Performance Capture by CGI
Cameron has used the Computer generated imagery (CGI) extensively in Avatar. Though he has already been using it since his earlier movies days like Terminator2: Judgment Day, and Total Recall, but in Avatar he specifically used a novel technique called “image-based facial performance capture” that required actors to wear some special headgears already equipped with camera. As the actors performed, the camera transmitted facial movements that were put on the virtual characters. This made the movements of the body back to a connected array of systems which acted out their scenes on a ‘performance capture’ stage six times bigger than anything that was ever used earlier in the industry. This resulted in an amazingly emotional authenticity by the movie characters. The movie’s footage was built from around 70% CGI including its female lead.
Digital Animation
All the movie’s animations were rendered by Weta Digital, the digital-effects studio of Peter Jackson, and a huge team of the artists were constantly working for over a year to transfer the renderings to the photo-realistic images. Every minute detail was taken care of, by rendering every tree, leaf or even rock individually with the most innovative methods in rendering, lighting and shading that used over a petabyte (1000 terabytes) of hard diskstorage.
Stereoscopic 3D Fusion Camera System
This has been the most advanced of the technologies in recent times as Cameron’s undying obsession with 3D has resulted in the most advanced camera system ever designed, the new Fusion Camera System. It was specially used to bridge up the gaps between scenes and artistically formed an untraceable connectivity between the live action scenes and the computer generated scenes.
