"Avatar" has just become the
highest grossing film of all time beating James Cameron's own
"Titanic," which was the previous record holder (that is,
without adjusting for inflation). To celebrate it we bring you another
behind-the-scenes featurette about the American director's outstanding new
movie. It showcases the very interesting twist that new technology ads to motion capture techniques: cameras that
record the actors' expressions.
"Avatar" is the story of an ex-marine who
inhabits an avatar of the kindred physical form of the Na'vi,
the inhabitants of a moon called Pandora, which in itself is an avatar of the
real actor playing it. The same is true for many of the
characters we see in the movie. In this way, the film's name
happens to have a double meaning.
The word avatar was originally used to describe the incarnation
of a god - the human embodiment of a deity - in Hindu mythology.
It was later adopted by Internet users to refer to their virtual
character or chosen image (usually a photo or picture) in
forums, chat rooms, and other virtual meeting places.
For more information on the world of Avatar check out
Pandorapedia: http://www.pandorapedia.com/doku.php
Don't miss the
film's companion book:
Click on cover to purchase.
Article updated on
January 27, 2010 to reflect "Avatar" achieving the top grossing
spot. |
