A Long Time Ago…

Motion Capture has been around for decades, with Disney using rotoscope animation for its features. This involved tracing over the individual frames of a live-action performance. While it’s hard to know exactly where it was first used, it arguably became popularised with the original Mortal Kombat game. It wasn’t actually the motion capture we’re familiar with today, the actors were actually in costume. They performed the moves and were then “digitized” into the game, with the movements translated into animation as individual frames. That’s why the character models for the original game look so good because they’re real people!

It quickly arrived in films too, with Batman Forever notably using a “digital stunt double” for several shots. The video game adaptation used similar technology to animate its characters. But as usual, George Lucas was the one took things to a whole new level. 1999 saw the release of Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, Lucas had to wait for technology to be at a stage for him to complete his prequel trilogy and a large part of that was Jar Jar. The clumsy alien was played by Ahmed Best who is from a physical percussion group background, and was originally only hired for motion capture, before also voicing the character. Although the character was met with negative reception, it remains an important step forward for filmmaking

Apes. Together. Strong.

Around the same time, WETA Digital were working on bringing Gollum to life for Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings trilogy. After Andy Serkis’ impressive physical performance, and casting as Smeagol, the original model for the character was changed, to resemble Serkis more. The original model can be seen during the first film. Gollum’s scenes were filmed twice, once with Serkis, and once without. Serkis didn’t actually wear anything we would recognise today for the performance, instead wearing a simple white leotard. They were able to render a (unfinished) model in real-time, to help visualise. Many of the techniques (as well as Serkis) used for Gollum would later be applied to Jackson’s version of King Kong and would be developed further for Matt Reeves’ Planet of the Apes prequel trilogy. Serkis used his influence to found The Imaginarium Studios, a performance capture facility, which recently relocated to Pinewood

Welcome to Pandora

James Cameron took things to the next level with his smash hit Avatar, using motion capture technology to bring to life the alien Na’vi, this time having a camera focused on the actor’s face, as well as whatever cameras are capturing the scene. This technique allows the animators to be able to directly translate the actor’s performance onto the digital character, rather than just as a reference footage. This is the technique commonly used today, and it’s only getting better. Being used to bring to life creatures like the Hulk and Smaug the Dragon, as well as in video games to create more realistic animations and performances, it makes sense why there are so many calls for mocap performances to be recognised at the Oscars.

Also Read: The Many Faces Of Andy Serkis

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Today we will briefly look at the key live-action films that pushed CGI integration forward. Then we will look at how these effects are incorporated into films. Before finally discussing what the rise of CGI has meant for the industry and audiences.

A Brief History

While films using CG images date back quite far (Vertigo’s opening (1958), A Computer Animated Hand (1972), etc.), 1973’s Westworld was the first live-action feature to use CGI within the narrative.

Live-action films made further strides in CGI incorporation throughout the 20th century. Star Wars (1977) featured wireframe computer animation. Tron (1982) put real actors into a CG world for the first time. Young Sherlock Holmes (1985) is widely considered to be the first live-action film to feature a computer-generated character. The Abyss (1989) and Terminator 2: Judgement Day (1991) helped to perfect CG liquid textures. And Jurassic Park (1993) blended CGI with practical effects to create realistically textured, moving dinosaurs.

The 2000s, thanks to widening software availability and increasing computer speeds, saw films using much more CGI. Several CGI-intensive franchises like Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings (which revolutionised motion capture) debuted. Smaller projects, like District 9 (2009), also used it to realise its alien people and technology. But Avatar (2009) redefined what CGI was capable of. Featuring a vast computer-generated world that blended real actors and effects seamlessly it became the highest-grossing film of all time. Paving the way for other huge effects blockbusters like the MCU.

How CGI Becomes Part Of A Film?

With CGI’s capabilities making huge strides, how do film productions go about integrating the effects? CG elements are mostly created separately alongside filming and are combined with the filmed elements during post-production. Green screens, chroma key suits, motion capture suits, placeholders etc. provide guidelines during production for effects artists and actors as to where the CG elements will go. However, CGI is not just separate work utilised in post-production.

CG pre-visualisation has started to gain prominence. This is where CGI is used to visualise part of a movie prior to production. It gives camera operators, directors etc. an idea of what the film will look like. Allowing them to plan and experiment with how something will be shot.

Advancements now also allow CGI to be visible and filmable during film production. For example, LED Volume and the Unreal Engine have been used to create and visualise realistic CG background elements which can be filmed and edited during planning and production. This technology, which displays CG environments through vast background screens, was recently used during the filming of the short Fireworks and The Mandalorian season 3. Although the technology has some workload and implementation issues this advancement allows workers to create intricate, detailed CG backgrounds. While actors are given more definitive visual aids to perform against. Helping make the drama more believable to audiences.

How CGI Has Changed The Industry?

CGI has completely transformed the movie experience. It has allowed audiences to see incredible creations and has been the basis for many beloved movies. However, with some recent films having a majority of their shots containing visual effects like CGI and many recent articles addressing how bad CGI can negatively affect audience experience, CGI advancement clearly does not automatically produce good art.

CGI is a tool and many factors influence its effectiveness. If VFX artists are not given enough time to complete their work the quality suffers. The oversaturation of effects-heavy blockbusters has also accustomed audiences to a certain level of quality, making subpar CG more noticeable. And if films fail to ground their effects or engage viewers narratively or emotionally the effects can lose their impact. 

These represent the main issues for CGI moving forward. If the industry wants to maintain audience interest in an age of CG oversaturation it must consider these points and not just focus on advancement for its own sake. As George Lucas said, a special effect without a story is a pretty boring thing.

Also Read: A.I Generated Art & Movies: A Collision Course

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2022s Box Office Top 10

At the time of writing these are the top 10 highest-grossing films at the worldwide box office in 2022 according to Box Office Mojo. 

10. Moon Man (Over $460,237,600)

9. Water Gate Bridge (Over $626,571,600)

8. Thor: Love and Thunder (Over $760,928,000)

7. The Batman (Over $770,945,500)

6. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (Over $831,942,300)

5. Minions: The Rise of Gru (Over $939,628,200)

4. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (Over $955,775,800)

3. Jurassic World: Dominion (Over $1,001,978,000)

2. Top Gun: Maverick (Over $1,488,732,800)

1. Avatar: The Way of Water (Over $1,749,253,900)

In total the top 10 highest-grossing films earned over $9,587,993,700. There were 2 non-English language films in the top 10 (Moon Man and Water Gate Bridge). 4 of the big earners were produced by companies owned by Disney (Thor: Love and Thunder, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness came from Marvel Studios while Avatar: The Way of Water was from 20th Century Studios), 2 had some involvement from Universal (Minions: The Rise of Gru and Jurassic World: Dominion), 1 was distributed by Paramount (Top Gun: Maverick) and 1 came from Warner Bros (The Batman).

The 2020s At The Box Office

How does this list and its revenue look when viewed next to the rest of the 2020s? Well, comparatively, 2022 was a very solid year. With pandemic restrictions firmly relaxed across many countries cinema-goers have returned to the theatres in good numbers. The top 10 movies this year earned almost 3 times what 2020’s top 10 earned. It even managed to outperform 2021’s top 10 by around $1.9 billion. This year also saw 3 movies cross the $1 billion mark and all 3 came from different studios. Interestingly, this also marked the first year since 2015 (excluding 2020 and 2021 because of the pandemic) when the year’s two highest-grossing films were not affiliated with Disney.

But what does this box office top 10 tell us about the industry and what the future potentially holds? 

Lessons From 2022

2022 showed us primarily that franchises continue to be the big audience draw. So franchises are still likely to produce the biggest hits going forward. However, Top Gun: Maverick and even Avatar: The Way of Water have proven that smaller franchises still have the possibility to attract huge box office numbers. Additionally, the top 3 have shown that non-Disney-made films may have a chance to earn greater attention than in the pre-covid landscape.

Secondly, while international language pictures may be struggling in the box office rankings post-covid, with only 2 non-English films in this year’s top 10 (2021 had 3 and 2020 had 5), 2022 showed they still have potential to pull in good earnings in the future with Chinese language films proving to be a particularly big draw recently with growing interest in international releases. We could possibly see more big international hits if they are given better worldwide distribution.

Finally, while these figures prove the industry has certainly not reached pre-pandemic box office levels it is still in a healthy spot. This year’s top 10 managed to outperform 2016s (over $9,320,848,700) and while it is a way off from 2018s and 2019s numbers those movies were dominated by highly anticipated franchise entries, like the conclusion to Marvel’s Infinity Saga, which will be hard to immediately replicate. Thus 2022 showcases that the industry is on the road to recovery. Hopefully, 2023 will yield even more interesting and healthy box office results.

Also Read: Time To Rethink The Box Office Film Charts?

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With all that in mind, it seems like a sequel would be a slam dunk for success. But 13 years on, the landscape is very different. Cinemas are still struggling to recover from the effects of Covid, and there was much less competition back then. Cameron has gone on record saying it needs to gross around $2 Billion to break even, but can it? And can he go one further and beat his own record?

A Whole New World

The first Avatar film was released in 2009. At the time, the MCU was still in its infancy, with The Avengers still a few years away. Shared universes weren’t even a thing at the time, with every studio looking to cash in on Harry Potter‘s success and find their own YA novel series to adapt. Transformers and the Fast and Furious franchises were two of the biggest films that year, while Star Trek rebooted itself for the next generation.

Thirteen years on, the MCU is one of the most successful film franchises ever, and recently announced a slate going into 2026. Every studio is trying to make a shared universe, the Wizarding World, as it is now known, has stalled three films into a planned five series, with the author now a very controversial figure. Not to mention several other franchises that have spawned in the years since.

Audiences also may be suffering from franchise fatigue, with many newer ones dominating the box office, along with original films. The rise of streaming services, something that has exploded in popularity in recent years, has also contributed. Even Star Wars has mainly moved to streaming after the mixed reception to the sequel trilogy and Solo being considered a disappointment. The pandemic has made streaming more powerful than ever, with many films getting a smaller theatrical window or none – whilst appearing on on-demand services much quicker.

Return To Pandora

At the time of writing, Avatar: The Way of Water is around the $1.7 Billion mark. After being in theatres for less than a month. Coming out towards the end of December, it not only had the Christmas season to take advantage of but also January, which traditionally is a quiet month for cinemas, as there are few new releases (in the UK, there are often awards contenders that we have yet to receive). Barring any unexpected hits, Avatar is still poised to be the big film for the first few months. Perhaps the best, recent film to compare it to is Top Gun: Maverick. A sequel coming years after the original, making use of its now much older star and advanced technology. It became the second highest-grossing of the year and the highest-grossing of Tom Cruise’s career.

Like Maverick, word of mouth and curiosity will work in Avatar‘s favour. Some audiences will turn up because there is nothing else on and also to see what Cameron has been up to all these years. Good reviews will also convince people that may have been on the fence about the film before now. Box Office numbers are often a marathon, rather than a sprint. While Avengers: Endgame Hulk-Smashed its way to the top spot fairly quickly, it was the culmination of ten years worth of films, and followed up on a huge cliffhanger, with many fans seeing it early to avoid spoilers. By contrast, The Way of Water is much more accessible, as it is set many years after the original, and focuses on new characters.

Can Cameron Do It?

Absolutely. Despite its perceived lack of “cultural impact” Avatar has remained the biggest film for close to a decade. Its brief time being dethroned was the result of ten years and over twenty films leading into it. With only five films grossing over $2 billion ever, The Way of Water is well on track to join the ranks. Depending on how long it is until there is some serious competition, it could even beat the original film. The only film that looks to be a threat is a re-release of Cameron’s own Titanic.

Also Read: Why James Cameron’s Avatar Sequel Has Come At The Right Time

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After technology finally caught up to his vision, development was paused on Alita and Avatar took centre stage (Cameron would eventually take a backseat on Alita, due to focusing on Avatar and it’s sequels). It was released to critical as well as commercial acclaim. While the film dominated the conversation in 2009, and sequels are planned, the film doesn’t have as passionate a fanbase as franchises like Star Wars or the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), leaving some to question the demand for a sequel.

However, a lot has changed since 2009, both in the world of film and the world at large, and many of Avatar’s themes are more relevant today than they ever were…

Imperialism

The story of Avatar follows Jake Sully, a paraplegic marine who takes the place of his deceased twin brother and travels to Pandora, an alien planet whose atmosphere is deadly to humans. Sully and his team use avatars to explore the planet and interact with the local people, the Na’vi. After falling in love with one of the Na’vi Jake and his team of sympathisers switch sides, and help force the humans off the planet.

The final battle of the film revolves around the Hometree, a huge tree that, while considered sacred to the Na’vi, is on top of a large mineral deposit. Although Cameron has been understandably vague about some of the themes, he has hinted that the evil corporation may have connections with America and it’s pursuit of oil in other countries.

Cameron has stated the parallels to Iraq and Vietnam are “by design“. With a technologically superior military force, facing off against natives. While this has led some people to consider it an example of “The Messiah Complex“, a white man saving an indigenous people, a common complaint of several stories (and something Black Panther avoided) while others have disagreed with this, arguing that the main character is himself paraplegic, and actually discards his human body for his Na’vi avatar at the end.

Environmental Themes

While climate change was an issue in 2009, it has become a far more pressing concern in the decade since Avatar. James Cameron has actually “declared war” on climate change and the film is very overt with its environmental message, rivalling Wall-E. The brief mentions of Earth refer to it as having “no green” and a “dying planet”. Pandora itself has an atmosphere that is toxic to humans. The film is set in 2154. Scientists estimate the planet could be well on course for such a fate. The energy crisis that results in the humans travelling to Pandora is another problem we are facing today. Science fiction is a way for us to explore our hopes and fears, and Cameron is clearly showing us his fears.

The Na’vi have the exact opposite relationship with their home planet. An almost symbiotic bond with nature, they can literally connect to other life with their hair. Cameron hoped the film would make people reconsider their connection to nature. The film clearly takes the side of nature being superior, with the Na’vi winning with the aid of the creatures of Pandora. Jake is originally promised a fix for his legs if he helps the RDA but is given a whole new (and physically superior) body by choosing nature over technology.

The Sequels

Almost as soon as Avatar grossed $1 Billion at the box office, an (inevitable) sequel was announced. With several others planned, the first of which is aiming for a 2021 release date (although this is after several delays). With rumoured titles of “Avatar: The Way of Water,” “Avatar: The Seed Bearer,” “Avatar: The Tulkun Rider,” and “Avatar: The Quest for Eywa”, the ecological theme seems to run through the sequels as well. Although very little plot details have been given. According to some reports, Fox had to donate a considerable amount to Cameron’s environmental fund before he would even sign on for the sequels.

The sequels will likely follow similar themes of the importance of nature, but the titles hint at slightly more specific concerns. “The Way of Water” could be focused on rising sea levels and the damage of human waste to ocean life forms. “The Seed Bearer” could deal with plant life, and Tulkun Rider on creatures and their habitat. In the lore, Eywa is a goddess of all life, meaning the film could deal with our connection to living things.

Whatever the sequels end up being about, they will definitely be incredibly ambitious, as with all James Cameron films. He has planned this world in great detail and clearly has a lot to say. What messages it brings will be revealed when the films are released…

Also Read: “Little Women” & Cinema for the self-partnered

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