Saturday
17May2008
James Cameron Gets Small
Saturday, May 17, 2008 at 3:49PM 
James Cameron may soon be heading back
underwater, telling
The Hollywood Reporter his plans to shoot a
movie about free diving in the near future."After
Avatar, I want to do something a lot smaller,"
says Cameron, apparently not realizing that it's nearly impossible to get much
larger than a live action 3D movie you've been working on for a decade.
'Smaller' in this case could mean The Dive, based on the life story of
competitive free diver Francisco Ferreras and his relationship with his protege
Audrey Mestre, who died while competing in 2002.
"It's a drama, a love story," Cameron said. "This will
require underwater photography, which will look gorgeous in 3D."
Ah yes, Jim Cameron and his 3D. Well, he might have a
point, although shooting a 3D movie where the principal action is underwater is
not, by definition, 'small.' His terrific IMAX documentary,
Ghosts of the Abyss, went to great depths in
search of relics from the Titanic, and it did, in fact, look gorgeous in 3D.
Says Cameron of not shooting a sweeping epic in the more
expensive fashion, "The visual aesthetic of doing dramatic stuff in 3D is very
simple," he said. "Just don't remind people that they are watching a 3D movie.
That will take them out of the experience." And here again, he's absolutely right. The worst thing
about a 3D experience is realizing you're watching a movie with glasses on.
Until they get a better system in place, 3D will continue to have difficulty as
a mainstream outlet. But I sense it's getting better and I know James Cameron
will work to make it better.
Jim Dorey at MarketSaw has a comprehensive
rundown of info about another of Cameron's future projects, the manga adaptation
Battle Angel, which will also be shot in 3D.
Much like Avatar, that one will take years and years to complete.
As for Avatar, the Cameron opus about humans
fighting the denizens of a distant planet, it's on the calendar for December 18,
2009.
Colin Boyd | Permalink | in 3D, Avatar, James Cameron | Print Article | Email Article | Post a Comment | Share Article
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