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Book review: The Art of Avatar
The Art of Avatar:
James Cameron's Epic Adventure
A glimpse of the art from the 3D motion picture
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List Price: $29.95
Price: $19.77
Summary:
Avatar is the result of four years of work and the creative combination of director James Cameron (the creator of the Terminator Series, Alien and the Academy winner and box office hit Titanic) and the visual studio Weta Digital in New Zeeland. So, as you can see, it is the creation of two illustrious names in the visual and graphic domain.
3D motion capture
James Cameron had finished writing the script in 1995, but the technology available at that time would not permit to him to give life to his story as he had seen it. Because of this he began shooting the movie after 2001, when a revolutionary technology was introduced in the filming industry by Final Fantasy, which was advanced 3D motion and performance capture technology. The movement in Avatar used movement recording in CG to the extent of lips, eyes and mouth. This was used by animators to create a more realistic world and to capture the exact expressions of the Na’vi eyes, lips and mouth. Also, the technology was used so that certain characteristics of the Na’vi, such as the tail and ears, to become more emphasized while retaining the human characteristics.
The plot
The story centers around an ex-marine, the twin brother of a scientist who worked on the Avatar project. He is immobilized in a chair and is able to rediscover is freedom to move and a new world as an Avatar (a human consciousness which can be transported to an alien body). Under the form of an Avatar he begins to find out more about the new world, the native population of the Na’vi and about himself. But unfortunately he has to choose between the human world and that of the Na’vi, between the economical desires of industry profits and equilibrium of a pristine world. A truly captivating story!
The animation and 3D graphics of Avatar
The 3D graphics in Avatar are structured into two categories: The Na’vi characters and world and the technical robotic world of the humans including the holodeck, the command center and the link. Weta Digital is the creator of the animation and the creative process. Almost the entire planet Pandora is built in 3D: the Na’vi culture, the people, the flora and fauna, the Home Trees and the Hallelujah Mountains and you will find all the details presented in the book. Also, you should not forget the majestic design of the AMPSUIT (Amplified Mobility Platform), which is a robot controlled by a human being. You might find its design quite simple in the movie, but if you see it separately and in detail you will change your view towards it and this is possible in the book. And in the end, you will also be able to see numerous landscape images which will take your breath away with their beauty, creativity and majestic graphical design.
Conclusion
Although the book is relatively short, only 106 pages, and contains almost no storyboards or details about the way the graphics were created it offers many digital shots and compositions which are pure visual delight. This book is great for those who are interested in conceptual art or matte painting.
Conceptual design for mechanical device like AMPSUIT (Amplified Mobility Platform)
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The Art of Avatar:
James Cameron's Epic Adventure
List Price: $29.95
Price: $19.77
Authors: By Lisa Fitzpatrick, Preface by Peter Jackson, Foreword by Jon Landau, Epilogue by James Cameron
Publisher: Abrams Books
ISBN: 0-8109-8286-2
Physical Description: 108 pages
