So when James Cameron returns with its Avatar: Way of Water, how many viewers are waiting to return to the movie "Blue Planet Pandora" on December 16?

Reporter of the Economic Business: Bi Yuanyuan Ding Zhouyang Editor of the Economic Business: Yang Xia

In the real world, human society has experienced too much in the past three years. So when James Cameron returns with its "Avatar: Way of Water" (also known as " Avatar 2", how many viewers are waiting to return to the movie "Blue Planet Pandora" on December 16?

As the sequel to " Avatar ", "Avatar 2" will be on the big screen in China again after twelve years. Today's Chinese film market is very different from twelve years ago. China is already the second largest stockholder in the world. Whether it is the film company Disney or Cameron himself, they have great expectations for the Chinese market.

Under the new epidemic prevention and control situation, entering the cinema gradually returns to normal. On December 9, James Cameron, director of "Avatar: Way of Water", and producer Jon Lando accepted a media online interview, including Daily Economic News . In the

30-minute interview, I have to sigh that a good director is often also a good orator. He wants to encourage so many people to be deeply involved in a complex project that is expensive and time-consuming. He wants to move himself, actors, investors, and finally he can move the audience. Many directors cannot do the last one, and "Titanic" and "Avatar" have proved that Cameron can do it.

Although Cameron spared no effort to promote the innovation of film technology, what he talked about most in the interview was stories and emotions. He talked about his love for the ocean, he spent thousands of hours in the water; he talked about his concern for the fate of mankind and his heart and pain for the earth's environment eroded by greed...

"I like technology, I like complex engineering problems, which is part of my brain. And the other part of my brain is about people, heart, and love narratives and stories." Cameron said that he and the team did spend a lot of energy on visual effects and shooting technology, "but I don't think people cry when they watch "Titanic" because it has good special effects."

If there is a rule in the movie, it is - no one can copy the law of success. From touching myself to feeling the audience, can Cameron succeed this time?

Stills of "Avatar 2" Picture source: Photo provided by the film crew

"This is not just a personal movie where I love the ocean, it is also a family story about parents."

Reporter: After the first "Avatar" was released in China, it set off a movie viewing frenzy, and last year's re-screening also helped the film return to the throne of the global box office champion in film history. For a new generation of Chinese films, what do you think is the biggest attraction of "Avatar: Way of Water"?

Cameron: I think this is a continuation of the first movie of Avatar, which tries to do a lot of the same things as the first movie - immersing you in that world through beautiful image production.

For many young audiences, this may be a new movie experience. We put all our energy into making it a great visual experience, but this time we also put more energy into telling the story of the family.

I think if I were a young audience, it would be boring to hear this, but Avatar: Way of Water is mainly told from the perspective of refugee teenagers who have to leave their homes that grew up, they want to learn a new culture, they have to learn how to adapt and be accepted. Their parents don’t always understand them and have a lot of conflict. The film talks not only about the bonds of the family, but also about the difficulties, strengths and weaknesses of the family. So I think there are a lot of places for younger and older viewers to watch.

Jon Lando: James writes characters that are not perfect, they have errors, just like all humans. This makes these characters credible, hoping that this will be sought after by young Chinese audiences and inspire them.

Reporter: The name of the second "Avatar" is "Avatar: The Way of Water". Why did you choose the theme of "water"? Does this have anything to do with your interest and exploration in the ocean over the years?

Cameron: I think the person who asked this question already knew the answer, he must know that I am an explorer, I have been involved in marine conservation, and I have made many documentaries about the ocean.

Throughout my adult life, I have conducted eight deep-sea diving adventures around the world, worked as a diver, spending thousands of hours underwater. Really, this is a love story. I love being underwater, I love the ocean, I love these incredible animals. I love beauty like coral reefs or seaweed forests.

For me, I just put two favorites in my life together, movies and oceans.

"Avatar: Way of Water" filming highlights, left: Cameron Picture source: provided by the film crew

Importantly, "Avatar: Way of Water" is not just a personal movie about my love story with the ocean. This is a story about family and parenting.

We've all been younger and we know what that feels like, it's not always the best time. As a teenager, there was a lot of uncertainty and anxiety and I couldn’t figure out who I was. As a father of five, my youngest is now 16 years old, and the children have all experienced the "growth troubles" of their adolescence. Our actors are also parents. They knew from the very beginning what we were doing.

Underwater Motion Capture is the most difficult. They did the "most Pandora" thing on the earth

Reporter: Director Cameron is called a "technology enthusiast" by the audience. What is the most exciting technology upgrade in "Avatar: Way of Water"?

Cameron: I do like technology, I like difficult engineering problems, that's part of my brain. Another part of my brain is narratives about people, about hearts, about love, and I want to try to keep those balances. I don't think people go to Titanic and cry in the story because it has great special effects.

So we are trying to maintain the same balance in Avatar: Way of Water. We invest a lot of time and energy in visual effects and shooting techniques to capture underwater movements and then create a very realistic underwater world in visual effects. This is a very difficult problem and the most difficult part of the visual effects.

"Avatar: Way of Water" filming highlights. Picture source: provided by the film crew

This is a problem we must solve for this movie. Since it is called "The Way of Water", we technically have to learn how water is, and I am proud that we did it.

For me, the biggest challenge of this movie is balance, on the one hand, on the one hand, on the one hand, on the one hand, on the one hand, on the other hand, on the characters and all our technical challenges.

In order to let our actors better understand the emotions of the characters, we did the drill before filming, and we did the "most Pandora" thing on the earth - we dived deep in the reefs under the sea, and once dived at night, in the dark deep sea, we saw the most beautiful giant manta ray on the earth (also known as manta ray), touching the magical creature, and our actors seemed to suddenly have a spiritual connection. The actors embrace the ocean and feel comfortable there. Then we took everything back to the studio and started to actually make the movie.

Reporter: Are there any behind-the-scenes stories that are still fresh in memory?

Cameron: Some actors in Hollywood have this idea, maybe there are all over the world, maybe there are also in China - we are trying to drive the actors out of the center. On the contrary, "Avatar: Way of Water" is an actor-centric process. As a director, I can work directly with the actors without being distracted by the movement of the lights, cameras, the sun sets, and the Russian-Ukrainian conflict. The

role is too important to me. No matter how long it takes to be perfect, I know I have it all.The third part of "Avatar" has also been found, and what we need to do now is the later stage.

We live an advanced technology life, and we also need to reconnect with nature

Reporter: Back to the big screen, the first "Avatar" heralds a new era of 3D movies. How do you view the relationship between film screening technology and film now?

Cameron: 3D should add value to the movie, not take away the value. Some 3D movies only post-production special effects, which I don’t agree with.

When it comes to "Avatar: Way of Water", we used the CINITY projector developed in China to show the effects on the screen, making our movie look great.

Some companies still believe in the theatrical experience brought by movies, and Disney is one of them. Disney provided us with resources to make this movie, and they told us: "If you can do it cheaper and faster, that's great; if you can make it shorter, that's great. But what's important is the quality of the movie experience, because they believe that this movie experience can be brought around the world through global cinemas."

Reporter: In many science fiction movies in the past, non-human civilizations have been often portrayed as evil and dangerous villains. But the Avatar series is completely different, so what is the main spirit or philosophy behind "Avatar"? Are you optimistic about the fate of mankind?

Cameron: This is a good question. "Avatar" does convey a worldview that is both pessimistic and optimistic, it shows people from the earth who mine resources and oppress the indigenous people... In essence, "Avatar" is not a movie about alien races somewhere, it is a movie about us. It is a movie told by humans and performed by humans.

Some humans in "Avatar" represent the bad side of our greed, the destruction of nature, which is not the person we want to be. "Avatar" reminds us of childhood when we had such a strong connection with nature and with others.

"Avatar: The Way of Water" Picture source: Photo provided by the film

So maybe this is a desire, a metaphor, we live an advanced technology life, scientific exploration allows us to understand the natural world, overcome diseases and poverty. But we also need to reconnect with nature and try to find a more balanced existence.

Reporter: Finally, please recommend this movie to Chinese audiences in one sentence.

Jon Lando: If there is a movie destined to be seen on the big screen in the cinema, it is "Avatar: The Way of Water".

Cameron: comes for beauty and adventure, leaving with great strength.

Daily Economic News