10 Special Effects Movie Milestones That Came After Star Wars

2. Avatar (2009)

Directed by: James Cameron James Cameron would be the guy to make this list twice, and it's no surprise that the special effects of Avatar rank among the post-Star Wars milestones. Using motion capture in a way it had never been used before and literally inventing new technology in order to do it, Cameron gave us a technically-live-action film that was nonetheless about 60% digital imagery. Weta Digital, the lead effects team (but certainly not the only one), employed 900 people to work on the film. Microsoft created a new cloud computing system called Gaia to allow all of these designers access to every stage of production. The planet Pandora and all of the animal inhabitants were created completely with computers, and the level of realism achieved earned the Oscar for Best Visual Effects. But the Na'vi - the indigenous humanoid species and the species simulated by the titular avatars - were created using human actors and the most sophisticated motion capture technology ever created. Gollum (another Weta creation) was cool, but the Na'vi were nearly perfect. Cameron claims that 100% of the facial expressions of the actors were captured and transferred to the onscreen performance. Influenced: The three impending Avatar sequels, Rise of the Planet of the Apes and the impending sequels, Prometheus and the impending sequel(s), and presumably even an original film at some point.
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Matt is a writer and musician living in Boston. Read his film reviews at http://motionstatereview.wordpress.com.