Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Don't Replace the Actor - Replace the Animator: The "Avatar" Effect

"Our goal on this movie was not to replace the actor, it was to replace the animator. If you think about it, what a great actor does and what a great animator does are antithetical to one another.

"A great actor withholds information. Dustin Hoffman in All the President's Men can sit there and do nothing. No animator would ever allow that, they would put in a twitch..."


I'm sorry, this might just be me, but what a bucket load of BS.

Feel free to read more @ theaustralian.news.com

10 comments:

Us said...

I think I would put in a twitch. :)

Still really psyched about the movie though.

Jean-Denis Haas said...

I saw the Avatar Day footage and there is some really cool stuff in it. Too much hype damaged people's opinion (mine included). I still don't like 3D though. The image is too stroby during fast actions.

jim said...

As much as I hate to admit it, if the animator doesn't add a twitch, the sup or director will likely ask for it. "He just dies right there." One of the disadvantages of acting by committee.

Still maddening to hear people talk that way, though.

jim said...

p.s. It's kind of funny that Landau was fairly right about acting and animating being antithetical to each other (inside out versus outside in), but completely wrong about the reason.

Jean-Denis Haas said...

It's easy to blame animators. But if something looks good, then it's because of the tool! :)

jeff said...

grrrrrr.

Stefan Schumacher said...

hehe.. also in the trailer the big blue guy moves totally weird. so much for replacing the animator.

Eric said...

heh I know how you love your eye twitches JD :)

Jean-Denis Haas said...

Oh yeah, lower eye lid twitch FTW!

Anonymous said...

James Cameron , phhh. What would he know.

(yeah i know, constructive)