Avatar (film)

Infobox Film
name = Avatar


caption =
director = James Cameron
producer = James Cameron
Jon Landau
writer = James Cameron
starring = Sam Worthington
Zoë Saldaña
Sigourney Weaver
Michelle Rodriguez
Stephen Lang
music = James Horner
cinematography = Mauro Fiore
editing = John Refoua
Stephen Rivkin
distributor = 20th Century Fox
released = December 18, 2009
runtime =
country =
language = English
budget = $250–300 million [cite news|author=Anne Thompson|title=Studios wary of big budget auteurs|work=Variety|date=2008-09-04|url=http://www.variety.com/VR1117991656.html|accessdate=2008-09-06]
preceded_by =
followed_by =
amg_id = 1:352199
imdb_id = 0499549

"Avatar" is an upcoming 3-D science fiction film directed by James Cameron, due to be released on December 18, 2009.

Premise

In director James Cameron's original script treatment of "Avatar", a man tries to make his way as a miner by combining with an alien during an interplanetary war in which aliens can manifest themselves by possessing human bodies – avatars. [cite news | author=Paul Davidson | url=http://movies.ign.com/articles/682/682407p1.html | title=Cameron's Mysterious "Project 880" | work=IGN | date=2006-01-20 | accessdate=2006-10-18 ]

When "Avatar" was titled "Project 880", a casting call was put out in June 2006 with a plot description provided, saying, "In the future, Jake, a paraplegic war veteran is brought to another planet, Pandora, which is inhabited by the Na'vi, a humanoid race with their own language and culture. Those from Earth find themselves at odds with each other and the local culture." [cite news | url=http://www.moviecitynews.com/Notepad/2006/060606_npd.html | title=Cameron Casting | work=Movie City News | date=2006-06-06 | accessdate=2006-10-18 ]

In December 2006, Cameron described "Avatar" as "a futuristic tale set on a planet 200 years hence [...] an old-fashioned jungle adventure with an environmental conscience [that] aspires to a mythic level of storytelling." The January 2007 press release described the film: "Avatar" is also an emotional journey of redemption and revolution. It is the story of a wounded ex-marine, thrust unwillingly into an effort to settle and exploit an exotic planet rich in bio-diversity, who eventually crosses over to lead the indigenous race in a battle for survival," and "We're creating an entire world, a complete ecosystem of plants and creatures, and a native people with a rich culture and language."

Cast

*Sam Worthington as Jake Sully, "a paralyzed former marine who undergoes an experiment to exist as an avatar, another version of himself... an alien – 10 feet (three meters) tall and blue."cite news | author=Sharon Waxman | url=http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/08/movies/08cnd-cameron.html | title='Titanic' Director Joins Fox on $200 Million Film | work=The New York Times | date=2007-01-08 | accessdate= ] Sully is able to be part of the alien world in his avatar, a genetically engineered biological body that can be remotely operated by a human consciousness. [cite news | author=Anthony Breznican | url=http://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/news/2007-01-08-cameron-avatar_x.htm?POE=LIFISVA | title=Cameron forges into an alien, on-budget world | work=USA Today | date=2007-01-09 | accessdate=2007-01-13 ] Director James Cameron cast the Australian actor after searching the world for promising young actors, preferring relative unknowns to keep the budget down. Worthington auditioned twice early in development,cite news | author=Jeff Jensen | url=http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20007998,00.html | title=Great Expectations | work=Entertainment Weekly | date=2007-01-10 | accessdate=2007-01-28 ] and he has signed on for possible sequels.cite news | author=20th Century Fox | url=http://www.comingsoon.net/news/avatarnews.php?id=18318 | title=Cameron's "Avatar" Starts Filming in April | work=ComingSoon.net | date=2007-01-09 | accessdate=2007-01-13 ]
*Zoë Saldaña as an alien Jake initially betrays, but they both fall in love. The character will be entirely computer generated.cite news | url=http://edition.cnn.com/2007/SHOWBIZ/Movies/01/09/film.cameron.reut/index.html | title= 'Titanic' director's new film set for '09 | work=CNN | date=2007-01-09 | accessdate=2007-01-09 ] Saldaña has also signed on for sequels.
*Sigourney Weaver as Grace, a botanist who mentors Jake Sully. [cite news | author=Clint Morris | url=http://www.moviehole.net/news/20070802_sigouney_weaver_talks_avatar.html | title=Sigouney Weaver talks "Avatar" | work=Moviehole.net | date=2007-08-02 | accessdate=2007-08-02 ] Weaver dyed her hair red for the part. [cite news | author = Ryan Stewart | title = Exclusive: Sigourney Weaver Looks to the Future | work = Premiere | date=2008-02-21 | url = http://www.premiere.com/features/4413/exclusive-sigourney-weaver-looks-to-the-future-page4.html | accessdate=2008-02-21] Her character was named Shipley at one point. [cite news | title = Things We've Learnt | work = Empire | date = February 2008 | pages = 27] The character reminded Weaver of Cameron himself, being "very driven and very idealistic". [cite news | author = Shawn Adler | title = Sigourney Weaver’s ‘Avatar’ Character Mirrors James Cameron, Actress Says | work = MTV Movies Blog | date = 2008-02-27 | url = http://moviesblog.mtv.com/2008/02/27/sigourney-weaver-on-avatar/ | accessdate=2008-02-28]
*Michelle Rodriguez as an ex-marine pilot. Cameron had desired to work with Rodriguez since he had seen her in "Girlfight" (2000).cite news | author = Anne Thompson | title = Lang, Rodriguez armed for 'Avatar' | work = Variety | date = 2007-08-02 | url = http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117969650.html?categoryid=13&cs=1 | accessdate=2007-08-03]
*Giovanni Ribisi as Selfridge, a passive-aggressive character. [cite news | author=Leslie Simmons | url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/news/e3i5bf6a751bdf67ff54ba0a195d9527992 | title='Avatar' has new player with Ribisi | work=The Hollywood Reporter | date=2007-09-21 | accessdate=2007-09-21 ]
*Stephen Lang as a Marine Corps colonel. Lang had auditioned for a role in Cameron's "Aliens" (1986) that he did not get, but the director remembered Lang and cast him into "Avatar".
*Joel David Moore as an anthropologist who studies plant and nature life like Weaver's character.
*Matt Gerald as the main villain. [cite news | author = Bryon Perry | title = Matt Gerald | work = Variety | date = 2007-11-11 | url = http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117975756.html?categoryId=28&cs=1 | accessdate=2007-11-12]

Actors Wes Studi, C.C.H. Pounder, Laz Alonso, and Peter Mensah are also in the film. Actor Michael Biehn entered talks with Cameron in March 2007 for a possible role in the film, [cite news | author=Patrick Lee | url=http://www.scifi.com/scifiwire/index.php?id=40733 | title=Biehn Talks Possible "Avatar" Role | work=Sci Fi Wire | date=2007-03-25 | accessdate=2007-03-25 ] but his involvement is not confirmed.

Production

Development

In 1995, director James Cameron wrote an 80-page scriptment for "Avatar". Cameron said his inspiration was "every single science fiction book I read as a kid", particularly striving to update the style of Edgar Rice Burroughs' "John Carter" series. Cameron saw his story as being about how Western civilizations supplant indigenous cultures, in either active genocidal or passive ways. In "Avatar", humanity extends that to other planets. In August 1996, Cameron announced that after completing "Titanic", he would film "Avatar", which would make use of "synthetic", or computer-generated, actors. [cite news | author=Judy Hevrdejs | coauthors=Mike Conklin | url= | title=Channel 2 has Monday morning team in place | work=Chicago Tribune | date=1996-08-09 | accessdate=2006-12-22 ] The project would cost $100 million and involve at least six actors in leading roles "who appear to be real but do not exist in the physical world". [cite news | author=Randy McMullen | coauthors=Joe Garofoli | url= | title=People | work=Contra Costa Times | date=1996-08-09 | accessdate=2006-12-22 ] Special effects house Digital Domain, with whom Cameron has a partnership, joined the project, which would begin production in the summer of 1997. [cite news | author= | url= | title=Synthetic actors to star in "Avatar" | work=St. Petersburg Times | date=1996-08-12 | accessdate=2006-12-22 ]

In June 2005, director Cameron was announced to be working on a project tentatively titled "Project 880" parallel to another project, "Battle Angel". [cite news | author=Anne Thompson | coauthors=Sheigh Crabtree | url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1000956665 | title=Cameron turns to new project | work=The Hollywood Reporter | date=2005-06-14 | accessdate=2006-10-18 ] By December, Cameron said that he planned to film "Battle Angel" first for a summer 2007 release, and to film "Project 880" for a 2009 release. [cite news | author=Sheigh Crabtree | coauthors=Tatiana Siegel | url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr/film/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1001615502 | title=Cameron ready for 'Battle' | work=The Hollywood Reporter | date=2005-12-07 | accessdate=2006-10-18 ] In February 2006, Cameron said he had switched goals for the two film projects – "Project 880" for 2007 and "Battle Angel" for 2009. He indicated that the release of "Project 880" would possibly be delayed until 2008. [cite news | author=Degen Pener | url=http://www.ew.com/ew/report/0,6115,1160318_1_0_,00.html | title=He'll Be Back | work=Entertainment Weekly | date=2006-02-17 | accessdate=2006-10-18 ] Later that February, James Cameron revealed that "Project 880" was "a retooled version of "Avatar", a film that he had tried to make years earlier, [cite news | author=Harry Knowles | url=http://www.aintitcool.com/display.cgi?id=22599 | title=Harry talks to James Cameron, Cracks PROJECT 880, the BATTLE ANGEL trilogy & Cameron's live shoot on Mars!!! | work=Ain't It Cool News | date=2006-02-28 | accessdate=2006-10-18 ] citing the technological advances in the creation of computer-generated characters Gollum, King Kong and Davy Jones. Cameron had chosen "Avatar" over "Battle Angel" after completing a five-day camera test in the previous year.cite news | author=John Horn | url=http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-et-cameron8jan08,0,1470846.story | title=Director Cameron to shoot again | work=Los Angeles Times | date=2007-01-08 | accessdate= ] Cameron's early scriptment for "Avatar" circulated the Internet for years. When the project was re-announced, copies were subsequently removed from websites. [cite news | author=Mike Sampson | url=http://www.joblo.com/index.php?id=9991 | title=Cameron's Project 880 is... | work=JoBlo.com | date=2006-01-17 | accessdate=2006-10-18 ] In June 2006, Cameron said that if "Avatar" was successful, he hoped to make two sequels to the film. [cite news | first=Larry | last=Carroll | title='Titanic' Mastermind James Cameron's King-Size Comeback: Two Sci-Fi Trilogies | url=http://www.mtv.com/movies/news/articles/1535402/06292006/story.jhtml | work=MTV | date=2006-06-29 | accessdate=2006-10-18 ]

wikinews|James Cameron to use Weta Digital for next film From January to April 2006, Cameron wrote the script. Working with Paul Frommer, linguist and Director of the Center for Management Communication at USC, he developed a whole language and culture for the Na'vi, the indigenous race on Pandora. In July, Cameron announced that he would film "Avatar" for a summer 2008 release and planned to begin principal photography with an established cast by February 2007.cite news | author=Sheigh Crabtree | url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr/columns/film_reporter_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1002801137 | title=Cameron comes back with CG extravaganza | publisher=The Hollywood Reporter |date=2006-07-07 | accessdate=2006-10-18 ] The following August, the visual effects studio Weta Digital signed on to help Cameron produce "Avatar". [cite news | author=Lynn Smith | url= | title=Special-Effects Giant Signs on for 'Avatar' | work=Los Angeles Times | date=2006-08-04 | accessdate=2006-12-22 ] Stan Winston, who had collaborated with Cameron in the past, joined Cameron's "Avatar" to help with the film's designs. [cite book | last=Duncan | first=Jody | coauthors=James Cameron | title=The Winston Effect | publisher=Titan Books | year=2006 | month=October | id=ISBN 1845761502 | accessdate=2006-12-22 ] In September, Cameron was announced to use his own Reality Camera System to film in 3-D. The system would use two high-definition cameras in a single camera body to create depth perception. [cite news | author=Jen Waters | url= | title=Technology adds more in-depth feeling to the movie experience | work=The Washington Times | date=2006-09-28 | accessdate=2006-12-22 ]

Filming and effects

In December 2006, Cameron explained that the delay in producing the film since the 1990s had been to wait until the technology necessary to create his project was advanced enough. The director planned to create photo-realistic computer-generated characters by using motion capture animation technology, on which he had been doing work for the past 14 months. Unlike previous performance capture systems, where the digital environment is added after the actors' motions have been captured, Cameron's new virtual camera allows him to directly observe on a monitor how the actors' virtual counterparts interacts with the movie's digital world in real time and adjust and direct the scenes just as if shooting live action; "It’s like a big, powerful game engine. If I want to fly through space, or change my perspective, I can. I can turn the whole scene into a living miniature and go through it on a 50 to 1 scale." [cite news | author = Sharon Waxman | title = Computers Join Actors in Hybrids On Screen | work =The New York Times | date = 2007-01-09 | url = http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/09/movies/09came.html?ei=5088&en=a04547b0447818e8&ex=1325998800&adxnnl=1&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss&adxnnlx=1188209207-Eot0a/VzVL5PO0muPKzKNA | accessdate=2007-08-22] Cameron planned to continue developing the special effects for "Avatar", which he hoped would be released in summer 2009. He also gave directors Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson a chance to test the new technology.cite news | author=James Rampton | url=http://enjoyment.independent.co.uk/film/features/article2087309.ece | title=James Cameron: King of all he surveys | work=The Independent | date=2006-12-20 | accessdate=2006-12-20 ] Spielberg and George Lucas were also able to visit the set to watch Cameron direct with the equipment.cite news | author=Steve Chupnick | url=http://www.comingsoon.net/news/avatarnews.php?id=36720 | title= EXCL: Moore on Cameron's "Avatar" | work=ComingSoon.net | date=2007-08-30 | accessdate=2007-08-30 ]

Other technological innovations includes a performance-capture stage, called The Volume, which is six times larger than previously used and an improved method of capturing facial expressions. The tool is a small individually made skull cap with a tiny camera attached to it, located in front of the actors' face which collects information about their facial expressions and eyes, which is then transmitted to the computers. Besides a real time virtual world, the team is also experimenting with a way of letting computer generated characters interact with real actors on a real, live-action set while shooting live action. [cite news | author = Aili McConnon | title = James Cameron on the Cutting Edge | work =BusinessWeek | date = 2007-04-02 | url = http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/07_14/b4028005.htm | accessdate=2007-08-28]

In January 2007, Paramount Pictures announced a live-action adaptation of "" under M. Night Shyamalan and said that the project's name had been registered to the Motion Picture Association of America for movie title ownership, though a 20th Century Fox representative for James Cameron's "Avatar" indicated that the studio owned the movie title. [cite news | author=Pamela McClintock | url=http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117956950.html?categoryid=13&cs=1 | title=Shyamalan's 'Avatar' also to bigscreen | work=Variety | date=2007-01-08 | accessdate=2007-01-13 ] Paramount eventually retitled its film as merely "The Last Airbender". [cite news | url= http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117984091.html?categoryid=13&cs=1 | title = Nickelodeon, Par team for 'Airbender' | accessdate = 2008-04-15 | author = Pamela McClintock, Tatina Siegel | date = 2008-04-15 | work = Variety] In the same month, Fox announced that the studio's "Avatar" would be filmed in 3D. Cameron described the film as a hybrid with a full live-action shoot in combination with computer-generated characters and live environments. "Ideally at the end of the of day the audience has no idea which they’re looking at," Cameron said. The director indicated that he had already worked four months on nonprincipal scenes for the film. Principal photography began in April, and was done around parts of Los Angeles as well as New Zealand. The live action is shot with the proprietary Fusion digital 3-D camera system developed by Cameron and Vince Pace. According to Cameron, the film will be composed of 60% computer-generated elements and 40% live action, as well as traditional miniatures.cite news | author=Anne Thompson | url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/news/e3i1c5a3d24ccc0c11be93b57ad6f2ed194 | title=Cameron sets live-action, CG epic for 2009 | work=The Hollywood Reporter | date=2007-01-09 | accessdate=2007-01-13 ] The performance-capture photography would last 31 days on a high-tech soundstage in Playa Vista. In October, Cameron was scheduled to shoot live-action in New Zealand for another 31 days.

To create the human mining colony on Pandora, production designers visited the "Noble Clyde Boudreaux" drilling rig in the Gulf of Mexico during June 2007. They photographed, measured and filmed every aspect of the rig, which will be replicated on-screen with photorealistic CGI. [cite news | title = Avatar Designs Based on Drilling Rig | work = ComingSoon.net | date = 2008-01-12 | url = http://www.comingsoon.net/news/avatarnews.php?id=40855 | accessdate=2008-01-14]

Music

Composer James Horner will score the film, which will be his third collaboration with Cameron after "Aliens" and "Titanic". [cite news | author = Mikael Carlsson | title = Fox confirms Horner on Cameron's 'Avatar' | work = Film Music Weekly | date = 2007-06-19 | url = | accessdate=2007-06-19] Horner recorded parts of the score with a small chorus singing in the alien language Na'vi in March 2008. [cite news | author = Jim Dorey | title = Na'vi Alien Language Incorporated In 'Avatar' Music Soundtrack | work = MarketSaw Blog | date = 2008-04-02 | url = http://marketsaw.blogspot.com/2008/04/navi-alien-language-incorporated-in.html | accessdate=2008-04-21] He is also working with a music ethnologist to create a music culture for the alien race. [cite news | author = Ann Lucas | title = Alumni News | publisher = UCLA Department of Ethnomusicology | date = Fall 2007 | url = http://www.ethnomusic.ucla.edu/publications/newsletters/newsletterfall07.pdf | accessdate=2008-07-24|format=PDF]

Release

"Avatar" was originally set for release on May 22, 2009 during filming, [cite news | author=Dave McNary | url=http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117968535.html?categoryid=13&cs=1&nid=2564 | title=Hollywood films' dating game | publisher=Variety | date=2007-07-13 | accessdate=2007-07-17 ] but the film was pushed back to December 18, 2009. This was done to allow more post-production time, and to also give more time for theaters worldwide to install 3D projectors. [cite news | author = Pamela McClintock, Michael Fleming | title = Fox shifts 'Avatar,' 'Museum' | work = Variety | date = 2007-12-11 | url = http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117977544.html?categoryid=13&cs=1 | accessdate=2007-12-12]

Marketing

James Cameron chose Ubisoft to create an "Avatar" MMORPG for the film, originally scheduled for release in May 2009. [cite news | author = Ubisoft | title = Ubisoft and Fox Team for Avatar Game | work = Comingsoon.net | date = 2007-07-24 | url = http://www.comingsoon.net/news/avatarnews.php?id=22704 | accessdate=2007-07-25]

References

External links

*imdb title|id=0499549|title=Avatar