[3DBob]

If you ever wondered what is taking James Cameron so long to produce the Avatar sequels. Here is some insight. He is definitely trying new things and pushing the envelope. Apparently, he spent most of last year just trying to figure out how to do underwater shots. If you understand motion capture and it's relation to 3D, you will appreciate the problem.

http://collider.com/avatar-sequels-underwater-filming-explained-james-cameron/#motion-capture

Here is some light reading about motion capture. If the dots being recorded shift in refraction underwater, then the 3D gets all messed up and out of alignment.

https://www.engadget.com/2014/07/14/motion-capture-explainer/

 

[tomtastic]

I think by the time he gets it done 3D will be gone everywhere. Originally it was delayed because of finishing the script for 4 movies not just one. It was originally slatted for 2017 but that's been bumped back several times. Now Disney owns it so who knows if we'll get a 3D release here.

The problem I see if they focus so much on underwater is will it really help the movie. Every time directors have put a lot of money into underwater scenes they never really get back that investment. Examples: Thunderball, Waterworld, Star Wars Ep. 1. Ep. 1 made a lot of money but the underwater stuff didn't add much to the movie.

 

[3DBob]

I tend to agree. Why delay a movie 5 years just so you can do underwater scenes right? Cameron does things "the best," which might be his downfall, as he has said that the new Avatars were going to be a revolution of 3D technology use and content. And, by then it will be too late. By 2020, we will be into the start of 8k and VR infused reality but not at the movie level. More at the home computer/TV level with computer-bound machines driving the image. Movies will probably not change much, maybe higher frame rate, but that seems to be going flat as well as 3D in the US. Plus, since he doesn't own his franchise, it will be all about making money, not make the best, most unique films. The pressure on him now has to be enormous. It's been said that he is pushing a half-billion into the next Avatar movie sequels--yikes .

 

[NickTheGreat]

Hell, by 2020 the world may be all excited for 3D again . . .

 

[3DBob]

Hell, by 2020 the world may be all excited for 3D again . . .

Wake me up then, I'm going into hypersleep now...lol.

 

[dew42]

It is four years until Avatar 3, December 17, 2021. And another four years to Avatar 5, December 19, 2025. There is two years between each of Star Wars 7, 8, and 9.

“Avatar 2 and 3 will be captured together and then [go through postproduction] sequentially. Then we go back and capture 4 and 5."

https://screenrant.com/avatar-sequels-production-schedule-james-cameron/

 

[Prince Abubu]

I think by the time he gets it done 3D will be gone everywhere. Originally it was delayed because of finishing the script for 4 movies not just one. It was originally slatted for 2017 but that's been bumped back several times. Now Disney owns it so who knows if we'll get a 3D release here.

The problem I see if they focus so much on underwater is will it really help the movie. Every time directors have put a lot of money into underwater scenes they never really get back that investment. Examples: Thunderball, Waterworld, Star Wars Ep. 1. Ep. 1 made a lot of money but the underwater stuff didn't add much to the movie.

When they're talking about 3D motion capture, they're not talking about stereoscopic 3D. It's the creation of the 3D models that gets messed up when shooting under water and it makes it harder for the post production effects team to create the Na'vi and animate them accurately to the underwater performance.

Hope this helps clear up some stuff...

How ever on the 3D front, one of the reasons the sequels were pushed back to 2020+ is that Jimmy C has been working with Christie Digital on designing a laser projector that can display and exceptionally bright super high frame rate image, which he is filming the sequels in (reportedly 240fps & in 8k), that can make glasses free 3D quite possibly a thing... but just like Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk, I'm sure there will only be one or two cinemas around the world that would be able to do this at all.

 

[tomtastic]

When they're talking about 3D motion capture, they're not talking about stereoscopic 3D. It's the creation of the 3D models that gets messed up when shooting under water and it makes it harder for the post production effects team to create the Na'vi and animate them accurately to the underwater performance.

Hope this helps clear up some stuff...

How ever on the 3D front, one of the reasons the sequels were pushed back to 2020+ is that Jimmy C has been working with Christie Digital on designing a laser projector that can display and exceptionally bright super high frame rate image, which he is filming the sequels in (reportedly 240fps & in 8k), that can make glasses free 3D quite possibly a thing... but just like Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk, I'm sure there will only be one or two cinemas around the world that would be able to do this at all.

Until I hear it from the horse's mouth it's all conjecture. I doubt 240fps, at most 120, more likely 60fps like he stated a few years ago. My point on underwater is that I hope they don't put all the focus on that, underwater movies or movies with big underwater scenes don't really rake in the dough considering how much you have to spend to get the shots. Granted, The Abyss was decent underwater but most scenes weren't really in the water.

The delay of Avatar wasn't because of Christie digital, Cameron even stated he was working on 4 scripts at once he also had another project he was working on right before that the Deep Sea Challenger. Those companies operate fully without him around so he isn't really held up by anything, it was mostly the script for 4 movies.

Glasses-free, remains to be seen. At this point, there is no indication that theaters will be equipped with that technology for any of the Avatar movies so folks shouldn't really expect that. Cameron only stated that glasses-free is the ultimate goal, not that the Avatar movies would be shown in glasses-free. Practically speaking, I think we're about 10 years away from that. 3-5 years to work out the design and cost factor for a theater-size screen, and another 5 years for a limited and gradual adoption of the glasses-free 3D format. And that will likely be very limited at first anyway.