Avatar Directed by James Cameron.

¶ … Avatar directed by James Cameron. Specifically it will discuss the scene of the floating mountains and the helicopter just a tiny spec as it flies toward the mountains. This is a wide shot that shows the vastness and unique qualities of the planet Pandora, and shows how far away the characters are from the "normal" life on Earth. This might not compare with some of the other scenes in the film that offer spectacular color and motion, but it is spectacular in its own right, as it illustrates the imagination and technology that went into this landmark film.

The controlling idea of this shot is to illustrate the uniqueness of Pandora, its spectacular scenery, and how small the humans are in comparison. (Small in stature, but also small minded in their ideas and philosophies.) This scene clearly illustrates how out of their element the humans are, even with their technological advances, and it graphically shows the beauty and spectacular landscapes of the planet. The composition of this scene is relatively simple. The floating mountains dominate the scene, with the helicopter almost added as an afterthought. Cameron places the helicopter very near the largest floating mountain just to give the viewer perspective, and it works. The mountains totally dominate the scene, which is exactly what the director intended with this scene. The composition is also a bit misty and mysterious, like the planet itself, or as if the scene was shot just a bit out of focus. The only things in the scene are the mountains, some vegetation, clouds, and the helicopter, so it's a simple scene with a complex purpose. It moves the story along and shows the characters getting to know the various parts of the planet, but it shows the complexity of the planet, as well, showing that one simple scene can actually create meaning and thought throughout the movie. This is a scene composed of both a wide and a long shot, which is meant to convey the size and scope of the area and the floating mountains.

The use of color throughout this film is absolutely spectacular, making it one of the most visually stunning films of all time. This scene is dramatic in its lack of color. The scene is misty, grey, and almost appears to have been shot in black and white. This sets it apart from many other scenes in the film, making it more memorable because of its simplicity. The vegetation is muted too, unlike many other areas of the film. This scene is all about the immensity of Pandora and how the humans react to it, so the colors are muted and misty in a response. Color is still dramatic in this scene, and that is enhanced by the lighting, which is muted, too. One mountain, the largest, where the helicopter is getting ready to disappear behind, is lit brightly, and this shows the detail of the mountain and its vegetation. It is done so well that it seems as if you can reach out and touch it, partly because of the 3-D aspects of the film, but partly because of the lighting that brings out the detail so well. That is important to remember, since this is really a digital shot, rather than a real, live-action scene. It still looks real, and that's because every aspect of the scene, from lighting, composition, and camera angle, were worked out in the studio during the creation process. Even in the digital world, these things matter, and this scene shows how important they are in the overall look and feel of the film.

Use of music in the scene is the same grand, sweeping music used throughout the film. It makes the scene seem larger than life somehow, but it also has touches of native sounds that make it sound a bit primitive and haunting. The sounds in the scene are basically dialogue as the characters react to what they're seeing, but there is one sound in this scene that is particularly memorable, and that is the sound of the helicopter. The sound is of conventional rotors on a traditional helicopter, but it seems that these rotors, which are more like fans, would have a different kind of sound, and that kind of distracted me throughout this film. I wanted a different sound that seemed more fitting for these future technologies.

This shot is just one small scene in the film, but it shows the attention to detail that Cameron used throughout the film. Every shot tells a story, just like this one does, and every one serves a purpose. This shot, which is really animation or digital image rather than live action, looks entirely real, like all the images do in the film. The viewer actually believes they are watching a helicopter fly into the jungles of Pandora, which is a testament to all the people who worked so hard on the film. This does not look as if it is a digital image, the lighting, shot angles, and composition all come together to create a very satisfying shot that looks totally real. That is probably one of the most amazing things about this film. Each shot, like this one, is believable, and it makes the film even more amazing.