James Cameron Planning Titanic TV Special

While James Cameron was already a successful director before helming Titanic back in 1997, but it was the movie about that doomed ship that catapulted his career into the stratosphere and made him the self-proclaimed "king of the world." Given that fact, and the amount of time Cameron has spent poking around underwater over the past few decades, this news shouldn't come as a surprise. THR says that Cameron will be indulging his Titanic obsession once more, this time for the National Geographic Channel. He'll be directing a two-hour documentary about the ship, timed to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the Titanic tragedy.

Cameron's Titanic credentials extend beyond just directing a movie about it. THR points out that he has made more than two dozen dives down to the wreckage. The special, entitled Titanic: Final Word with James Cameron, will use cutting-edge new technology to learn even more about why exactly the ocean liner sank (for those of you looking for something more specific than "big damn iceberg"). Michael Cascio, the executive vp of programming for National Geographic Channel, is tight-lipped about what new discoveries the special might unveil, but hints that "some could alter the accepted facts about why the 'unsinkable' ship sank."

Cascio had this to say about Cameron's passion for the Titanic:

[Cameron] is a freak about the Titanic ... He is obsessed with trying to find out why exactly it sank. He’s actually comparing his research with his film to see what we’ve learned since then and what can advance the story.



In addition to Final Word, National Geographic Channel will also air Save the Titanic, a new documentary that looks at current threats to the preservation of the Titanic's wreckage. It will be hosted by Dr. Bob Ballard, an expert who was one of the original team that discovered the Titanic wreckage site in 1985. Both specials will air in April 2012.

James Cameron says 'Titanic' 3-D re-release looks 'more amazing than it did in 1997'

While this isn’t exactly how these famous fellas envisioned Titanic should return to theaters, they’d probably still be thrilled that James Cameron came around and found a way to bring back the 1997 box office Oscar-winning smash. And in 3-D, no less.

“I’ve been looking for years for an opportunity to put Titanic back on the big screen, because that’s really where it belongs,” Cameron says in a behind-the-scenes featurette. The writer/director goes on to explain that he chose the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic to bring the film back to audiences to “re-experience” the movie. Cameron, who refers to the movie as “my baby,” went on to talk about the challenges in making a 3-D movie that wasn’t initially shot in 3-D. “We cleaned it up and made it as pristine as possible,” he says of the update. Watch the full clip below. (Admit it, you get some goosebumps when you see Kate Winslet’s Rose looking at the ship for the first time, too.)

Avatar director James Cameron to take on Japan tsunamis

Oscar winner is building a submarine to explore the world's deepest underwater trench… that and the Avatar sequels

Critically-acclaimed director James Cameron talked about the difficulties he faced in technically developing his mastermind film, ‘Avatar’, while looking the future of technology across all mediums and how it could one day even buffer the devastation that Japan currently, and Indonesia earlier, faced in wake of the earthquake and the corresponding Tsunami.

In a candid chat with James Murdoch, CEO and Chairman of News Corporation, Asia and Europe, at the ongoing Abu Dhabi Media Summit, Cameron – who is also a deep-sea explorer – revealed that he is currently mounting a submarine expedition to the Mariana Trench in the Pacific Ocean, which should see him set off one year from now.

“We are in the process of building submarine to go to the Mariana trench, which is around 11,000 metres under water,” said Cameron.

“The idea is to understand what is happening down there, to get data and conduct seismic surveys there so we can avoid another Indonesia and Japan.”

Cameron stressed on the urgent need of technology in our daily lives, from deep sea exploration to the big screen.

“Creating ‘Avatar’ starting me thing from a technological point of view,” he said. “I was not just a filmmaker but the CEO of Digital Domain and the company’s biggest client. What I wanted was a quantum leap forward but I was told it was too early to conceptualize my ideas. So I had to box the idea away and wait for 10 years.”

“’Avatar’s’ 3D technological advancement took painstaking work, which including Cameron and his team conceptualizing a special face camera that could capture every nuance of every expression.

The director explained: “The audience had to be moved by the characters to ensure its success, not by just great visual vistas but rather tight face close-ups. We had to capture every finer nuance.

“We knew how to capture everybody performance, but we had no idea how to capture every facial performance. So we mounted a tiny camera onto their face and that recorded their every expression.”

The ‘Titanic’ director stated it took two years to write the software that could take that raw data set and turn it into reality.

3D vision

Cameron’s use of 3D technology in ‘Avatar’ has redefined how Hollywood now perceives this form of cinema.

“The argument in a filmmaking process that wants to utilise 3D technology has always been, do we film it in 3D or do we do bear the cost in post-production,” he explained. “It is a cost saving exercise of course, but I know that I prefer shooting in 3D.

“In fact, ticket sales are flattening, but if studios are making more money, then it is because we are charging tickets at a premium for 3D technology. People want the big screen experience and they want those extra effects and are willing to pay for it.”

The most common problems facing filmmakers who utilise 3D technology is maintaining that fine balance between storytelling and ensuring the visual effects don’t overcome the plot.

Cameron agreed, saying: “Because I have explored both storytelling and technological advancements throughout my career, my challenge has always been to stay closer to the heart of the character. And because I write my own stories, I know what my characters are feeling before I start thinking camerawork.”

He went on to say: “What the audience wants is a fresh story and the best films work on your emotions. ‘Avatar’ pushed on technology that would cannabilise the big screen market. And it had me go on a 10-year odyssey to fight with filmmakers.”

Cameron revealed that when digital cinema opened, people thought it would die out but it took 3D as a catalyst to bring it to the stage it is.

“Best described, ‘Avatar’ was like jumping out of an airplane and knitting the parachute on the way down,” he laughed. “We would be in middle of production day and we would ground to a halt because the equipment wouldn’t work.

“But today we can say that people will go to school and look in a manual and know how to do things because we solved it.”

So what’s next, one wonders and Cameron doesn’t shy away from answering it: “People often ask me, is 4D the next thing. And I always say, we need to consolidate 3D first. That’s the big step,” he concluded.

Cameron shot to fame in 1984, when ‘The Terminator’ hit the screens for a seemingly short one-week run but ended up collecting $78m at the global box office.

Since, there was no looking back for the Canadian director/writer/producer, who went on to create the cult hit ‘Aliens’ with Sigourney Weaver in 1986, followed by ‘The Abyss’ three years later and ‘Terminator 2: Judgment Day’ in 1991.

But it was the record-breaking ‘Titanic’ in 1994 that really turned Cameron into a household name, sweeping almost all the Academy and Golden Globe awards that year and creating box office history with the film becoming the highest grosser of all time, earning $1.8 billion globally according to industry records.

That record was broken in 2010 when Cameron’s 3D masterpiece, ‘Avatar’, which was the closing film of the Dubai International Film Festival the previous year, garnered over $2.7bn at the global box office.

In fact, it was ‘Avatar’s’ phenomenal success that saw ‘Vanity Fair’ magazine name him Hollywood’s top Hollywood earner earlier this month, with estimated 2010 earnings of $257m.

Cameron is reportedly now involved in the pre-production of ‘Avatar’ parts two and three, which will reportedly be followed by ‘Battle Angel’, but no details of the last project have emerged.

How Avatar Just Saved Pandora In Brazil

James Cameron might have just saved a real-life Pandora on Friday, as a Brazilian judge ruled to save thousands of rainforest acres from one of the world's largest dam proposals.

After several environmental concerns, construction of the Belo Monte Dam was halted by a Brazilian judge on Friday. With plans on the dam being the third largest hydroelectric dam in the world, it was costing the Brazilian government approximately 15 billion dollars in construction costs. The first phase of the 11,000 mega-watt dam was intended to have been completed in 2015. Since the beginning of the project, the dam has caused much uproar from many environmental organizations, even being criticized by the Catholic Church.

As Brazil's population and economy grows, so does its need for a reliable source of electricity. Blackouts in the past have signified a growing energy problem in the country, which was supposed to have been solved with the construction of the Belo Monte Dam. Having been chosen to host the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Summer Olympics, energy demands have been on the forefront of concerns in Brazil.

In the rainy months, the dam would have produced 11,000 megawatts of energy, equaling that of approximately seven coal plants. However, during the rainy months, production would have decreased to about 10% of that total. The famed 11,000 megawatt dam would, in actuality, only produce about 6,000 megawatts on average , annually. While this does create a much-needed clean energy source, the cost to construct it - 15 billion dollars - and the effect on the rainforest does not quite compare to the proposed energy benefits.

In court rulings on Friday, construction was halted and funds were immediately cut off from the project, as a Brazilian federal judge determined that environmental requirements previously set had not been met. These requirements were set in an effort to minimize the impact on the surrounding tropical rainforest and the people of the area. Avatar director, James Cameron, along with Sting and Sigourney Weaver, has become front-line protesters against the construction of the Belo Monte Dam by moving to the Amazonian rainforest to live among the indigenous people. Aside from adding his voice to the protests against the building of the dam, Cameron helps to bring global awareness to the cause, a real-life Avatar.

Halting construction on this project will most likely slow the acceleration of the Brazilian economy. The private companies involved, including Odebrecht, Camargo Correa, and Andrade Gutierrez. Alstom, Andritz, Voith Hydro, and Impsa will likely see negative effects in their earnings, depending on the length of the suspension and the size of this project in comparison to their overall profits.

James Cameron's 'Avatar' Borrows From His Past Epics

Cameron completists might recognize themes, characters and plot points.

If you were setting out to make the biggest film in the history of movies, you'd be wise to take a close look at the brilliant work of the best filmmakers who'd come before you. It's no surprise, then, that many key elements of "Avatar" have James Cameron paying tribute to one of the most important directors of all time: himself.

From characters to plot points to several overarching themes, the world's #1 movie is leaving audiences with both a sense of awe and one of déjà vu. Not that there's anything wrong with that. After "Aliens," "The Abyss," "True Lies," "Titanic" and the "Terminator" films, he's certainly earned the right to stick with what works. Keeping that in mind, here are five recurring Cameron themes we've loved before and are loving again:

The Spineless Company Man
In "Avatar," Giovanni Ribisi's Parker Selfridge heads up the RDA mining operation, barking out orders with an iron fist and a thirst for wealth. In "Aliens," Carter Burke (Paul Reiser) is a rep for the Weyland-Yutari corporation who not only helps mastermind Ripley's ill-fated mission, but has secret plans to bring alien specimens to the company for research and profit. Both characters come from the passive-aggressive school of those who'd sell out their own mother for a buck. Company men through and through, it isn't that they don't have a sense of morality; it's that their morals are up for sale to the highest bidder.

Robotic Retrofits
It'd be really boring if someone made a movie about humans encountering an alien race with the strength of children, who we could smack around as if we were King Kong. It makes sense, then, that Cameron's winning formula has twice relied on mankind overcoming our girly-man physical limitations with the help of hardware. As far as memorable Cameron moments go, Sigourney Weaver's toe-to-toe battle with the "Aliens" queen is tough to top. After slipping into a cargo-loading exo-suit, Ripley lays the smack down. "Avatar" Chief of Security Colonel Miles Quaritch (Stephen Lang), meanwhile, is quite fond of his AMP (Amplified Mobility Platform) suit. Imagined as a descendent of 21st-century military exoskeletons, the AMP suit amplifies (get it?) the strength and mobility of Quaritch and other soldiers. Suffice it to say that if Cameron could have any toy from his movies, he'd probably be walking around his mansion in a giant robo-suit.

Mankind vs. Technology
Afraid that your toaster will rise up against you? That our iPods and Kindles will eventually destroy what's left of our world's simplistic beauty? Then you've probably seen a lot of James Cameron movies. "Avatar" features a none-too-subtle message about the dangers of civilized man attempting to take down the pure of heart and sensitive to nature. The "Terminator" films similarly envision a world where mankind's desire for absolute supremacy becomes its ultimate downfall. Heck, even "Titanic" is about the dangers of technological advancement and the hubris of declaring mankind's supremacy. Whether it's primitive cultures, robots or water, Cameron seems eager to remind humans that we aren't as powerful as we sometimes think.

The No-Nonsense Female Sidekick
In "Aliens," Private Vasquez (Jenette Goldstein) is a tough Latina Marine who fights bravely and has more masculine qualities than many of the men around her. In "Avatar," Trudy Chacon (Michelle Rodriguez) is a tough Latina Marine similarly endearing, macho and ultimately ill-fated. Although much has been made over the years of Cameron's love for female action heroes (Ripley, Sarah Connor, Max Guevera from "Dark Angel"), his secondary female characters are just as proud a tradition.

Risk-Taking Realm Immersion
Watch "Avatar," and you're amazed at the lengths Jake Sully must go to set foot on Pandora. As he takes the less-literal dive, it's reminiscent of Cameron's "The Abyss," perhaps his most underrated film. In that movie, a diving team encounters an alien species, ultimately leading Virgil "Bud" Brigman (Ed Harris) to use a liquid breathing apparatus that allows him to dive deeper than humanly possible but risks death if his oxygen runs out. Pandora similarly poses fears of oxygen absence, total immersion and a peek at beauties never before seen by man — for those brave enough to take the leap and for moviegoers, who may similarly be watching a Cameron movie holding their breath.

James Cameron Discusses 'Avatar' Spirituality, Cliches On 'Oprah'

'There's a fine line between cliché and archetype that touches something universal,' the director argues.

As "Avatar" gets set for a fifth straight week as the #1 film in America, director James Cameron stopped by "The Oprah Winfrey Show" to talk about the film's gender-line-exploding appeal, accusations of recycled storytelling and the franchise's spiritual and environmental roots.

After exchanging a greeting in the language of the native Na'vi population, Oprah asked Cameron if he's a spiritual person. After all, the Na'vi greeting "I see you" is a phrase with a deeper meaning more akin to "I understand who you are."

"I guess I must be, because this film represents a lot of ideas and feelings I have as an artist," he said, going on to highlight his movie's "environmental message and the idea that we are all connected to each other as human beings."

Obsessed with what he termed "nature's imagination," Cameron said "Avatar" was his "attempt to bottle that."

Oprah declared herself a huge fan. Though not having gone to the theater since the '90s — maybe since "Dances With Wolves" — the host said not only did she take in a theatrical viewing of "Avatar," but called all her friends and told them they had to check it out. Cameron explained that while opening-night crowds were dominated by male viewers, positive word of mouth has resulted in an even male/female split in the film's audience.

"Avatar" continues to reel in bundles of cash — $1.4 billion worldwide and counting — but Oprah asked Cameron to respond to charges from critics and viewers that the story is derivative or clichéd. "I think the story is communicating with people," Cameron said. "There's a fine line between cliché and archetype that touches something universal."

The Na'vi's blue color, while not necessarily universal, has become prominent in pop culture — so much so that Lady Gaga has had to abandon plans to coat herself in the hue. Appearing on "Oprah" after Cameron, the pop superstar admitted, "I've been talking about how I want to paint myself blue for a performance for the longest time."

Comparing The 'Avatar' And 'Titanic' Couples With James Cameron

Robotic body suits, evil corporations, do-not-mess-with-me female sidekicks — these are just some of the recurring motifs in the films of James Cameron, present from 1984's "Terminator" up through current box-office and awards-season pet "Avatar."

But it's not just these whiz-bang action-flick factors that connect "Avatar" to the director's earlier work. The forbidden love story between ex-Marine Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) and silky blue alien Neytiri (Zoe Saldana) calls to mind another set of star-crossed paramours: Jack and Rose from "Titanic," otherwise known as Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet. Both couples come from radically different cultures that are contemptuous of their relationship and are forced to choose sides between the competing communities. (Earlier this week, we explored whether Worthington and Saldana will follow DiCaprio's and Winslet's post-Cameron career paths.)

James Cameron Says 'Avatar' Sequel Isn't A 'Foregone Conclusion'

'There are some things that need to be worked out,' director tells MTV News at the Oscars.

Even though "Avatar" failed to secure the top honors at the 82nd annual Academy Awards, director James Cameron's 3-D science-fiction film seems all but guaranteed to have a sequel given the movie's unprecedented commercial success. But according to Cameron himself, a sequel is not quite a certainty.

"We'll see," the filmmaker told MTV News on the red carpet of the Oscars when asked about an "Avatar" sequel. "There are no foregone conclusions. There are some things that need to be worked out with 20th Century Fox. If we get all of that squared away, then it's all good."

This isn't the first time Cameron has expressed some uneasiness about working on "Avatar 2." In February, the celebrated filmmaker reiterated his position that a sequel isn't guaranteed just yet.

"I've got some deal hurdles I got to get over with the studio before I want to emotionally embrace that," Cameron told MTV News at the time. "[Sequel details have] never properly been worked out, let me put it that way, but everyone's highly motivated. Rupert Murdoch told us we were doing it, so now they have to make a deal."

Assuming that all the potential hurdles are cleared, Cameron has previously stated that an "Avatar" sequel could explore Pandora's neighboring moons. Additionally, there's a strong likelihood that the humans defeated at the end of "Avatar" could return in a sequel. But for now, Cameron can only guarantee one future activity: sleep.

"I'm going to sleep all day tomorrow," the filmmaker said before the Oscars began. "I intend to party all night and sleep all day."

James Cameron Previews 10 Minutes Of Deleted 'Avatar' Scenes For DVD

By "Titanic" standards, James Cameron's 160-minute-long "Avatar" is but a mere sprint compared to that marathon of a maritime disaster flick. Still, the director had to make some tough choices about what to include in the finished film and what needed to be left on the cutting-room floor.

And what was left behind was 10 to 12 minutes of motion-captured goodness, as Cameron revealed exclusively to MTV News. Much of the footage focused on the native Na'vi people of Pandora, those sinewy blue aliens that live at one with nature until the resource-plundering humans decide the spot most in need of digging is the place the natives call home.

"It's all wonderful stuff, but it was sort of bogging down the middle section of the movie," Cameron said. "So there's plenty for a value-added DVD experience on this film. Of course, we'll have to go punch it all up and get it all mixed and stuff like that."

An important chunk of those 10-plus minutes is devoted to a trial that Jake Sully (Sam Worthington), who joins the Na'vi through his mind-controlled alien avatar, must pass to truly become one of the clan. It involves a hunt for a Sturmbeest, a sort of colorful, overgrown rhino.

"That was kind of cool," Worthington said. "It was intricately designed."

"It's a creature you no longer see in the movie," Cameron said of the Sturmbeest. "[Sully] has to learn how to hunt through the air and do this incredibly brave thing, and then after the hunt they have this big festival and they dance and there's a drunk scene with [Na'vi member] Tsu'tey, which is Laz Alonso's character, which is actually pretty damn funny."

The deleted scenes also include the introduction of the heads of other Na'vi clans. Speaking with MTV News, Zoe Saldana, who plays Na'vi princess Neytiri, discussed another aspect of the production that she missed seeing in the finished version: the interactions between scientist Grace Augustine (Sigourney Weaver) and the Na'vi people.

"It's the connection that Grace has to the people and how this came to be," the actress said. "That was all in the script. Grace had taught them. She's the reason they speak English. There's a school that she had there. She'd go every single day and she fell in love with these children."

James Cameron Compares His 'Avatar' And 'Titanic' Couples

The director notes the similarities between Sully and Neytiri, and Jack and Rose.

Robotic body suits, evil corporations, do-not-mess-with-me female sidekicks — these are just some of the recurring motifs in the films of James Cameron, present from 1984's "Terminator" up through current box-office and awards-season pet "Avatar."

But it's not just these whiz-bang action-flick factors that connect "Avatar" to the director's earlier work. The forbidden love story between ex-Marine Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) and silky blue alien Neytiri (Zoe Saldana) calls to mind another set of star-crossed paramours: Jack and Rose from "Titanic," otherwise known as Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet. Both couples come from radically different cultures that are contemptuous of their relationship and are forced to choose sides between the competing communities. (Earlier this week, we explored whether Worthington and Saldana will follow DiCaprio's and Winslet's post-Cameron career paths.)

It's a storytelling similarity that even Cameron acknowledges. "They both fall in love with each other, but they need to fight side-by-side, and so there's that kind of requirement to let the other person go in order to do what you need to do, which is kind of interesting," he explained.

The director also sees a few differences between his futuristic couple and his pre-World War I pair. "They don't fall for each other right away, though, in this film," Cameron said of Sully and Neytiri. "There are some challenges in between."

Neither, it should be noted, do Jack and Rose. There is hardly an intimation of enduring romance when the artsy drifter interrupts the high-society teen's mid-sea suicide attempt. Their romance certainly sparks quicker than Sully and Neytiri's, but then the Titanic meets its doom far sooner than the aliens' Hometree. Time constraints require a hasty oceanic courtship.

Worthington and Saldana themselves argued that Sully and Neytiri do in fact fall in love at first sight, despite Cameron's sentiment to the contrary. During MTV's "Avatar" live-stream chat back in December, Worthington argued that Sully immediately falls under his alien cohort's spell.

"I really think it was [love at first sight] for Neytiri too," Saldana added. "She just had to conceal it because you can't give all your goods away so quickly."

Cameron sees one more commonality between his stars — with which surely everyone involved can concur: "They had a great chemistry right from the get-go, and it was always fun on set," he said.

'Titanic' voted most romantic film of all times

'Titanic', the doomed love story of shipmates Jack and Rose, has come out on top of a list of the most romantic movies ever made.

The blockbuster movie starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet grabbed the number one spot in the poll, beating off competition from 'Pretty Woman' and 'Dirty Dancing', reported Ace Showbiz online.

'Titanic' was also recently voted most romantic movie moment of all time, for the scene where Jack hugs Rose from behind at front of ship. It beat out the other romantic scenes from popular nine films including 'Love Actually', 'Ghost', 'The Notebook' and six more.

While the James Cameron epic, which spent a decade as the most successful film ever made, was named the best in the poll conducted by Fandango.com, 'Sex and the City 2' was voted the Worst Chick Flick, ahead of 'All About Steve' and 'My Big Fat Greek Wedding'.

James Cameron Takes MTV 'Behind The Screen' On 'Avatar'

Show also looks at 'Sherlock Holmes,' 'Dinner for Schmucks' and 'The Other Guys.'

How did he do it? Seriously. How in the world did James Cameron take an actor in a skintight suit with wires strapped to his body and motion-sensing dots stuck to his face and — presto! — turn him into a highly realistic blue alien bouncing around a lush planet in "Avatar"? We've seen motion-capture films before, but nothing that looks half as impressive as this.

So it really does seem like a sort of wand-waving magic, and to help unlock the mystery behind this enchanted, CGI form of moviemaking, we enlisted the man himself. During MTV's "Behind the Screen" show on Wednesday afternoon (December 16), Cameron sat down at his Hollywood mixing stage to walk us through the creation of one killer action sequence.

"I think that's how I've managed to stay successful as a filmmaker, by basically giving people the stuff I would have wanted when I was 14 or 15 years old," the director said.

But the inside scoop on "Avatar" was only one part of a packed half-hour of exclusive looks into some of the most anticipated movies of 2009 and 2010. We debuted a brand-new clip from Robert Downey Jr.'s "Sherlock Holmes," featuring the wily detective in a brutal battle against a ginormous foe. We also journeyed to the sets of two upcoming comedies for the first-ever looks at these productions. First, we brought you Steve Carell and Paul Rudd's "Dinner for Schmucks." This is the first time these two funnymen have appeared together since 2005's "The 40-Year-Old Virgin," and they were pumped about it.

"Paul has the ability to be very handsome and yet be ridiculous at the same time," Carell said.

From there, we made a stop on the set of the action comedy, "The Other Guys," starring Will Ferrell, Mark Wahlberg, Dwayne Johnson and Samuel L. Jackson. As Ferrell gave us a tour and joked that the entire set was in fact a green-screen concoction, Jackson joked, "We use more lead than anyone in the history of the LAPD! Our gun fights are legendary!"

As "Behind the Screen" moved from comedies to action flicks and back again, we kept returning to Cameron's "Avatar." Comparing the challenge of the film to a Rubik's cube, the director explained how he takes the motion-captured footage of his stars and sends it to the venerable New Zealand visual-effects house Weta Digital for a sort of photorealistic, computer-generated casing to be swathed over the actors' forms. Months and thousands of man hours later, the images begin to look like the breathtakingly beautiful scenes that have garnered so much early praise from critics.

"He's not a dictator, he's a collaborator," said star Sam Worthington. "He's not a leader who stands on a hill with a bullhorn. He gets in the trench with you and fights alongside you every step of the way."

That journey has led them all to make a movie quite possibly unlike any other ever made. Even the former Terminator and current governor of California himself, who has worked with Cameron on three films, was blown away.

"When Arnold Schwarzenegger saw the film," revealed Cameron, "he said, 'It's an emotional spectacle.' "

James Cameron Explains Why 'Avatar' Aliens Are Blue

'Green had been taken by all those Martian movies with the little green men,' the director jokes.

Moviegoers got a sneak peek at one of the year's most anticipated films on Thursday, straight from legendary director Jim Cameron himself. Unsurprisingly, when the "Avatar" director held court for an exclusive MTV Q&A online, one of the most eye-opening questions came from a fan.

"Jim, what inspired you to make the Na'vi blue?" asked Sarah T., one of the many moviegoers who logged on to MTV.com to watch the chat.

"Well," the director of such classics as "Titanic" and "Aliens" began. "We wanted to say that there was an otherness, an alien-ness to them. But we wanted to keep them human enough that we could understand their emotions. So, they were going to have two eyes, and they were going to have a mouth."

Cameron made a point to say that he took particular pride in creating the wholly original world of "Avatar" at a time when so much of Hollywood is spinning their wheels with sequels, remakes and adaptations of old material. And, like his best films, he made sure that a romantic subplot was in the mix — which placed added requirements on the Na'vi character Neytiri, played by Zoe Saldana.

"At a certain point, we realized this is going to be a love story," he explained of Neytiri's relationship with Jake Sully, a human-in-Na'vi-form portrayed by Sam Worthington. "So, Zoe's character had to be beautiful and accessible and relatable emotionally."

Looking over at his fellow Q&A participants — the Dominican/ Puerto Rican Saldana and Western Australian Worthington — the Canadian-born Cameron said that the Na'vi's blue skin also allowed him to comment on race. "[I was thinking], 'What are the differences that we can deal with, without it becoming a barrier?' Skin color is great, and it's also great thematically, because skin color is obviously such a big issue on our planet," he explained with a grin, looking at his actors and teasing Worthington. "All the warm tones — from pallid Canadian pink, to beautiful warm browns and, well, pallid Australian pink — were all taken.

"So, we were down to blue and green basically — and green had been taken by all those Martian movies with the little green men," he remembered of his reasoning. "So, we have big blue women, not little green men."

'Avatar' Director James Cameron Says Fan Pressure Inspires Him

'It makes you a better filmmaker when you know you've got a lot of fans to please and that their expectations are high,' he says during MTV's live-stream chat.

In 1997, James Cameron achieved an unprecedented triple crown, launching "Titanic" to Best Picture and Best Director Oscars and the title for all-time box-office champ, grossing an astounding $1.8 billion worldwide. In 1999, the Albert Brooks comedy "The Muse" featured a cameo from the filmmaker, depicting him as someone unsure of what to do next. Now, 12 years later, he is finally ready to unveil his follow-up.

On Thursday afternoon (December 3), the legendary director sat down with MTV for a live-stream Q&A, taking questions from fans and unveiling new footage from his December 18 sci-fi flick "Avatar." One of the first things he said was that he held no ill will toward all those who have fed the pressure he's spent the past 12 years preparing to overcome.

"I think there is obviously a lot of expectation whenever a filmmaker that people know — through films like 'Titanic' or 'Aliens' or 'Terminator' or whatever — there's always an expectation," he admitted while discussing his revolutionary flick about an alien planet and the space-traveling humans who seek to colonize it. "There's a lot of expectation around this film, and I guess I knew that would happen unless I made a romantic comedy or something."

Undeniably, the pressure is high these days as word of an enormous budget has further fueled the fire, but "Titanic" once had the same fears of not recouping its investment pre-release. And, when you're a filmmaker who has brought fans "The Terminator," "T2," "True Lies" and on and on, it's only natural that the fan anticipation will grow with each flick. To hear Cameron tell it, he wouldn't have things any other way.

"I think it makes you a better filmmaker when you know you've got a lot of fans to please and that their expectations are high," he insisted. "So you try pretty hard and you get the best people in the movie."

Now, the question is whether "Avatar" — released with the same sort of buzz, nearly 12 years to the day since "Titanic" — can re-create that film's success and become the new all-time box-office champ. "I don't think it's realistic to try and topple 'Titanic' off its perch," Cameron reasoned. "Some pretty good movies have come out in the last few years, and 'Titanic' just struck some sort of chord. Obviously, we're hoping that 'Avatar' is successful at some level."

'Avatar' Director James Cameron Discusses Re-Release, Future Of 3-D

'We actually think that the home experience and the theatrical experience can co-exist,' he says.

It wasn't too long ago that James Cameron was looked upon by Hollywood like everyone's crazy uncle — the one that shows up during the holidays and starts rambling about all the great things he's going to do once he gets around to it. Someday, he promised, he'd make another movie; just wait, he told us all, because 3-D was going to revolutionize the industry and force theater owners to convert their screens.

As it turns out, the dude was actually the Nostradamus of the industry. And now, in this post-"Avatar" reality, he has quickly become the wise sage sitting on top of the mountain. Recently, we caught up with the King of the World and had to ask: Oh wise one, where do we go from here?

"Well, here's what's in discussion and it's not locked in yet," the writer/director revealed. "After the DVD release [of 'Avatar'], we're going to do a theatrical re-release toward the end of the summer, into September. Because there were a lot of people who still wanted to see the movie in IMAX 3-D that didn't get a chance to do it.

"We were still playing very strongly in 3-D theaters until a lot of our 3-D theaters went by contractual agreement to 'Alice in Wonderland,' " Cameron said of the unexpectedly still-massive momentum behind his highest-grossing film of all time. "So, we know people still want to have that theatrical experience. We actually think that the home experience and the theatrical experience can co-exist."

Read that last sentence again, and make sure you take a moment to process it. Over the last few years, a battle has been waged between studios, retailers and filmmakers like Steven Soderbergh over the rapidly diminishing window between theatrical and home-video release. Now, as "Avatar" comes to Blu-ray, Cameron is eager to use his clout to test the theory that people won't go see a movie in theaters if they can watch it on their home-entertainment systems.

"The colors are incredibly vivid; the strengths of the movie are still there: the composition, the camera work, the acting, the lighting, the action, the energy, the music," Cameron said of what makes a film like this perfect for viewing on any screen. "All of those things are the same; the only thing you don't have is the stereoscopic illusion. But what you get in place of that is when you're not looking through the glasses, everything is clearer, brighter and therefore more vivid in some ways. It's a trade space; you're trading one thing for another thing."

According to Cameron, future filmmakers could similarly embrace the differences between home and theatrical viewing, giving the audience two different-yet-similar experiences that they'd pay for more than once. Eventually, of course, 3-D will be in all our homes as well — another innovation Cameron is looking forward to. With filmmakers everywhere seeking out Cameron's advice, it seems like the future of filmmaking is as wondrous and unlimited as Pandora itself.

Will 'Avatar' Sequels Shoot Back-To-Back? James Cameron Weighs In

Director also talks about getting 'inside the characters' heads' for his 'Avatar' novel.

It's not enough that "Avatar" is now the biggest movie of all time, winning three Oscars and grossing unprecedented box-office dollars. To better serve the film-going public, the powers that be at Fox will be re-releasing the film in 3-D and 3-D IMAX on August 27. MTV News was lucky enough to steal a few moments of maestro James Cameron's time to talk about the reported "Avatar" novel and whether he'll shoot the proposed two sequels back-to-back.

"We're still working on deals [for 'Avatar 2']," Cameron told MTV News. "We don't start the movie until we get the deals worked out."

Fair enough. But what about the rumored sequel "scriptment"? "I'm making notes. I'm not sitting idle," Cameron said. "But really, what I'm working on primarily is the novel. I never had a chance to get the novel done while we were making the movie, and I always intended to. I didn't want to do a cheesy novelization, where some hack comes in and kind of makes sh-- up. I wanted to do something that was a legitimate novel that was inside the characters' heads and didn't have the wrong culture stuff, the wrong language stuff, all that."

Cameron went on to say that the novel will serve as a "bible" for other writers to come in and riff on for their own "Avatar"-based stories.

"I don't mind opening the universe, but I just don't want that to happen until I've got more meat on the bones," he said, adding that he'd like to fill in some of the specific details about the company, what's happening on Earth and Grace and Jake's backstories. "That all needs to be filled in before other writers can come in and run with it."

Regarding his plans and discussions about two proposed sequels, we asked if he'll shoot them back-to-back. "We're actually talking about that. That's not a decision yet," Cameron revealed. "That is something that makes a lot of sense, given the nature of these productions, because we can bank all the [motion] capture and then go back and do cameras over a period of time."

He added that the nature of their filmmaking process lends itself more naturally to a back-to-back shooting schedule, versus that of other live-action productions.

"The way these back-to-back productions fall apart is that you're trying to do two live-action films back to back, and you're working on it for a year and a half, shooting. Everyone is dead. It's not humanly possible," Cameron said of live-action shoots. "This type of film, it absolutely would work."

James Cameron Locks In Deal For Two More 'Avatar' Movies

Cameron will work on two sequels to the 2009 blockbuster.

If you want to go back to Pandora again and again, then today is your lucky day. reports that James Cameron has finalized a deal with 20th Century Fox for two sequels to 2009's "Avatar." Fox Filmed Entertainment chairmen Jim Gianopulos and Tom Rothman have confirmed the news.

The projects are reportedly slated as Cameron's next projects. The tentatively titled "Avatar 2" is aiming for a December 2014 release and its follow-up "Avatar 3" for a December 2015 release. They will be produced by Cameron and his partner Jon Landau for Cameron's Lightstorm Entertainment.

"In the second and third films, which will be self-contained stories that also fulfill a greater story arc, we will not back off the throttle of 'Avatar' 's visual and emotional horsepower, and will continue to explore its themes and characters, which touched the hearts of audiences in all cultures around the world," Cameron said. "I'm looking forward to returning to Pandora, a world where our imaginations can run wild."

Cameron will begin work on scripts early next year and wants to begin production later in 2011. The decision on whether he will shoot the sequels back-to-back will be made when he finishes writing the films.

"It is a rare and remarkable opportunity when a filmmaker gets to build a fantasy world, and watch it grow, with the resources and partnership of a global media company," Cameron said. "With two new films on the drawing boards, my company and I are embarking on an epic journey with our partners at 20th Century Fox."

"Avatar" star Sigourney Weaver recently opened up to MTV News about what she'd like to see in the sequels, whether or not she makes it back. "I think that the challenges to Pandora will continue," she said. "I do think that humans will be back. I also think that maybe we'll get more of a chance to live a Na'vi life. I think we want to be in that world and I, for one, would love to be a Thanator in that world! I just think we have a big appetite for going back there, and I know that Jim will do everything he can to satisfy us and take it to even more parts of Pandora that we don't even know exist yet."

'Avatar': The Early Reviews Are In!

"Avatar" won't come out for another week, but advance screenings have already taken place on both sides of the Atlantic and early reviews are streaming in. The consensus is staggering, from near-universal praise from bloggers on Twitter to a 100 percent approval rating on the movie aggregate site Rotten Tomatoes as of Friday morning (December 11).

Yup, the Web has a lot of love for James Cameron's big blue alien love story. Taking place about 140 years in the future, the film follows crippled ex-Marine Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) as he lands in a mining colony on the planet of Pandora, populated by a race of aliens called the Na'vi. Given the opportunity to scout the land via a mind-controlled Na'vi avatar, Sully ends up falling for a native named Neytiri (Zoe Saldana).

Here's what early critics are saying.

The Brave New World of Pandora Cameron invented a new type of motion-capture technology called e-motion capture for the film, and the results have everyone blown away.

" 'Avatar' employs technology necessary to render its largely computer-generated, 3D world that will give directors, including but not limited to Cameron, one heck of a sandbox to play in over the next few years," writes Chris Hewitt of Empire. " 'Avatar' is an astonishing feast for the eyes and ears, with shots and sequences that boggle the mind, from the epic — a floating mountain range in the sky, waterfalls cascading into nothingness — to the tiny details, such as a paraplegic sinking his new, blue and fully operational toes into the sand. The level of immersive detail here is simply amazing."

Three Dimensions of Alien Adventure Cameron also revolutionized the use of digital 3D technology for "Avatar," and the critics are impressed. "[T]he 3D is agreeably unemphatic, drawing the viewer into the action without calling attention to itself," says Variety's Todd McCarthy. "The third dimension functions as an enhancement, not a raison d'être, so the film will look perfectly fine without it. (When it opens domestically on Dec. 15, approximately 2,100 screens will feature 3D, with another 1,200 in 2D.)"

And ... Action! Sure, the movie can look beautiful, but who cares if that beauty isn't put to good, adrenaline-pumping use? Early reviews confirm Cameron has delivered a seriously entertaining action flick. /Film's Brendon Connelly calls the action sequences as "inventive as those in 'True Lies' and as well executed as any Cameron has created before.

"Best of all, 'Avatar' sees James Cameron's world-beating skills with action staging and editing expanded through the use of the virtual camera," he continues. "And, yes, the action sequences benefit from the 3D but, no, not in a dullard stunt-stereo fashion."

Capture Performers in Performance-Capture Worthington, Saldana and the rest of the cast spent month after month on a soundstage with wires strapped to them, jumping around a barren set that would eventually be transformed into the lush CG environment of Pandora. How did that affect their performances? Is the acting any good? Yes, argues TotalFilm's Andy Lowe.

"[T]he success of the human/ Na'vi love-story thread is mostly down to Saldana," he writes. "Her subtle, spiky performance is a delicious foil to Worthington's wide-eyed neophyte. She might have played it haughty and aloof — and annoying. Instead, she makes Neytiri untamable and irresistible, brimming with spirit and soul — and making her, and the other CG characters, feel more weighted and real."

How Long Can You Spend on Pandora? And Will You Return? No getting around it: The movie is long. And to make serious box-office cash, "Avatar" is going to have to bring moviegoers back to the theater again and again. It might just be able to pull off that feat.

"The movie is 161 minutes and flies by in a rush," says Kirk Honeycutt from The Hollywood Reporter. "Repeat business? You bet. 'Titanic'-level business? That level may never be reached again, but Fox will see more than enough grosses worldwide to cover its bet on Cameron."

James Cameron Says 'Everyone's Highly Motivated' For 'Avatar' Sequel

Director says he expects deal to be signed with studio despite some 'hurdles.'

In early February, just as "Avatar" became the highest-grossing movie in U.S. box-office history, News Corp. top dog Rupert Murdoch announced that Fox had held "very early talks about" a sequel to James Cameron's sci-fi love story. More than two weeks later, Cameron tells MTV News he's still waiting to sort out those contractual details before committing to a return to the motion-captured world of Pandora.

"I've got some deal hurdles I got to get over with the studio before I want to emotionally embrace that," the writer/director said.

Declining to elaborate about the specific obstacles — not compensation-related, he assured us — Cameron nonetheless said all parties involved expect a deal to be signed at some point down the road.

"[Sequel details have] never properly been worked out, let me put it that way," he said. "But everyone's highly motivated. Rupert Murdoch told us we were doing it, so now they have to make a deal."

During the Wednesday interview, Cameron also confirmed what he's been telling us since December: that the sequel will pick up after the events of the first film — spoiler alert! — when Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) permanently transfers his consciousness to his Na'vi avatar and begins a new life with Princess Neytiri (Zoe Saldana) after they defeat the human colonizers.

"It would be a continuation of their story and I expect that those nasty humans didn't go away forever: 'Oh, well that didn't work!' " he said.

For now, though, Cameron adamantly refuses to say whether a second "Avatar" will be his next feature film project as a director. He's got his hands in a number of other creative ventures and will soon jet off to Australia for work on "Sanctum," a 3-D underwater cave-diving tale that he's producing.

"I'm sort of reacquainting with a bunch of projects that are non-theatrical film projects, like space stuff and ocean stuff," Cameron said. "But yeah, I'm thinking about what the next feature will be and another 'Avatar' film is a strong possibility."

Never-seen footage of the aliens in James Cameron’s The Abyss

A new DVD collection from visual effects legend Steve Johnson looks back at the making of James Cameron's The Abyss, featuring never-before-seen footage.

Before Avatar, before Titanic, before even Terminator 2: Judgment Day, James Cameron wowed moviegoers with his undersea alien epic, The Abyss. The 1989 sci-fi film was noted at the time for its groundbreaking visual effects, which were created in large part by Hollywood veteran Steve Johnson, whose resume also includes classics like Big Trouble in Little China, Fright Night, Ghostbusters and Videodrome. Johnson has been working to preserve his decades of experience on DVD with Eon Entertainment, and their latest effort is the two-disc collection Back Into The Abyss, which takes another look at the Cameron classic.

The pair of discs serve up more than 250 behind the scenes photographs along with unseen footage and new interviews with Johnson. He also narrates the material, as you can see in the below video. One of the clips featured on the coming DVD is up over at io9. The never-before-seen footage highlights the film’s aliens without the smoke & mirrors of the finished film. It’s an enlightening look into the old school visual effects process, when computers and computer animation were a luxury.

In his commentary, Johnson praises Cameron and producer Gale Anne Hurd for putting their faith in a “23-year-old” moron like him. The entire film hinged on his creations looking like otherworldly beings, and his hindsight observation is the filmmakers were crazy to place that trust in him. As anyone who has seen and enjoyed The Abyss can attest to however, Johnson did a magnificent job with the tools he had available to him. The Na’vi of Avatar may be more elaborate constructions from a build time perspective, but practical, physical effects are an irreplaceable element in filmmaking and we should be thankful that guys like Johnson are around to remind us of that.