This Monday, after 90 minutes of system crashes and time outs, I was fortunate 
enough to secure two free tickets to “Avatar Day.” That’s what Twentieth Century Fox is calling Friday, August 21, 2009. At selected IMAX theaters around the world, Fox will screen 16 minutes of footage from James Cameron’s much anticipated 3D sci-fi adventure Avatar, releasing Dec. 18.
Cameron was at the forefront of the CGI revolution with Terminator 2 (remember the liquid metal man?). With Avatar in the planning for 14 years, some are suggesting the film will offer “as big a leap in our viewing experience as the change from black-and-white television to colour.” Just to capture his vision, Cameron co-developed a new generation of stereoscopic cameras:
Simplified, this is the equivalent of two cameras strapped together, each providing a slightly different perspective on the scene, mimicking the way human eyes view the world in three dimensions.
This changes the ballpark of moving images. Suddenly the screen changes from a flat painting to an immersive world with depth.
Your eyes are tricked into seeing a ‘world’ on the screen, with a distinct foreground and background. In effect, the cinema screen becomes a theatre stage.
It’s why the Avatar preview was one of the hottest tickets at last month’s Comic-Con. The buzz is incredible. In fact, the free online tickets were exhausted in less than 24 hours and sent participating theater websites into a tizzy.
However, this degree of “pre-screening” — 16 minutes of footage, hundreds of theaters, 4 months before the actual release — is unprecedented. It makes one wonder whether Fox isn’t attempting to overcome the traditional drag of most 3D films. People just don’t want to sit through a movie wearing cardboard glasses and have a headache for the rest of the evening. Will Avatar be good enough to overcome the 3D hurdle? Stay tuned.
Anyway, Alayna and I will cruise Santa Monica Blvd. this evening, join the fanboys, scan the merch, and try not to look too geeky in our “linear polarising specs.”
Very cool. You have got to post your review of the experience. And don't worry, buddy. I think you are just geeky enough.