On The Inside

"Ideally, the technology is advanced enough to make itself go away. That's how it should work. All of the technology should wave its own wand and make itself disappear." - James Cameron

Avatar. What an amazing film. I mean, the story is not bad, it's basically "Dances with Wolves on Pandora", but the technology is very powerfully used. It draws you right in and you almost live it.

I have never seen anything like the kind of 3D effect Cameron was able to put into this film. Yes, he developed new stereoscopic cameras and a new kind of 3D interface to fine tune shot angles. But none of that really matters when you see it because it just blows you away. Everything about the old 50's version of 3D has been completely wiped and upgraded, from capture to CGI to edits right through to the digital projectors and the luminously reflective silver screen. Even the glasses are different, this system uses circular polarization to give you 3D without the headache. And finally, a first for 3D, you can tilt your head and the picture remains solid.

Meanwhile, motion capture has now been perfected. Yes, perfected, and I am very picky about these things. These creatures, generated inside a computer based on capture data, move in a completely, astoundingly fluid manner that is just absolutely stunning to behold. There is simply no hint of "video game" left in this movie.

But it's not about the tech, really. I mean, that's very cool stuff, but what really gets you is the experience. Just as Cameron says, once you adjust to it the technology simply disappears. You feel like you are inside the movie. I have bitched about obvious tech before, and this is one more step towards breaking down that wall.

I think we'll be seeing a lot more 3D in movies, and very soon. And the 3D Blu Ray spec was just finalized so the experience will be in our living rooms before too long. Before I saw this movie, I thought 3D was basically a gimmick. But now it's starting to look like it isn't going away anytime soon. And not just for action movies either. If used correctly, this kind of 3D can enhance almost any kind of movie because it removes the "fourth wall" and you fall right in.