Fifteen years ago, Hollywood director James Cameron dreamed of a world that only existed in his head. Today, Cameron’s dream, "Avatar," has reached mega screen theaters all around the world, and already grossed over $1.8 billion.
By the end of 1985, Cameron finished writing the movie, and the only thing holding him back was the lack of technology to develop the film properly. So he had to take his billion-dollar movie, and store it away in his desk.
By 2004, the filming technology was getting closer to what Cameron desired. So in 2005, he began filming for "Avatar." His filming process would revolutionize Hollywood, and the way movies were filmed and presented.
“I haven’t seen [Avatar] yet, but I’ve been hearing a whole bunch of things about how it’s going to change the movie world. So I’ll probably be seeing [it] soon," said BSU alum Dana Haberman.
Cameron stated that this revolutionary way of filming would become such a huge success for 3-D films. He predicts 3-D footage (movie, television, news) will began to appear in our everyday life. Next year, 3-D televisions are predicted to hit the market.
Behind all the cool images people see during the films, and all the raved about technology, Cameron has taken his Avatar world to the next level.
Cameron used Pandora, an actual moon in the Alpha Centauri system, to set the scene. Of course, on the actual moon, there is no life, but Cameron developed all facets of a perfect fictional life. He used the help of many professionals and professors to develop an entire ecosystem, Na’vi language and military advancements.
With some extra help from a USC professor, Cameron was able to develop an entirely new language with Maori, African, Portuguese and Latin influences. The difficulty was having a Na’vi character trying to speak in an English dialect, which was left up to co-head star Zoe Saldana.
Another tricky aspect was developing an entire ecosystem, but Cameron was willing to accomplish it. He created everything from the new style of trees and plant life, to the animals and humanoids. He was even able to categorize and give scientific names to all of the plant life.
Cameron was also able to develop new types of military and space machinery. From the realistic hibernation chambers to Amplified Mobility Platform (AMP) personal fighting machines.
“When I saw Avatar, I really wanted to play around in one of those cool AMP machines. That would be awesome,” said BSU student Garrett Dyrhaug.
And at the end of all of his movies, Cameron usually picks out a souvenir. When he finished the filming of "Avatar," he decided to take one of his designed AMP machines, which was flown to his house in Malibu.
He told "Entertainment Weekly" where he was going to put the 14-foot AMP. “I’m putting it right on the front lawn.” He added, “It’ll send a message to the neighbors.”
Cameron is currently enjoying the aftermath of his extremely successful movie that took five years to film with a hefty fee of over $400 million to make. But who wouldn’t be enjoying a dream that turned into a growing $1.8 billion franchise.
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