How did Avatar do it?

With the new generation of 3D cameras, Cameron can shoot such a comprehensive work as "Avatar".

This is the legendary virtual camera.

Each actor wears a miniature high-definition camera, which can capture the actor's most subtle changes in expression.

Breaking Point 1: The new generation of 3D cameras creates a three-dimensional sense. For example, moving from a flat surface to a three-dimensional film is the most significant step in the film revolution in recent years. In order to shoot "Avatar", James Cameron took the lead in developing a new generation of 3D cameras. For this reason, he spent many years of hard work and finally captured the images with a three-dimensional realism. As early as 9 years ago, James Cameron experimented with it in his "Ghost of the Abyss". Immediately, he developed new 3D glasses, and finally used this mature technology in the filming of "Avatar". Representative scene: In the base established by the Earthlings on Pandora, the technologically transparent laptop computer and instrument display screens stand out in front of the screen, and the golf balls played by the Earthlings' senior executives roll towards the audience. Breaking point 2: Previews have greatly reduced the shooting cost. 60% of the pictures in "Avatar" are full CG effects. Compared with any previous special effects blockbuster, the number is staggering. If every special effects shot arranged by the director is as special effects If all parts are completed, then "Avatar" will not be finished until the Year of the Monkey and the Horse. If the director is not satisfied and starts over, the cost will increase exponentially. In order to save time and money, Cameron used a virtual camera. After shooting the live performance in one room, the final film can be accurately previewed in the other room, which allows the director to preview the final film on the same monitor. See the actors' movements and the rendering of CGI. This preview technology has also become Cameron's most effective weapon to reduce costs. Otherwise, the filming cost of "Avatar" would have been far more than 300 million US dollars. At the same time, this technology has also significantly reduced the cost of special effects movies in recent years. Representative scene: Earthman Jack transforms into a cloned Na'vi, and walks through the rain forest with Neytiri, the indigenous Na'vi princess of Pandora. They are surrounded by strange plants. Jack reaches out to touch a single spiral leaf, and the leaf immediately Shrink up. Breaking point 3: Upgrading the "motion capture" technology Pasting real-life performances into the background of computer paintings is often not realistic enough. For this reason, James Cameron upgraded the "motion capture" technology. Unlike other films, "Avatar" also used more than 100 cameras to help complete "motion capture." When the actor of "Avatar" was filming, in addition to wearing a body suit full of capture points as usual, he also had a set of "cooperative cameras" set up in front of him, with up to 140 digital cameras all aimed at him This actor forms a capture stage, specifically shooting the light reflected from the actor, and transmits this data to the computer to form the entire special effects shot. Representative scene: In order to reach the suspended mountain where the winged beast is, Jack passed by pumice stones, suspension bridges, and waterfalls. It was so real that it seemed like water droplets splashed on his face. These backgrounds were all pasted into the lens through a computer. Breaking point 4: Upgrading the "performance capture" technology. In 60% of the shots in "Avatar", the protagonists are Na'vi people who have been processed by computer animation, so "performance capture" technology can only be used, that is, to capture the facial expressions of real actors. , and then "pasted" these expressions onto the faces of the Na'vi people, combining live performance images with computer animation to create a realistic effect. And one actor can easily play multiple roles. The innovation of "Avatar" is to put a miniature high-definition camera on each performing actor. It is only about 10 centimeters away from the actor's face. It can capture the actor's most subtle expression changes and then send it to the computer for use. to make the blue Na'vi. Representative scene: Jack and Na'vi princess Neytiri are in love, and their eyes begin to have content. Although they are CG animated characters, the level of detail in the expressions of the two's expressions of love is comparable to the characters in Qiong Yao's drama. Breaking point 5: The virtual camera captures the sense of motion

There are a lot of action scenes in the script of "Avatar", such as Jack running in the forest and flying in the air on a winged beast. After capturing the actors' expressions and movements, Cameron had to add scenes of them running and flying. Cameron developed a virtual camera that allows the photographer to twist around like dancing. The movement trajectory can be captured by the system and synthesized into post-processing to simulate the effects of crane cameras and other equipment in traditional film shooting. sports shots. Relying on this equipment, Cameron allowed himself to move freely in the CG world, as if he had moved the camera into the computer digital world for real-life shooting. Representative scene: Jack rides on the back of the winged beast, flying freely among the suspended mountains. From time to time, he dives and flies sideways at high altitudes. These sports shots are all virtualized on the computer.