Avatar and the Actors

The following video is a Newsweek roundtable discussion comprising recently Oscar-nominated actors. Moderated by David Ansen, the actors were asked how they felt about motion-capture technology and its role in developing the future of cinema. As everyone knows, motion-capture technology was the primary tool utilized by James Cameron in the filming of Avatar. Cameron was able to draw out physically authentic performances from actors like Sam Worthington and Zoe Saldana by harnessing his newly-developed technology and supplanting the actors' bodies and surroundings with outstanding visual effects. As the following video will illustrate, the actors are very hesitant about this technology, even going so far as to saying it eliminates the nuances of acting and hinders the art of crafting a fully-fledged performance. Morgan Freeman is very outspoken about this matter and is very critical of Avatar in terms of the quality of its acting. Jeff Bridges provides a dissenting opinion by arguing how motion-capture technology forces the actors to evolve their craft to the point where they have to rely on their imagination to generate authenticity. It is a fascinating discussion that illustrates the problems Avatar encounters when presented to the actors, which may have a potentially damaging impact on its Oscar chances. Have a look...