Ahead of the release of the highly anticipated Avatar: The Way of the Water, director James Cameron defends the use of 3D technology despite the widely held belief in Hollywood that the allure of the format movies is dead.
In light of the upcoming sequel and the recent re-release and remastered version of Avatar in theaters, Cameron was asked about his views on the future of 3D films at a roundtable interview attended by Slash Film. Here The Terminator director confirmed his belief that Avatar's most substantial influence on modern blockbusters was 3D technology, explaining, "Avatar won the best cinematography with a 3D digital camera. No digital camera had ever won the best cinematography Oscar before."
"Then two out of the three subsequent years, the same cameras were used by the cinematographers that won the Oscar," Cameron added. "So you got 3 out of 4 years where the Academy embraced digital cinematography. And all 3 of those films were in 3D."
After its release and subsequent re-releases, Avatar became the highest-grossing movie of all time and has been continually praised and awarded for its visual effects and world-building. Whilst it is widely agreed that the sci-fi blockbuster and its use of 3D technology did have a significant impact on cinematography, this has been considered temporary as the allure of 3D is now lost on audiences. According to Cameron, however, this merely proves that the impact of Avatar continues even today.
"3D appears to most people to sort of be 'over.' But it's really not over. It's just been accepted. It's just now a part of your choices when you go to the theater to see a big blockbuster movie ... I liken it to color." Cameron said. "When color films first came out, it was a big deal. People would go to see movies because they were in color. I think around the time of Avatar, people used to go to see movies because they were in 3D ... I think it had an impact on how films were presented that's now just sort of accepted and part of the zeitgeist and how it's done."
Although Cameron didn't reveal how 3D technology would be utilized in the sequels, the teaser trailer for Avatar: The Way of Water has already been released to great excitement, as well as concept art showcasing the vast underwater world of Pandora. As to what else fans can expect from Avatar 2, producer Jon Landau revealed in 2020, "This is the story of the Sully family and what one does to keep their family together," He explained. "Jake and Neytiri have a family in this movie, they are forced to leave their home, they go out and explore the different regions of Pandora, including spending quite a bit of time on the water, around the water, in the water."
Starring Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang, Giovanni Ribisi, Joel David Moore, Edie Falco, Kate Winslet, Oona Chaplin, Vin Diesel, Michelle Yeoh and David Thewlis, Avatar: The Way of Water releases in theaters on Dec. 16, 2022.
Source: Slash Film