Avatar

[Yaya]

We're heading there, with Avatar as the beginning.

How is it the beginning?

Again, by melding live actors and sets with special effects in the third dimension.

IMAX was, actually, worse for me, because I wear glasses and the IMAX 3D glasses worn over them hurt my nose very much

.

Hmm. Actually heard that from others who wear glasses too.

It was even better then I expected. Cameron really created a whole new world like no-one has before. And the story, cliched if you will, was still very moving. 2.5 hours passed and you didn't feel the time gone by.

What! We agree on something?!

my all-time favourite Batman movie - Mask of the Phantasm

We agree twice?! In the same post! It's a miracle!

Loved Mask of the Phantasm. Probably after that, I'd say I enjoyed the original goofy Batman movie with Adam West ("some days you just can't get rid of a bomb!") and then Batman Begins. The Dark Knight, to me, is the most overrated movie in cinema history.

[saysadie]

I had a hard time finding a place to balance the glasses on my ******* small nose over my regular glasses- had to push the regular glasses all the way up the bridge to fit the bastards on properly. But at least they stayed on with minimal coaxing.

[Yaya]

I had a hard time finding a place to balance the glasses on my ******* small nose over my regular glasses- had to push the regular glasses all the way up the bridge to fit the bastards on properly. But at least they stayed on with minimal coaxing.

The IMAX I went to had huge 3D glasses that worked well, even for people with glasses. When my bro went to see it at a regular theatre, they gave him these small glasses that barely fit over his own glasses, and he said basically it was very uncomfortable, as you are saying.

[Best First]

We're heading there, with Avatar as the beginning.

How is it the beginning?

Again, by melding live actors and sets with special effects in the third dimension.

That's just a fairly obvious extension of existing concepts and approaches, it's not a begininng.

It's like saying Mario 64 is the beginning of video games.

Like i say, silly overblow dramatic statements like that do you a diservice in trying to make a point.

[Yaya]

Like i say, silly overblow dramatic statements like that do you a diservice in trying to make a point.

And yet creative geniuses like Peter Jackson use the same kind of language to describe this flick.

In the realm of movie-making and special effects, whom should I believe, BF or Peter Jackson? Hmmmmm....

Oh wait. Let me anticipate your response. "Of course they are going to say that, it's how they make money".

[Guest]

Well, he's hardly going to say "I thought the plot [or lack of it] was a load of old sentimental tosh, but the colours were damn pretty! Jim should stick to what he does best, and leave the plot to people who can write!" now, is he?

[Yaya]

Well, he's hardly going to say "I thought the plot [or lack of it] was a load of old sentimental tosh, but the colours were damn pretty! Jim should stick to what he does best, and leave the plot to people who can write!" now, is he?

Peter Jackson's praise was for the new tech, not for the plot.

Granted, it's Jackson's company responsible for he tech but others like Spielberg and the top movie critics feel the same way.

I think I'll stop this debate, because by the end of it, BF hasn't seen the movie and most likely will enter it with a bad taste in his mouth.

[Best First]

Like i say, silly overblow dramatic statements like that do you a diservice in trying to make a point.

And yet creative geniuses like Peter Jackson use the same kind of language to describe this flick.

In the realm of movie-making and special effects, whom should I believe, BF or Peter Jackson? Hmmmmm....

Oh wait. Let me anticipate your response. "Of course they are going to say that, it's how they make money".

Actually my reponse would run more along the lines of Peter Jackson is just as capable of talking sh*t as anyone else. Possibly with less frequency than some though.

Meaningless hyperble retains its meaningless status regarless of who spouts it.

Then again given you hven't actually quoted him in a manner that shows he is saying the same daft things you are i may be being unfair. Maybe i should check my facts;

A lot of media attention is switching to technology in the wrong way. They're saying the industry is in trouble; will 3-D save it? That really doesn't have anything to do with it. The industry is in trouble, but it has nothing to do with technology, nor is technology going to necessarily be the savior

I find personally that within 10 minutes I forget that it's in 3-D, in a good way.

Probably the film industry has been guilty; there's more attention spent on the technical aspects than the story. That's led to a self-fulfilling prophecy. People regard CGI as a gimmick, they almost blame CGI for a bad story or a bad script. They talk about CGI as if it's responsible for a drop in standards. We've gotten to a point now where there isn't nothing else we haven't seen. We've seen dinosaurs, we've seen aliens; with Avatar we've seen realistic creatures. I think we're going to enter a phase where there's less interest in the CGI and there's a demand for story again. I think we've dropped the ball a little bit on stories for the sake of the amazing toys that we've played with.

“There’s an overreaction to 3D at the moment,”

You are right he sounds exactly like you.

Let me anticipate your response "la la la not listening"

[Yaya]

You are right he sounds exactly like you.

I'm not going to actually go searching for the mans quotes to prove my point.

[bumblemusprime]

Christ on a bike, it's like Smeagol and Gollum in here.

[Best First]

You are right he sounds exactly like you.

I'm not going to actually go searching for the mans quotes to prove my point.

In that case i am pretty confident that Brian Singer, Winston Churchill, Jesus, Stan Lee, Pele and Angelina Jolie all agree with me.

Don't ask me to waste time proving it. Shut up in the face of my name dropping fool!

Brilliant.

[Guest]

Hmm.

All these claims of opinions without sources seem so insubstantial that I'm beginning to doubt that there even is an liveaction/animation out there called Yavatar.

[Yaya]

You are right he sounds exactly like you.

I'm not going to actually go searching for the mans quotes to prove my point.

In that case i am pretty confident that Brian Singer, Winston Churchill, Jesus, Stan Lee, Pele and Angelina Jolie all agree with me.

Don't ask me to waste time proving it. Shut up in the face of my name dropping fool!

Brilliant.

Hmm.

All these claims of opinions without sources seem so insubstantial that I'm beginning to doubt that there even is an liveaction/animation out there called Yavatar.

I saw it in a USA Today article where Jackson was praising Cameron's genius. If I had the source, I'd give it to you.

[Yaya]

Here is one USA Today article which quotes Jackson. Can't remember if this is the one, but he lavishes praise on Cameron's handle on the tech::

http://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/new ... 1_CV_N.htm

That kind of forward thinking is rare even among filmmakers, says friend and Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson.

"He's simply ahead of everyone else," says Jackson, whose Weta Digital studio in New Zealand handled many of the special-effects shots in the film. "Sometimes, you just nod your head and pretend you understand everything he's saying so you can keep up."


Anyway, the fact that Jackson's company was responsible for the effects kind of sucks the air out of what I said. Something from Spielberg might mean more.

Here are some articles about the new tech in Avatar and it's 'game-changing status':

http://screenrant.com/crazy-3d-technolo ... kofi-3367/

http://articles.sfgate.com/2009-12-13/e ... ion-avatar

http://articles.sfgate.com/2009-12-13/e ... ion-avatar

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/co ... 03265.html

http://solsie.com/2009/12/new-3d-tech-for-avatar-movie/

[Best First]

i think you're missing the point chief. Anyway...

[bumblemusprime]

This is my favorite review of the film:

http://images.huffingtonpost.com/gen/13 ... iginal.jpg

[Jack Cade]

Again, by melding live actors and sets with special effects in the third dimension.

Hold on - Alien 3 did this, didn't it?

[Shanti418]

This is my favorite review of the film:

http://images.huffingtonpost.com/gen/13 ... iginal.jpg

Agreed. However, THIS is the funniest article about Avatar I've read:

http://www.cnn.com/2010/SHOWBIZ/Movies/ ... index.html

See? There are people crazier than Yaya about this film.

[Yaya]

This is my favorite review of the film:

http://images.huffingtonpost.com/gen/13 ... iginal.jpg

Agreed. However, THIS is the funniest article about Avatar I've read:

http://www.cnn.com/2010/SHOWBIZ/Movies/ ... index.html

See? There are people crazier than Yaya about this film.

True. More evidence:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/huffpost/201001 ... ost/420605

'Avatar' is so captivating that some audience members are becoming depressed and even suicidal when they fail to find meaning in real life after the film is over.

Suicidal? That's just sad. Not sure Cameron was going for suicidal.

In other news: http://tformers.com/transformers-transf ... /news.html

Slash Film also reports that Avatar enthralled Steven Spielberg so much, that he wants Mr. Bay to shoot the film in 3D.

The director has previously stated that he believes 3-D films "might be a gimmick," according to Slash Film, so it seems like he and Mr. Spielberg are having a tug-o-war over this decision.

Not even Avatarish 3-D can get me excited about the next TF movie.

[The Last Autobot]

'Avatar' is so captivating that some audience members are becoming depressed and even suicidal when they fail to find meaning in real life after the film is over.

Suicidal? That's just sad.

If they want to kill themselves, go ahead! Less stupid people on the world. I would go the extra mile and encourage them to do it.

If you kill yourself you´ll go to Pandora!!!

[saysadie]

This is my favorite review of the film:

http://images.huffingtonpost.com/gen/13 ... iginal.jpg

Nice.

Yeah, I saw that in the film, too. It was a little bit annoying but the film was sooo pretteh I put it aside.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/SHOWBIZ/Movies/ ... index.html

Ho.

Lee.

[composite word including 'f*ck'].



People be craaaazzzzy.

But no, really I thnk it's just symptoms of some bigger problem. Those peeps need help, stat. And not, like, forum help. Like IRL help in the form of people with white coats or couches and clipboards and such.

[Impactor returns 2.0]

Hold on, didnt Peter Jackson meld live action and CGI actors with Gollum anyway?

Hence why im not blown away with the hype, not to mention just about every video game in the last 5 years has mo-caped, and face-mapped CGI cut scenes etc...

The main point about Avatar is:

The public have now had the actor/cgi mix rammed down there throat and think its new and great.

3D isnt **** anymore.

On the subject of 3D, at this years CES show there are around 20 3D TV sets to choose from, from all the major companys.

Now, it takes time to develop tech like this, so avatar and the TV companies involved, and the production + media companies (Sky etc...) are all in the same melting pot.

As is Jackson, and Spielberg etc... because they are all on the aboves pay checks.

Essentially, a few years ago we have HD, now its 3D, and so on...

[Guest]

Essentially, a few years ago we have HD, now its 3D, and so on...

3DHD? HD3D? 3HDD? H1N1? 33DD? R2D2?

Smellovision! Then, I'll be impressed!

[Yaya]

Hold on, didn't Peter Jackson meld live action and CGI actors with Gollum anyway?

Um, I think this happened as far back as the 80's. Terminator 2. Jar Jar Binks. Etc.

The milestone here is because of the 3D, not the CGI. It was very difficult in the past to meld a real actor with a CGI world and make it 3-D without it either a) looking artificial or b) making someone sick to their stomach watching it.

Although immersing a human in a fully artificial world using only CGI and making it look real, I don't think that has been done as well before,even without 3-D.

3D isnt **** anymore.

On the subject of 3D, at this years CES show there are around 20 3D TV sets to choose from, from all the major companys.

Now, it takes time to develop tech like this, so avatar and the TV companies involved, and the production + media companies (Sky etc...) are all in the same melting pot.

I disagree that 3-D isn't the **** anymore. It is the ****. It is that next step to a true virtual reality experience. It's a game changer for the sci-fi/fantasy and cartoon animation genres.

As far as 3-D TV? Stupid idea. The small screen will not really achieve the aim of immersing someone in the movie. It might be cool by making things "pop out" at you, as was the intention of early 3-D. But in order for 3-D to have it's biggest impact, the screen has to extend to the temporal aspects of one's visual field. Then, you are in the movie.

[Best First]

i don't want to be in the movie. What if the important thing happens behind me?

Is that the 'game changer'?

[Guest]

3D isnt **** anymore.

I disagree that 3-D isn't the **** anymore. It is the ****.

Who'd like to educate Yaya on the difference between '****' and 'the ****'?

[BB Shockwave]

We agree twice?! In the same post! It's a miracle!

Loved Mask of the Phantasm. Probably after that, I'd say I enjoyed the original goofy Batman movie with Adam West ("some days you just can't get rid of a bomb!") and then Batman Begins. The Dark Knight, to me, is the most overrated movie in cinema history.

Heh, well good to know we agree on something (though there was some other thing we agreed on some months ago I forgot...) Batman TAS is my all-time favourite cartoon, closely followed by Gargoyles (and since last year, TF Animated).
I quite like DK too, but Begins is better - I felt Harvey was a bit forced into the story, they could have left his turn to Two-Face for the next movie. (Batman TAS's Harvey is still the best).

'Avatar' is so captivating that some audience members are becoming depressed and even suicidal when they fail to find meaning in real life after the film is over.

Suicidal? That's just sad. Not sure Cameron was going for suicidal.

Isn't that something that people should have done after the Matrix movie? (I mean the first, of course). In fact, my dad gave me a book this Christmas written by some insane guru who honestly believes the world we live in is a matrix-type enviroment for some evil corporation to harness our emotions. Really. They can mostly harness boredom these days, IMHO.

While I agree with most of you that Avatar's story is not groundbreaking, there is no reason to bash the movie and compare it to Pocahontas. It WAS made in part, as admitted by Cameron himself, to open the eyes of the public (ignorant americans, mostly) to what they are doing to the enviroment (name me the country that still hasn't signed that CO2 emission treaty...) and that their glourious (and short) history is built upon the mass-graves of the aboriginals. Conquering a land is something that all civilizations did at some point, but usually the natives are not eradicated with malice but assimilated or given some minor authority over their lands. I mean, if the English did to the Welsh or Irish or Scots what the settlers did to the indians, there wouldn't be a Scotland or Ireland nowadays, would it?

In that regards, I respect Avatar because it brings a message through, no matter how often we hear that message - we cannot hear it often enough. The fact that the movie is built on a groundbreaking new CGI tech just helps to bring it to even more people around world. (Even China allowed airing the movie...)

[Yaya]

While I agree with most of you that Avatar's story is not groundbreaking, there is no reason to bash the movie and compare it to Pocahontas. It WAS made in part, as admitted by Cameron himself, to open the eyes of the public (ignorant americans, mostly) to what they are doing to the enviroment (name me the country that still hasn't signed that CO2 emission treaty...) and that their glourious (and short) history is built upon the mass-graves of the aboriginals. Conquering a land is something that all civilizations did at some point, but usually the natives are not eradicated with malice but assimilated or given some minor authority over their lands. I mean, if the English did to the Welsh or Irish or Scots what the settlers did to the indians, there wouldn't be a Scotland or Ireland nowadays, would it?

In that regards, I respect Avatar because it brings a message through, no matter how often we hear that message - we cannot hear it often enough. The fact that the movie is built on a groundbreaking new CGI tech just helps to bring it to even more people around world. (Even China allowed airing the movie...)

Well said. Though the story wasn't the focal point of the movie for me, it was still poignant enough to be significant.

[bumblemusprime]

While I agree with most of you that Avatar's story is not groundbreaking, there is no reason to bash the movie and compare it to Pocahontas. It WAS made in part, as admitted by Cameron himself, to open the eyes of the public (ignorant americans, mostly) to what they are doing to the enviroment (name me the country that still hasn't signed that CO2 emission treaty...) and that their glourious (and short) history is built upon the mass-graves of the aboriginals. Conquering a land is something that all civilizations did at some point, but usually the natives are not eradicated with malice but assimilated or given some minor authority over their lands. I mean, if the English did to the Welsh or Irish or Scots what the settlers did to the indians, there wouldn't be a Scotland or Ireland nowadays, would it?

In that regards, I respect Avatar because it brings a message through, no matter how often we hear that message - we cannot hear it often enough. The fact that the movie is built on a groundbreaking new CGI tech just helps to bring it to even more people around world. (Even China allowed airing the movie...)

Well said. Though the story wasn't the focal point of the movie for me, it was still poignant enough to be significant.

Yeah, I'm going to third that. I'm reminded of something Harlan Ellison said about the Back to the Future trilogy, essentially that they were silly fluffy movies full of utter disrespect for science, but that they had an overarching theme about responsibility for our actions.

And that is a good thing for a movie everyone everywhere will see.

[Impactor returns 2.0]

The milestone here is because of the 3D, not the CGI. It was very difficult in the past to meld a real actor with a CGI world and make it 3-D without it either a) looking artificial or b) making someone sick to their stomach watching it.

Having worked with this tech for the past 20 odd years, my point is:

Terminator 2 used animators.

Gollum was created by mo-capping Andy Sirkiss's face onto his CGI model, this is the same process as seen in Avatar, because its the same company producing the effect!

Its not a new technique, and has already been mastered, but James.C harps on about it so much you would think he invented it!

I disagree that 3-D isn't the **** anymore. It is the ****. It is that next step to a true virtual reality experience. It's a game changer for the sci-fi/fantasy and cartoon animation genres.

I was actually saying that 3D isnt a crappy effect anymore, its now a decent effect thanks to dual cameras and ultra-fast scan rates required for dual sync refresh...

Im not sure how it changes an episode of say, Transformers, or Eastenders, but for the big production movie, and live sports im sure it will be great.

As far as 3-D TV? Stupid idea. The small screen will not really achieve the aim of immersing someone in the movie. It might be cool by making things "pop out" at you, as was the intention of early 3-D. But in order for 3-D to have it's biggest impact, the screen has to extend to the temporal aspects of one's visual field. Then, you are in the movie.

Well COnsidering every major TV manufactuere has just shown off a 3D TV at CES I think they dont agree.

I was lucky enough to watch Sky Sports in 3D recently, even on a 40" screen the depth perception of a football game greatly enhanced my experience.


Back to Avatar, the story is pants, if this film wasnt in 3D super vision im pretty sure it wouldnt be talked about...