Avatar, Art, Inception, & Technology

Throughout the duration of our course, we have talked about the various aspects that have evolved the film industry over such a short amount of time. We have finally reached one of the most essential revolutions that the film industry has and is currently going through. Through the use of art, style, and technology; leaps and bounds have been made to further the evolution of film as a whole. Filming no longer just simply involves a camera and actors. Visual artists, designers, multiple camera men, thousands of contributors, etc, this is just a portion of the work that goes into making a film. The visual representations that are present in Avatar and Inception, the technology and change through CGI is significantly changing the game of film. Avatar uses an immense amount of CGI and visual art in order to develop the beautiful scenery that is preset in their world of Pandora. Inception uses many different lenses to create distorted images, as well as visual art to make dreams seem as if they no longer bound by the construct of reality. Art, Style, and Technology have recently become stepping stones for the industry of film to follow. These not only factor into the final product of the film, but also begin to effect a much larger scale of profit, such as businesses.

Famous Hollywood directorJames Cameron, has been known to wow his audience with breathtaking shots and giving Hollywood the biggest bang for their buck. One of the reviews that I found regarding Avatar, talks about how Cameron had brought about a new eden, both cosmic and cinematic. Although it is no wonder that it was so successful since it was one of the most expensive films in cinematic history. This films’ budget was estimated to top $230 million and after sitting through the two and a half hour film, it is more than apparent of the time and money that that was put into the production. This is surprising because Cameron stated that it was very difficult to get the movie started because when the script was written, the technology had not existed yet. He said that in order to get the ball rolling with the film, he had to team up with some of the best minds in visual effects to make it a reality. Although I feel as if it beneficial that the film did not get started on right away, that way the script had time to evolve into what it was. In relation, the film Inception does not incorporate as much CGI but goes deep into script development. Psychoanalysis and the interpretation of dreams is no easy concept to understand, which is what makes this film part of the new age art, style, and technology. With progressing times, people have become numb to the same standard script with nearly predictable outcomes. Taking an audience into a deeper level of thinking and then generating an ending that nearly nobody understood, is how so many people were drawn to this film. The last piece of evidence that I found related to Inception is a breakdown of the very complex storyline that the film takes you through. Starting from when Mr. Cobb washes up on an unknown shore, all the way through the complex idea of inception and planting an idea into someones head through the use of their own dreams. Without giving away any spoilers, the way this film was directed, literary technology has also made a significant leap towards its effect on the audience. Starting with the films end and continuing to explain the outcome throughout, is more confusing than many of the films that we tend to see. A new style had to be developed as the progression of film has continued. People begin to become bored with same outcomes and same use of artistic style.

This takes us to the business aspect of filming and how art, style, and technology all become a profitable business trough the filmmaking industry. Through the use of technology such as CGI and the many aspects that are involved with with the development of new age films, a market can be corned for this type of tech. For example, the film Avatar used some funky looking suits that the actors had to wear in order to develop a character that was not human but could show human emotions. Animators were able to use these suits to mimic the movements and expressions of the actors for the film, which becomes a very profitable business since it is not exactly a very well known skill. Another aspect that helped the business marked of this film is through the editing process of the video. The trailer itself of Avatar immediately draws the audience in with action packed split seconds that we some how can process in that short amount of time. In relation to the film Avatar, Inception used slightly different techniques to draw in their audience. Through the trailer that was developed for the film, the directors did the right thing by showing off the well known actor Leonardo DiCaprio. Being the heart throb, titanic loving actor that many people know him as, people are not only drawn in by the visual effects that the trailer depicts but also human attraction. Its like giving candy to a child, knowing that they will take it without even giving it a second thought. Another influential piece of work that they used to draw in the audience, is done by their visual artist team. Another corner of the market that is good for business in a numerous amount of ways. Using a promotion poster that shows the cast in the city streets where there is no sky but actually their world folding over itself, if you had not previously seen the trailer this peaks the audiences interest. This would then prompt those individuals to do even more research into the film and possibly selling them on the idea of purchasing a copy of the film or going to see it in theaters. The business aspect of the film industry is much more complicated and tricky than most people understand, but it is the little things that such as promotion posters that can make all the difference.