Avatar and Pleasantville are two very different movies. Avatar is reliant on new technologies but is said to have an average storyline, while Pleasantville has a great plot but uses very little special effects. This effected how successful the movies were. It is interesting how special effects and CGI are contributing so much to today’s film industry. One of the best examples of a movie that used CGI and special effects to wow the audience is Star Wars. James Cameron wanted the audience to praise Avatar like they did Star Wars so he began creating and using new technologies to shape the film. Each film has become a successful movie because of its own characteristics.
Avatar definitely left a big impact on movies after it was released, they have incredible special effects and CGI work. A lot of work went on behind the cameras, 60% of the film was shot in CG. It is unbelievable to read about the effort that went into making the live actors go into a CG world so precisely. James Cameron hired a visual effects company, framestore, all the way in London to do most of the CGI work. The budget for Avatar was a whopping 300 million, with this money they were able to create new technologies and buy expensive new equipment, such as the stereoscopic 3D camera. Most of the budget was spent creating developments to make the film set and CG world correlate. Even though the movie was very expensive to create it was well worth it because the movie ended up being very profitable. James Cameron is not new to this sort of pressure Mr. Dyer points out, “It’s a big financial investment and there’s a lot riding on it but it’s not the first time Cameron’s’ been in this position. Terminator 2 was the most expensive film ever made, Titanic was the most expensive film ever made, this is what he does,”.
When I went to see Avatar for the first time I had no idea they were going to use such an large amount of 3D visuals, it was better than any 3D movie I had seen previously. According to Joshua Davis, the man in the video, James Cameron created a camera that shoots in 3D with much better quality and a virtual camera. Previous movies that have come out in 3D are usually 100% animated. It was important for James Cameron to make a proper 3D film with the newest technologies available because poorly made 3D movies can cause strain on a viewer’s eyes or even cause nausea.
Avatar has an incredible bio luminescent forest that is mind blowing in 3D. This is a scene where a bunch of seeds were floating around Jake and began landing on him. This is one scene I remember in the movies because all of the vibrant seeds were floating around the room in 3D, it shows how a well done 3D movie can turn an average scene into one you will not forget. This also with the increase in 3D technologies companies are able to create electronics such as Samsung’s 3D television. Another reason for Avatars success is the marketing the studio was able to accomplish. They were doing an incredible job advertising the movie with big names such as McDonalds or Coke and did not release anything until a few months before the movie for greater anticipation.
Pleasantville does use some visual effects, nothing compared to Avatar however they were above average for the films time. They used color in a way that showed different emotions. Although he uses a very small amount of special effects it contributes to a big part of the film. Adding color to objects such as a specific flower was difficult at the time. However, the movie did not rely on special effects and new technologies as heavily as Avatar, Pleasantville had a constantly amusing plot and great actors. Gary Ross wrote the screen write and made his debut as a director directing Pleasantville. The movie was very impactful for being the sitcom comedy it is. When the people begin to have color they are discriminated against by the people who are still colorless. This displayed the discrimination that had happened in the U.S. during the civil rights movement and showed people to embrace changing views instead of fight it. It would also be good for younger teenagers to watch because it teaches a valuable lesson on bravery to accept change and the teenagers in the movie are positive role models.
Critical resource Pleasantville
Video of Josh discussing latest technology in Avatar (critical)
Washington post (critical)