By Mark Kennedy, Drama Writer
NEW YORK (AP) --The first "Avatar" sequel is still years away from hitting movie theaters, but fans of the blue-hued Na'vi can get their fix at a touring Cirque du Soleil show that James Cameron helped create — without his having to reveal too much of what's up his cinematic sleeve.
Cameron, who plans four sequels starting in 2018, served as a consultant on "Toruk — The First Flight," a stadium show that opened in Montreal in November and has since toured North America.
The writer and director suggested to the Cirque team things that the Na'vi might do or how they might think about certain things, but said he largely let writer-directors Michel Lemieux and Victor Pilon create freely.
"I was just a cheerleader on the side with some pom-poms," Cameron said this week when the show stopped in Brooklyn. "Interestingly, left to their own devices, the Cirque guys creatively wound up resonating very, very closely to the overall arc of the four-sequel saga."
The Cirque show's upcoming stops include Newark, New Jersey; Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Minneapolis; Winnipeg, Canada; Fresno, California; Ontario, Canada; Los Angeles; Phoenix; San Diego, California; Sacramento, California; and Portland, Oregon.
The original 2009 film centered on the conflict between humans and the blue-skinned alien race Na'vi of Pandora. "Toruk" is named after the massive, dragonlike creatures from the film and tells the story of two Na'vi warriors finding a series of sacred objects.
The action takes place on the planet before humans make contact, thereby sidestepping the problem of how to depict the 10-foot Na'vi. Now Cirque gymnasts, no matter how tall, can shine. "If you want to see that explosive celebration of human movement, they're not going to be tall people," said Cameron.
Cameron, always on the cutting edge of tech, will shoot his sequels partially using a high 48 frame rate format and said he appreciated the Cirque show employing 40 digital projectors to show everything from lava to water.
He said that after seeing the stage show, he might swipe some of the hairstyles and costumes for his films. He also said the Cirque team never asked what was coming up in the sequels, afraid of leaks.
The filmmaker has a history with Cirque that includes being an executive producer and camera operator for the 2012 fantasy film "Cirque du Soleil: Worlds Away." He said he admires the way the company promotes talent and keeps creative lines open.
"They empower and celebrate creativity and empower the artist. It's the exact opposite of Hollywood," he said. "It's like the anti-Hollywood. If Hollywood were just more like that, I think movies would be a whole lot better."
Cameron said he hopes the first film sequel can open at Christmas 2018 and then he'll roll out each successive movie every year after that. But Cameron said he would tweak the timetable to ensure each film is released as closely as possible so there are no lengthy delays. "Once you're on that ride, you don't want to get off," he said.
The original 3-D "Avatar" film has netted over $2.7 billion and Cameron pointed to its beauty and its overall theme of protecting nature as reasons for its success. He noted that more than half of all humans now live in cities and that we're paving over all the green.
"We're all struggling with our own nature-deficit disorder," he said. "The angels of our better nature know that what we're doing is wrong, and I think 'Avatar' is just a way to process that in a way."
SMPTE elects board officers, regional governors
SMPTE®,the home of media professionals, technologists, and engineers, has revealed the board officers and regional governors who will serve terms beginning in January 2025.
Three new officers--Richard Welsh as SMPTE president, Eric Gsell as SMPTE executive VP, and Polly Hickling as SMPTE Education VP--have been elected for a two-year term from Jan. 1, 2025, to Dec. 31, 2026. One SMPTE officer, Lisa Hobbs, will be continuing her service as SMPTE secretary and treasurer for another two-year term. Additionally, Raymond Yeung will be stepping into the role of standards VP on Jan. 1, 2025.
“SMPTE’s membership has spoken,” said SMPTE interim executive director Sally-Ann D’Amato. “These officers have been tasked with an important responsibility, one each of them is prepared to tackle head-on. These next two years are looking bright for SMPTE!”
In addition to the officers, 10 regional governors were elected by the Society to serve two-year 2025-2026 terms.
These include the following regional governors, re-elected to continue their service:
Asia-Pacific Region Governor
Tony Ngai, Society of Motion Imaging Ltd.
EMEA - Central & South America Region Governor
Fernando Bittencourt, FB Consultant
United Kingdom Region Governor
Chris Johns, Sky UK.
USA - Central Region Governor
William T. Hayes, Consultant
USA - Eastern Region Governor
Dover Jeanne Mundt, Riedel Communications
USA - Western Region Governor
Jeffrey F. Way, Open Drives
Also elected were four newcomers to the SMPTE Board:
Canada Region Governor
Jonathan Jobin, Grass Valley
USA - Hollywood Region Governor
Allan Schollnick, Voxx... Read More