Page 26 - Engineering Career Guide, 4th Edition

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Special FX Innovators
The engineers at James Cameron’s Lightstorm Entertainment develop technologies that are realistic, immersive and other-worldly.
Avatar, released in 2009, became the top-grossing movie of all time ($2.9 billion at the box office) and revolutionized 3D film and CGI technology. James Cameron’s Lightstorm Enter- tainment mastered motion-capture technology, using a mobile rig of cameras and lights with special software to reconstruct actors’ faces in full motion. This technology allowed engineers to transfer mannerisms and expressions to computer-generated characters.
But the story of agile blue aliens, immense profits, and cine- matic innovation does not end there. The 2022 sequel, Avatar:
The Way of Water demanded innovative adaptations — underwater motion-capture technology. Developed by James Cameron and
his team, it involved shooting both under and at the surface of the water to capture the actors’ movements and emotions. They built two immersive sets: one to film aquatic action, the other to capture surface interactions. The actors wore markers that reflected light, which were tracked by a system that captured their motion.
In order to film underwater, the water needed to be crystal clear to avoid interfering with the markers, so scuba gear was not an option. Instead, the actors had to learn how to swim and dive properly. The resulting motion capture data was then used to cre- ate computer-generated Na’vi characters and scenes that look and feel realistic.
The sequel’s hard work paid off, becoming the third-largest box-office-grossing movie of all time, amassing an impressive $2.3 billion. VFX supervisor Richard Baneham took pride in preserving the actors’ performances, ensuring their integrity successfully reached the screen.
What’s next for Lightstorm? Avatar 3, 4, and 5, of course!
26 START-ENGINEERING.COM COURTESY ILM