plans everything meticulously and leaves nothing to chance, yeah complete freak!:D
on the T1 documentary, stan winston(i think said)" he knows everybodies job better than they do and he's better at it and i'd 99% of the time he's absolutely right!"
i used to think myself maybe the titanic won't sink this time, i was 7 at the time:rolleyes:,it was a very haunting fim and stayed with you! his films are truly powerful!

missingtime

James Cameron Previews 24 minutes of Avatar.

Edit: I've put spoilers just in case. Haven't read too much myself :P

James Cameron screened 24 minutes of his highly-anticipated Avatar at the Cinema Expo in Amsterdam on Tuesday and scooper 'The Insider' witnessed the footage and sent us this exclusive report! The footage utilized the RealD XL Cinema System. The 3D presentation was on a 55-foot screen with nearly 10-foot Lamberts of light, delivering the largest and brightest 3D presentation at Cinema Expo.

I've just returned from a preview screening of James Cameron's hugely anticipated movie "Avatar" at the Cinema Expo in Amsterdam and I'm still feeling the after effects of this jaw-dropping experience. First off, I'm really not a fan of the so called 3-D craze, that's currently taking Hollywood by storm. Before the "Avatar" screening, Fox showed us "Ice Age 3" in 3-D and although the movie is pretty entertaining, I don't understand why it has to be in 3-D. What is the added benefit? I just got a headache from the whole experience. For some reason or another, my eyes just can't get used to the 3-D experience. With it comes the fact that 3-D until now has been used as a gimmick.

Would "Avatar" change my mind? With anticipation I directed my attention to the 20th Century Fox show reel. After some pretty disappointing clips from other movies like "Gulliver's Travels" you could feel the tension in the theater. Then it appeared on the screen: AVATAR. After a brief introduction from cast members Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Stephen Lang and Sigourney Weaver, we were asked to put on the 3-D glasses (really uncomfortable, especially if you already wear a pair). Most of the scenes were from the first half of the movie.

In the first scene we see Sam Worthington's crippled ex-marine Jake Sully, who just arrived on the planet 'Pandora.' He's in a wheelchair and just rolled in to hear Colonel Quaritch, played by the impressive Stephen Lang, talk to the troops. He's giving a classic speech that every military leader gives at the beginning of a battle. Jake listens as an outsider to this speech. A melancholic smile appears on his face. Although the scene is in 3-D, I haven't really noticed it. Finally a director who doesn't feel the need to stick it in the audience's face with cheap tricks like pointing objects at the camera.

In the second scene Sigourney Weaver's Dr. Grace Augustine explains to Jake how the process of transporting your mind into an Avatar works. Although the scene is mostly exposition, we've got a good look at the lab and more importantly we get a first glimpse of the Avatars, the Na'Vi lookalikes. These tall blue creatures lie in water tanks, waiting for their human to 'jump' in their bodies. Besides Weaver and Worthington, the scene introduces Joel Moore's character Norm Spellman. As is usually the case with Moore, his character is the comic relief.

It's the third scene where my heart begins to pound like crazy. Jake and Norm will inhabit their Avatar for the first time. They enter some sort of capsule and - flash – their mind enters the blue creatures, now lying on hospital tables. And not before long Avatar Jake wakes up. And it took my breath away. I thought--just like you guys--that I've seen it all with Gollum, or The Hulk, but Cameron has done it again. These creatures seem so real, that within minutes you forget you're watching an enormous and very blue CGI character. Even the eyes are totally convincing. The characters have real personalities and a soul.

In the fourth scene the Avatars of Jake, Norm and Grace explore the jungle of Pandora. The surroundings remind me of a planet that appears briefly in "Revenge of the Sith." A lot of massive colorful flowers and plants grow everywhere. Jake's unbridled enthusiasm works on Grace's nerves. And not before long they have their first confrontation with some creatures. Some sort of rhino with a flower sticking out of his head looks like he will kill Jake, but he's not scared and he let's out a scream. The 'rhino' runs away, but not because of Jake. A more dangerous creature – a wolf? – jumps at Jake from behind.

In the next couple of scenes Jake meets Na'Vi Neytiri (Zoe Saldana). Jake finds himself alone at night in the jungle with only a torch as protection against some evil looking dogs. Eager to fight them, Jake says: 'What are you waiting for?' When one of the 'dogs' attacks him he slams the torch in the creature's face. A fight ensues that Jake can't win by himself. Lucky for him, there's Neytiri who with her trusty bow and arrow helps Jake chase away the creatures. Just when Jake wants to offer his gratitude, Neytiri knocks his reached out hand away and says to Jake that killing these creatures is a bad thing. When the scene fades out to black, my mind begins to work overtime. How the hell is it possible that I never once felt like I've been watching a movie where almost everything comes out of a computer?

The most beautiful scene follows directly after the one I've described above. When Jake wants to take his torch with him, Neytiri takes it from him and throws it in the river. Like magic the flowers and plants – even the grassy soil - begin to glow in the night. The beauty completely takes my breath away. Meanwhile we get to learn more about Neytiri and her people. Everybody who knows the story of Native American Pocahontas and John Smith, will recognize a lot of similarities. Before you can sing "Colors of the Wind," Neytiri guides Jake through her world. Mysterious flowing and glowing seeds from a mystic tree appear out of nowhere. To Neytiri's surprise Jake attracts them. She has a look in her eyes like he's the 'chosen one.' And of course she's right. Jake has to lead the Na'Vi into battle against the massive army of Colonel Quaritch.

In the next scene we meet the Banshees. The Na'Vi ride these fierce looking creatures when they hunt. After some exposition, where Neytiri explains to Jake that a Banshee first has to respect you, before you can ride it, she takes flight and another gorgeous scene unspools.

The last scene wasn't completed. What we saw, was sort of a video-game version of the mother of all battles. Countless numbers of Na'Vi riding their Banshees attack Quaritch's fleet. I can't wait to see the battle fully rendered

.

Overall I was really impressed by what I saw. The effects are in a league of their own. After some disappointing or even pointless 3-D movies, "Avatar" may be the first movie where 3-D is properly utilized.

http://www.comingsoon.net/news/avatarnews.php?id=56535

purple_hatstand

This all sounds very interesting - am I going to be able to watch it in 3-D in my local cinema?

niallon

purple_hatstand wrote: »

This all sounds very interesting - am I going to be able to watch it in 3-D in my local cinema?

Depends on what your local cinema is!

purple_hatstand

niallon wrote: »

Depends on what your local cinema is!

One that, AFAIK, doesn't have 3-D. I don't know much at all about this technology, so apologies if these sound like quite remedial questions...

Are their special screens for this film? Or is it just a case of giving everyone a pair of 3-D glasses when they go in?

Will it be shown in 'normal' mode at cinemas without 3-D facilities?

How many cinemas in Ireland are equipped for 3-D?

If this film can only be seen in cinemas with 3-D facilities and there are not many of those, is this more of a technological experiment than a money-hoovering blockbuster like JC's previous films?

niallon

The cinema must be digital pretty much. Liffey Valley, Dundrum, Swords all support 3-D but will show the standard presentation also. Just look out for Pixar's Up and see if your cinema is doing 3-D screenings. If not, there's the answer!

lostexpectation

it sorta sounds terrible, it sounds like stars wars...

a rhino with flower coming out of it , have i not seen that before?

giant flower planets very familiar images.

PirateShampoo

purple_hatstand wrote: »

One that, AFAIK, doesn't have 3-D. I don't know much at all about this technology, so apologies if these sound like quite remedial questions...

Are their special screens for this film? Or is it just a case of giving everyone a pair of 3-D glasses when they go in?

Will it be shown in 'normal' mode at cinemas without 3-D facilities?

How many cinemas in Ireland are equipped for 3-D?

If this film can only be seen in cinemas with 3-D facilities and there are not many of those, is this more of a technological experiment than a money-hoovering blockbuster like JC's previous films?

Maybe not in this country, but in the Uk and other countrys that actually like to keep up with the times Digital cinemas are very common.

speedboatchase

Now obviously the trailer doesn't give too much away but woah, the effects look incredible. Will probably need 3D to get the full effect but I loved it!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYBRFJ9RArc

BlitzKrieg

was expecting that. (well a rick roll)

Karl Hungus

Wow. That was spectacular! Can't wait to see that in the cinema.

MagicMarker

wow, that's really not funny.

Galvasean

Why isn't this kind of crap illegal yet?

HybridPaul

k stands for ****.

Basq

The mis-spelling of "Avatar" was a nice touch!

Sir Gallagher

Speetboatchase has just made my list of enemies.

niallon

What if Cameron's just blowing smoke up our a** and this is actually Avatar? Ever think of that? No? Just me? I'll let myself out...

Handsome Bob

You'll live to regret this OP!

*not threatening him, blatant Sideshow Bob reference*

Takeshi_Kovacs

Will all new omniiplex cinemas be showing this in 3d?

-ADREN-

I'm slightly confused..

Would it not be best to see this film at one of those shiny digital 3d cinemas?? Which I thought there were only two of, one in Dundrum in Dublin, and the other in Dungarvan in Waterford??

Or has this changed since I last heard about them?

I presume that the film won't be as good looking coming from a reel projector and in 3d, since digital cinema is of a higher resolution (analogue vs digital argument anyone?)

In any case, I think I might save up and try go to londons BFI Imax cinema, but again does anyone know if this is a digital projector or what?

All confused...

norrie rugger

-ADREN- wrote: »

I'm slightly confused..

Would it not be best to see this film at one of those shiny digital 3d cinemas?? Which I thought there were only two of, one in Dundrum in Dublin, and the other in Dungarvan in Waterford??

Or has this changed since I last heard about them?

I presume that the film won't be as good looking coming from a reel projector and in 3d, since digital cinema is of a higher resolution (analogue vs digital argument anyone?)

In any case, I think I might save up and try go to londons BFI Imax cinema, but again does anyone know if this is a digital projector or what?

All confused...

"since digital cinema is of a higher resolution (analogue vs digital argument anyone?)"

I am confused here, I thought that technically film has an "infinite" resolution
Prob a stupid assumption, on my part

-ADREN-

No actually come to think of it your right..

That would have been like me saying that vinyl has a higher bit rate than CD.. I think.

So I'm interested to learn what exactly digital cinema brings to the table in terms of quality now doing a bit a researching at the moment.

Digital Cinema Makes 3D Better and Easier

The advent of digital cinema projection systems has brought about a rebirth of 3D efforts on the part of the movie studios. Previously, 3D using 35mm film was a tedious process to project and you were limited to wearing those odd-looking red and blue 3D glasses. Today's 3D Digital Cinema systems still use glasses, but they are mostly clear and are capable of delivering a better 3D experience than the red-blue anaglyph process.

Taken from http://www.bigscreen.com/about/help.php?id=36

So I imagine that any cinema in Ireland is putting on Avatar will probably be a digital cinema?? Also I'm just after remembering, didn't cameron put off releasing this movie until more digital projectors had been installed in cinemas across the world.


It seems like the majority of the benefits that come from Digital cinema lie on the industry side.

http://digitalcontentproducer.com/mag/avinstall_examining_digital_cinema/

See under Digital advantages.

Still have to find any comparison for 35mm film projection vs the 2k resolution standard of digital projectors.



Oh yea does anyone know if you will be wearing the glasses the whole way through? Is it completely in 3d?

Goodshape

Yeah, the whole thing is in 3D.


One thing that digital adds over analog is that it doesn't degrade over time, and is cheaper and quicker to copy and distribute.

Kiith

I'm pretty sure Cineworld has one of the newer digital 3d screens. Thats where i plan to go see it anyway.

Rsaeire

I watched the trailer recently and while the CGI looks amazing, it still looks, well... like CGI. It doesn't look quite photo realistic, as some people have mentioned online, however, from what I've been reading, it appears that seeing the movie in anything less than a 3D-capable cinema defeats the purpose, so in that case, I'll wait until I see it in 3D before I just dismiss it outright.

Here's an image that shows how great the CGI is.

Goodshape

Rsaeire wrote: »

I watched the trailer recently and while the CGI looks amazing, it still looks, well... like CGI. It doesn't look quite photo realistic, as some people have mentioned online, however, from what I've been reading, it appears that seeing the movie in anything less than a 3D-capable cinema defeats the purpose, so in that case, I'll wait until I see it in 3D before I just dismiss it outright.

Here's an image that shows how great the CGI is.

I wasn't too impressed the first time I watched the trailer - but I thought it looked a lot better on the big screen (in front of District 9), in comparison to watching on the monitor, and a whole lot better in 3D for the 15 minute preview.

scottie pippen

Rsaeire wrote: »

I watched the trailer recently and while the CGI looks amazing, it still looks, well... like CGI. It doesn't look quite photo realistic, as some people have mentioned online, however, from what I've been reading, it appears that seeing the movie in anything less than a 3D-capable cinema defeats the purpose, so in that case, I'll wait until I see it in 3D before I just dismiss it outright.

Here's an image that shows how great the CGI is.

Have to agree with you. The cgi is very well done, may even be the best I've seen, but it still looks like cgi. But willing to over look this if the story is good.

Have seen only one trailer, and I've avoided reading any articles about so I can go and see it without any opinions or expectations. James Cameron hasn’t made a bad movie to date in imo

Rsaeire

Goodshape wrote: »

I wasn't too impressed the first time I watched the trailer - but I thought it looked a lot better on the big screen (in front of District 9), in comparison to watching on the monitor, and a whole lot better in 3D for the 15 minute preview.

That's just what I thought. I very rarely dismiss a film based on a trailer, so I'm definitely looking forward to seeing it in 3D in the cinema. It will also be interesting to see how the movie translates to 3D systems in a home environment, especially as currently there are competing 3D formats, but that's a discussion for another thread.

scottie pippen wrote: »

Have to agree with you. The cgi is very well done, may even be the best I've seen, but it still looks like cgi. But willing to over look this if the story is good.

Have seen only one trailer, and I've avoided reading any articles about so I can go and see it without any opinions or expectations. James Cameron hasn’t made a bad movie to date in imo

I know what you mean; it's hard not to get too caught up with discussions and peoples' opinions who are either hailing it as the next coming, or berating it as cartoony. Either way, I'll make my mind up for myself once I watch it.