So, earlier in the week “Avatar” officially became the biggest-grossing film of all time, and looks certain to be the first film to gross $2 billion any day now. There’s major downsides to this (ie. the conversion of seemingly every movie in production into 3D, and we will throw our toys out of the pram in a big way if it wins Best Picture at the Oscars), but it’s sort of heartening that the number one film in history isn’t a remake, or a sequel, or based on a comic book. (Well, at least until “Avatar 2: Avatarder”)
We rag on the film a lot (with plenty of justification), but most of us here at The Playlist do like the film, and the technical achievements of the film can’t be denied. A featurette from the film came online recently (thanks to screenwriter James Moran for pointing us towards it on Twitter) which gives the clearest look at the film’s performance capture process, and it’s pretty fascinating stuff. We’re particularly jealous of James Cameron’s augmented reality viewfinder, which lets him see the actors as their CGI characters, on the CGI sets. Maybe don’t watch it if you’re one of those people who gets depressed that Pandora isn’t real, but it’s recommended viewing for more or less anyone else.
Also, CCH Pounder? Still the greatest name in the world.
