WOW! Here's The Official Details On AVATAR's Collector's Edition Discs!!

**SAME DAY UPDATE: Another clip of future Earth is here! SPOILERS! Thx Killik0!

STUNNING. Check out the contents of these discs!! I think Fox and James Cameron have nailed this AVATAR collector's edition release guys.

There is a 3 hour extended cut of the movie with an alternative opening! 45 minutes of deleted scenes and a total of 8 hours of never seen before footage and behind the scenes!

View the new official trailer for the special release (WARNING: MILD FUTURE EARTH SPOILERS!) after reading the release from Fox below!

...And here's the official press release describing the contents (emphasis is mine):
Director James Cameron is unlocking the secrets of Pandora and taking fans on a guided tour of his vision with the highly anticipated release of AVATAR Extended Collector's Edition on Blu-ray and DVD releasing November 16th in North America and rolling out internationally from November 15th. These exclusive Extended Collector's Editions come with iconic, collectible packaging to get fans to experience Pandora like never before. With three versions of the film, AVATAR fans will get an all-new extended cut of the film and hours of never-before seen material including over 45 minutes of amazing deleted scenes!

"I told our team --- let's do the ultimate box set of Avatar, with everything in it the fans could possibly want. There's an extended length cut that's sixteen minutes longer, plus documentaries, behind the scenes featurettes, artwork and over 45 minutes of deleted scenes. Everything worth putting into a special edition is in this set," said James Cameron.

The three-disc AVATAR Extended Collector's Edition Blu-ray and Theatrical Special Edition Re-Release DVD will both feature the original theatrical release, a special edition re-release, family audio track with all objectionable language removed and new collector's extended cut with sixteen more minutes including an exclusive alternate opening Earth scene. Viewers will journey to the depths of Pandora with filmmakers during "Capturing Avatar" an in-depth feature length documentary covering the 16 year filmmaker journey including all new interviews with James Cameron, Jon Landau and cast and crew exploring James Cameron's unique vision for the film seen by more than 310 million people worldwide. The Oscar and Golden Globe winning epic is the highest grossing film of all time, taking in over $2.7 billion in worldwide box office. It is also the top-selling Blu-ray disc of all time.

The AVATAR Extended Collector's Edition Blu-ray will also have even more bonus material and interactive viewing. Through the unparalleled, interactive technology of Blu-ray, fans can dive further into the world of the Na'vi and experience the #1 international sensation from behind the scenes, with a "master class" on the production of the film. Leveraging the interactivity of Blu-ray, viewers can experience the full film in three stages of production: Performance Capture, Template (1990's video game version) and Final as well as a composite of all stages in "Pandora's Box". This will be supported with interviews by Jim Cameron and the filmmakers and serve as a "master class" on the making of AVATAR.

AVATAR Extended Collection's Edition: 3-Disc Collector's Edition Blu-ray:

Disc One
· Original Theatrical Version
· Special Edition Re-Release
· Collector's Extended Cut
o 16 more minutes and exclusive alternate opening
Family Audio Track (All Objectionable Language Removed)
· Original Theatrical Release
· Special Edition Re-release

Disc Two
· "Capturing Avatar" An in-depth feature length documentary with James Cameron, Jon Landau and cast and crew
· Deleted Scenes – including over 45 minutes of new never-before-seen deleted scenes
· Production Materials

Disc Three
· Open "Pandora's Box" and go deeper into the filmmaker process
· Interactive Scene Deconstruction: Explore the various stages of production through 3 different viewing modes
· Production Shorts: 17 featurettes covering performance capture, scoring the film, 3D fusion camera, stunts and much more
· Avatar Archives including original scriptment, 300 page screenplay and the extensive Pandorapedia
· BD-live Portal with additional bonus materials

AVATAR Collector's Edition: 3-Disc Special Edition DVD:

Disc One
· Original Theatrical Version
· Special Edition Re-release
· Collector’s Extended Cut
o 16 more minutes and exclusive alternate opening

Disc Two
· Original Theatrical Version
· Special Edition Re-release
· Collector's Extended Cut

Disc Three
· "Capturing Avatar" An in-depth feature length documentary with James Cameron, Jon Landau and cast and crew
· Deleted Scenes – including over 45 minutes of new never-before-seen deleted scenes



What do you think? It's a no-brainer for me of course - I am so first in line for this on November 16! What excites you most about the Collector's Edition disc release?

AVATAR 3D Blu-ray Coming December 1?

Good news and bad news. Can't say whether this is authentic or not, but Blu-ray.com is reporting they have a source that says the AVATAR 3D blu-ray will be distributed starting this December 1, bundled with Panasonic 3DTVs only.

They further said that ALICE IN WONDERLAND will be available in 3D as well but bundled only with Sony 3DTVs.

I know this is going to upset people but if this is true, I don't expect we will see the phenomenon much longer as 3DTV adoption in homes is expanding rapidly. Obviously money exchanged hands to grant the TV manufacturers an exclusive window to release their respective bundles, and a domino effect may have been started with the first agreement to be signed for them to stay competitive with each other.

The sooner these agreements stop though, the better it will be for consumers. I want both titles, but not two 3DTVs.

Thanks David for the heads up...

Cover Art! AVATAR Box Set Coming November 16

Here is the cover art for the upcoming AVATAR Box Set that is scheduled to be released November 16!

The video clip in this post includes segments from a cool documentary that will be included in the box set focusing on James Cameron's research trip to Brazil's rainforest. Sigourney Weaver and Joel David Moore accompanied him as well. Add in all the deleted scenes and additional movie footage and you have the makings of a heckuva blu-ray offering.

Have a look:



More when we get it!!

EXCLUSIVE: James Cameron Interview! Talks AVATAR Re-release, Sequels, 3D Conversions & Working With Del Toro!

Just got off the phone with James Cameron! Great to hear from him again and get some interesting news and confirmations. If you would like to listen to the last time I spoke with him, you can check out the interview here.

Today's call was made available in connection with AVATAR: SPECIAL EDITION which will be running in a limited engagement starting August 27.

I have broken down today's interview into segments listed below so you can quickly find your interest item, but of course I recommend listening to the whole thing!

With all the recent hoopla over 3D conversions and the ridiculous stories that 3D is dying, it is so refreshing to hear from the man that really started it all for modern 3D in Hollywood (along with Mr. Katzenberg of course). Have a listen!!



0:40 - Cameron confirms he is producing Guillermo del Toro's AT THE MOUNTAINS OF MADNESS. The movie will be shot in native 3D using next generation FUSION 3D cameras from Pace. The project came up only 2 or 3 weeks ago when Cameron asked about if del Toro was still interested in it. As del Toro was clearly excited to do it, Cameron said "let's do it". They took it to Universal with both of them attached to the fast tracked project and now it looks like it will be going in the 2nd quarter of 2011.

2:30 - Cameron talks about 3D conversions. TITANIC's conversion is taking 8 months to a year to complete, not a fast turnaround like CLASH OF THE TITANS. Cameron: "(TITANS) showed a fundamental lack of knowledge about stereo space, in addition to the shoddy work that comes from rushing." Cameron likes TITANS in 2D as do I (I have had the Blu-ray since it was released) from a directorial standpoint and as a fan of Sam Worthington.

5:00 - Cameron on how they are technically converting TITANIC. "You just can't cut out edges, you're going to get flat people moving around." He will be using all his knowledge to put things on their right depth planes. They had tests for TITANIC from seven different conversion vendors on the exact same shots and they got back seven different answers as to were they thought things were spatially. "Some of them were not bad guesses and some of them were ridiculous."

6:50 - The whole argument about conversion will go away for high end, first run 3D. Two years from now when there are thousands of 3D cameras out their shooting live feeds to 3D broadcast networks, how can a producer go to a studio and say: "I can't shoot 3D. It's too difficult. There are too many problems. It costs too much. It adds 6 months to post-production. They won't be able to say any of that stuff. That stuff is all garbage."

9:05 - Cameron on talking with Steven Spielberg about converting his classic movies to 3D. "Make sure you are there for (the conversions), then it can be great."

11:20 - Cameron talks about AVATAR 2's current status. He has an overall story arc for 2 and 3, but has some modifications for that after spending some time during the last few months with native tribes in the Amazon basin. Script will be a ways out yet for AVATAR 2.

12:04 - He is focusing his writing right now on the AVATAR novel (corresponds to the first film) and that will take him the next couple of months to bang out. Not sure when it will be coming out, perhaps the end of the year or the first quarter of 2011.

12:45 - The AVATAR re-release will have 9 extra minutes, not 8 and it will all be CG. No extra footage of live action characters drinking coffee. Rainforest; some at night; a hunt sequence - a lot of flying; high impact action; an emotional scene toward the end has been added back; "the best CG in the film has been added as far as facial performance"; A Na'vi counterattack after the bulldozer attack; more of Grace at the school; adding the Stingbat and Sturmbeast creatures; additional Quaritch final AMP Suit battle shots; more of the glade love scene. It is all on par with the best of the rest of the film. They had lots of footage to choose from and they put back the absolute best scenes and shots they could.

15:45 - Cameron does not have the release timing of the 3D Blu-ray as they want to have a nice distribution of 3DTVs in homes. He has seen the 3D master run on consumer 3DTVs from Panasonic and Samsung and "It looks amazing. It looks really spectacular."

Special thanks to Jim Cameron and 20th Century Fox for setting this up! I am looking forward to the re-release on August 27 and to hearing more about the AVATAR novel and AVATAR movie sequel in the coming months. Stay tuned for more information as I get it...

Great New James Cameron Interview! He Talks Avatar 2, Avatar Blu-rays, and More

Michael here. Collider has an awesome new interview with James Cameron in which he goes into detail regarding the Avatar Blu-rays (which will have two new versions of the movie!), the amount of time Avatar 2 would take to make, and more.

Click here to read it.

Highlights:

On Avatar 2: The fastest we could imagine making another film is three to three and a half years, from the moment we start, and we’re not planning on starting tomorrow.

On the Avatar Special Edition Blu-ray:

You’ll be able to do a branching experience where you can select if you want to watch the basic movie, if you want to watch the movie with six minutes of footage added back in, or if you want to watch an earlier cut of the film that has 30 or 35 minutes of additional footage. It will be an unrecognizable movie. You’ll be going on a journey into a whole different version of Avatar. And some of the scenes won’t be done because we won’t have the budget to finish 20 or 30 minutes of CG stuff. We’re taking the Greatest Hits six minutes and finishing that.

Definitely go read the entire interview: it's a really good one.

No Worries! AVATAR S3DHD Blu-ray Out In November!!

Jim here. Rest easy AVATAR fans! James Cameron himself put to bed any notion of the 3D Blu-ray for the movie taking years to get to us. In a recent interview, he said the time frame for 3D on Blu-ray is November of THIS year.

From WSJ: “It’s all right on schedule,” said Cameron. “We’ll do the Blu-ray and the standard def DVD April 22nd, that’s our plan as of right now, and that’ll be pretty much bare bones. And then we’ll do a value-added DVD and a 3-D Blu-ray in I think November sometime.”

Also here is a clip from MTV:

All of this makes total sense. I was dumbfounded when I heard that the 3D release would be delayed. I NEVER thought it would be years as other sites conjectured - I don't know where that came from! This timing is perfect if you ask me: S3DHD televisions will be flowing in and out of CE stores starting next month and ramping up through summer / fall, and AVATAR hits just before the holidays!

Can you feel it? AVATAR in your home in stunning S3DHD by Christmas!! Potentially your home at least :-)

AVATAR DVD by June 30; will NOT be 3D. Plus Murdoch Confirms Our Avatar 2 Scoop!

Michael here. Our exclusive that James Cameron is under immense pressure to make Avatar 2 has been confirmed by News Corp head Rupert Murdoch himself.

On a quarterly earnings call, Murdoch said the conglomerate is having "very early talks about it", Cameron "has ideas about it" and that they "will be pushing one."

But he cautioned analysts not to "hold your breath for an early one." This jives with the comment from our source that said it would be "within 4 years"

The DVD (and also the Blu-ray I presume) will be released by June 30. However, Murdoch stated that it would not be a 3D DVD release because that technology is not developed enough yet. News Corp president Chase Carey added that a 3D release could happen further "down the road."

I don't think it makes much sense to NOT author the first Avatar Blu-ray in 3D. The Avatar Blu-ray is a huge event, and would be a perfect venue for Fox to unleash their first 3D disk. And it wouldn't hurt those without the 3D equipment, since the 3D standards require that 3D discs be playable in 2D if the user does not have a 3D Blu-ray player and 3DTV. And from everything I've heard, the technology is ready. Jeffrey Katzenberg promised at CES that he would be bringing out a 3D Blu-ray of Monsters Vs. Aliens later this year. Perhaps Murdoch and Carey got it wrong?

Source: The Hollywood Reporter

Avatar: Future Earth Pic and Article!

Michael here. Thanks to jsayson15 for pointing this out! Future Earth looks beautiful in a very Blade Runner-esque way. The following details from BUF, the French visual effects studio that worked on these scenes, make me very excited to see them:

EARTH SHOTS
The Earth Shots (one shot for the Pedestrian Crossing and 13 for the Alley) were Set Extensions that were designed specifically for 3D screening. Only the foreground was actually shot - against green screen. BUF created and integrated the background set according to the references provided by the production, adapting them to the filmed shots (aerial train, holographic commercials and surrounding buildings).

CROSSWALK
For this scene, only two medium close passes of the crowd were shot. The only visible part of the set includes the street in the foreground and the changing of the traffic light. To simulate the strip lighting, the extras were lit by blinking colored lights.

Taking into account the initial camera move on the foreground crowd plates, the shot features a wide introductory view on the crowded futuristic city. Because the stereoscopic view is more demanding than in 2D films, the depth and placement of the buildings has to be very precise and coherent. Once the main buildings were placed and the overall architecture defined, the crowd was created, thus matching the live takes and perfectly integrating them into the 3D environment ambiance.

BUF's Art Department, led by Olivier Gilbert, also designed the holographic commercials (the “Media Sky") and billboards that populate the city. For the Full-CG commercials, we shot a few characters to integrate them in the designs of the ads. All of the Mediasky was developed with the stereo in mind, accentuating the impression of depth by enhancing the parallax between them. This is why some commercials might seem very flat if seen in 2D, while in 3D they show much more depth.

These two Earth sequences have trains that run through them. Each train was modeled and textured independently then filled with 3D extras. Next, each train was animated, lit and integrated into the shots. Due to the very bright and busy environment with heavy strip lighting and commercials, the lighting and placement of reflections were crucial to achieving realism. Additionally, the placement of the raised train tracks and their supports as well as the skyscrapers had to be very precise to ensure that the depth would be realistic when projected in stereo.

Finally, we created the Laser Pedestrian Crossing. The challenge here was that director Cameron wanted the crosswalk be floating six inches above the ground. This meant that all of legs of the characters would cross through it. This work was quite complex as we had to match-move the live characters in stereo to ensure that the interaction between the Laser Crossing and the legs would work.

EARTH ALLEY
Only the foreground of the set was shot live (the entry to the alley, back door and actors) were shot. The rest of the shot is Full CG. To achieve the best results for set extension, careful attention was paid to maintain the continuity between the filmed foreground and the CG set background. The architecture, the wet reflective materials such as walls, the ground, pipes, the blinking lights and the ground full of puddles we created had to match the live plates for shape and texture. Reflections in this very humid, dark environment also required great attention to detail. We had to ensure that the waves in the puddles would distort the reflections of the commercials in a natural manner and appear correctly in stereo. Haze and mist were also added to recreate the dark and humid atmosphere of the sequence, all in stereo. From the three points of views of the sequence, the most dramatic features are the trains and the Mediasky. It was very important to place the commercials and light the set to match the lighting on the actors. Since the shots were filmed against green screen, the resulting images were very green so quite a bit of color-correction was required to restore the actual color of the alley.

In addition, the continuity between live action and CG had to work for all points of view. Since these shots show a lot of depth, the camera calibration required a lot of precision because even a tiny difference in the spacing between the two cameras could result in a huge difference in depth perception.

With these scenes, the Tsu'tey death scene, and the extended love scene, there sure is a lot to be excited for in the upcoming Blu-ray!

James Cameron Talks Cut Tsu'tey Death Scene

Michael here. This is a very interesting bit of Q&A with Cameron. He talks about Tsu'tey's death scene where he passes the baton of leadership to Jake. It's interesting that this is the one scene that WETA completely finished that got cut. I guess this means the other deleted scenes weren't finished. Watch below--Cameron's section starts at 2:37:

Cameron Talks Next Project, AVATAR "Fan Version", & More

Michael here. Avatar, which is now destined to top Titanic by a landslide (Cameron himself says that "It's gonna happen. It's just a matter of time") , took home six Critics Choice Awards last night: best action movie, cinematography, art direction, editing, visual effects, and sound.

MTV interviewed Cameron on the red carpet and managed to get some interesting new info:

1) Regarding a director's cut: "The director's cut is what we release. What we do is we do a special edition, where you could select a longer version of the film that had some scenes reinstated. But it's really more of a fan version than a director version. [The fan version will be] 10 or 12 minutes longer. Something like that."

2) Regarding whether Avatar 2 will be his next project: "There's a possibility of doing another picture in between. But I think we'll certainly get busy talking about what the strategy is, when it makes sense to do it, and laying any technical groundwork that needs to be done. These are big projects."

3) About the sex scene: "I think we took out a good ten seconds out of that scene. So I think it's one of those cases where the fantasy vastly exceeds the reality."

4) His advice for people with the "Avatar Blues": "Take a walk in the woods. Reaquaint with the nature we have right here."

Watch MTV's video of the interview here.

I hope Avatar cleans up at the Golden Globes tomorrow!

3D at Home Update: Interview with Chris Chinnock

Hi, Michael here.  Insight Media President and 3D@Home Consortium Board Member Chris Chinnock took some time away from his busy schedule at NAB in Vegas to answer questions regarding the current state of the push towards 3D in the home.  Both publicly and behind the scenes, Chris has been leading the charge towards 3D standards.  Below he gives an update as to the current state of the effort.

Michael: Where in the process towards completing the necessary 3DTV standards (for both a mastering standard, potential necessary HDMI/Blu-ray upgrades, and 3D-capable HDTVs) are we at this moment? Has 3D@Home Consortium finished with its recommendations to SMPTE and CEA, or do you have a continuing involvement? If so, what are 3D@Home, and you personally, focused on presently?

Chris Chinnock: SMPTE has just released their report on 3D formats. It essentially describes a high quality master that is created at the end of the post process. It does not describe how this is to be formatted for distribution, so there is much work to be done there. BDA (Blu-ray Disk Association) is secretive about their process, but the goal is to come up with a standard by end of year. We are working with CEA (Consumer Electronics Association) on a number of issues, and have just reached out to EBU (European Broadcasting Union) to help them. Metrology co-op with ICDM (International Committee for Display Metrology) is well advanced. We have a whole briefing on 3D @ Home at NAB, so I would rather send the sanitized version of those slides after the event rather than discuss here in full detail.

Michael: Do you know whether the Entertainment Technology Center at USC is still involved in the march towards a standard? I am unclear as to what their role has been up until this point.

Chris Chinnock: Yes they are very interested in 3D and have set up a new lab with a bunch of 3D monitors and TVs. They want to have a consumer facing focus in evaluating equipment and content. The 3D @ Home consortium is talking with them about supporting the effort to create a 3D test reel of content and in doing consumer testing of active shutter glasses.

Michael: I am also curious about the 1080p/60fps per eye standard that SMPTE is advocating.  I think it sounds great, and would work perfectly for 60i and 30P material, but wouldn't a 24p movie require some kind of pulldown? Some MarketSaw readers have already expressed concern about this.  I would think (correct me if I'm wrong) that for flawless, judder-free 24p 3D at home that is compatible with 30p and 60i content, the TV would need to be fed two 120fps streams (one per eye), requiring the TV to have the ability to process and display 240 fps?

Chris Chinnock: If 1080p/60 per eye is desired, then in theory, a 120Hz display could do this. The problem is ghosting between the two images. The turn off time for the LCDs and the phosphor decay times for the plasma as not fast enough, so you need to increase speed (essentially going to a 240hz, or 480hz equivalent speed). The Panasonic demo is at 1080/24p as this is the fastest the phosphors and electronics can do in the current PDP to support good 3D (my understanding anyway).

Michael: Given the current state of the effort, what is the greatest challenge going forward in terms of bringing 3DTV into the home?

Chris Chinnock: There are many: improving cost and efficiency of content creation workflow tools; distribution standards thru all media; 3D encoding evaluations and decisions; 3D TV technologies, more content, business models and on and on.

Michael: What do you think are the chances of having a 3D-at-home standard in place in time for the Avatar Blu-ray release (circa May 2010?)

Chris Chinnock: I think goal is achievable and will be achieved (too much money at risk).

Thanks very much to Chris for providing us with this update!

The 3D@Home Consortium was formed in 2008 with the mission to speed the commercialization of 3D into homes worldwide and provide the best possible viewing experience by facilitating the development of standards, roadmaps and education for the entire 3D industry - from content, hardware and software providers to consumers.  Visit the 3D@Home site at www.3dathome.org

Insight Media is a market research, publishing and consulting firm focused on the emerging parts of the display industry.  Visit their site at www.insightmedia.info