Page 26 - Engineering Career Guide for UT Austin

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The engineers at James Cameron’s Lightstorm
Entertainment develop technologies that are
realistic, immersive, and other-worldly.
Special FX Innovators
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 — underwa-
ter 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!
features
COURTESY ILM