2) How has the UK theatrical distribution of the film been managed in order to ensure the film's success in the UK?

Avatar was originally planned for release on 22 May 2009, but the date was pushed back in order to allow more time post-production and to give more theatres worldwide to install 3-D technology. Avatar held its worldwide premiere in Leicester Square, London 10 December 2009.

Other films released around the same time as Avatar were also taken into consideration when Twentieth Century Fox (Avatar’s distribution company) decided to release it. Those released in the same week as Avatar were Humpday, Nine and St Trinian’s 2. Though there appeared to be little competition, Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel was to be released by Fox the following Monday. Alvin and the Chipmunks would target the younger children and families over the Christmas period which Avatar would possibly fail to attract. Thus, Fox have attempted to sustain two of their films in a competitive environment by releasing two films which would target a wide spectrum of people.

The fact that the film premiered in London possibly accounts to much of its success in the UK. The media hype generated before, during and after the premiere would have ensured that as many people as possible were aware of the film’s existence. It was released on Thursday 17 December 2009. On its opening weekend, Avatar grossed around £8.5 million. In contrast to this, St Trinian’s 2, released in the UK the next day only managed to gross £1.6 million that same weekend.

Avatar seems to have combated the issue of film piracy both in the UK and around the world. As it is almost impossible to film and pirate and 3D film, there will, hopefully, be fewer pirate copies of Avatar circulating around Britain. However, though the film has been pirated in the 2D format, it is more likely that people would want to experience the film in 3D, as the director intended. Therefore, demand for the film when it is released on Blu-Ray or DVD will most possibly still remain high.

Twentieth Century Fox have gone for a nationwide release in the UK, and it is currently showing in 471 cinemas out of 650 (screenrush.co.uk). Being screened in so many cinemas nationwide ensures that Fox are able to reach as much of Avatar’s UK target audience as possible. More cinemas which screen the film ensure more people see the film. There is also more of a chance of the film sustaining its success in the competitive market of the UK film industry if it is more widely available for people to access.

1) How was the film produced to appeal to the audience?

James Cameron

Avatar was first envisioned by director, James Cameron around the mid 90s. Despite writing an eighty page scriptment for Avatar in 1995, there were delays in producing the film due to the lack of technology available at the time. Production was delayed till 2005, when the technology was advanced enough to create the realistic computer generated figures of Avatar.

The attention Cameron put into Avatar could have added to its successes. Having over a decade to develop to script and the plot meant that every aspect of the film and its story was covered. Cameron has gone as far as to develop a language for the Na’vi, in addition to the culture and the geography of the world of Pandora. The realism portrayed through the attention to detail is one of the main factors which makes the film appealing to the audience. Without Cameron’s meticulous attention to detail there would have been less chance of the audience being so involved and so absorbed into the film.

Avatar appeals to audiences because of the realism of the computer generated figures, which were created using motion capture animation technology. Principle photography was planned to begin in February 2007, and in the following August, Weta Digital (who have also produced effects for films such as King Kong and Lord of the Rings), a visual effects company signed on with Cameron to help produce Avatar. Additionally, Cameron also used his own Reality Camera System to film in 3-D. The system used two combined high-definition cameras to create depth perception. This shows technological convergence was needed to create the effects of Avatar and shows us how the future of film will change. Without the technology used to create Avatar the film may not have been such a worldwide success. His new virtual camera allowed him to allowed him to monitor the characters movements in real-time, as if shooting the film in live-action.

Movie-goers expectations from the films they watch are constantly increasing due to the improvements in technology, for instance the computer generated figure of ‘Gollum’ in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Avatar’s massive £300 million budget meant that the film had to be a success in order for the producers, Twentieth Century Fox, generate a profit from it. Judging from the worldwide success of the film, Cameron managed to meet, and possibly exceed audience expectations with the visual masterpiece he created in Avatar.

Avatar World Premiere: London 10 Dec 2009

DATE: 10 DEC 2009
LOCATION: LONDON, LEICESTER SQUARE

On the night of the London world premiere of Avatar, hundreds of fans lined Leicester Square's blue carpet premiere (to go with the theme of the blue-skinned Na'vi's of the film).

The press conferences held for Avatar prior to the release of the film were held mainly in the US. Therefore, news about the film over here in the UK would have been limited and fewer people would know of its existence and less hype would have been generated here, unlike in the US. The London world premiere gave people in the UK a chance to acknowledge the film and the media which were present also helped to spread the word.

Representatives and journalists from the tabloids and the broadsheets were invited to the premiere, where the press pens opened around 4pm. With a wide variety of papers there including (The Times, The Sun and The Guardian) there was a guarentee that all types of people in Britain would know of the significance of Avatar. Including the papers, major magazines were also present at the premiere, for instance, InStyle. Such magazines reporting that the premiere mean that women (who may or may not have been interested in the film) would be more attracted into going to see Avatar.

In addition to the main cast, there were several notable British celebrities present too, including Simon Pegg and Danny Boyle. Well known British celebrities being present at the premiere may have helped to attract and intrest those who were wary of another Hollywood blockbuster.

AVATAR Trivia

In order to find a female lead for Avatar, a casting call was posted on the website of Mali Finn, the Executive Casting Director of Bass Casting. The casting call was mistakenly reported to be for James Cameron's Battle Angel (due to be released in 2013). This shows the use of new technology (www2) and the significance it is beginning to have in the film industry.

In the UK, the film was shipped under the codename of "Redbird" in two parts, firstly in reels 1-5 and in the following day in reels 6-10.

As there would be no actual jungle for the cast and crew to act and film in during production, James Cameron took the actors and his crew into the jungles and forests of Hawaii so that they could understand what life would be like in Pandora. They spent their days trekking throught the forests and living in a tribe-like state. During these treks, Zoe Saldana dressed up as a warrior, and even donned an alien tail, similar to the one of her character in Avatar, Neytiri. Despite the rural manner in which the cast and crew acted in the jungle, these treks were only done in the daytime as they returned to spend their nights at a Four Seasons hotel.

Avatar is around 40% live action and 60% CGI, generated by motion capture technology. James Cameron's pioneering new technology used to film Avatar shows how far filming has progressed over the last few years. New technology like this shows us how the process of filming and films themselves will begin to change the in the future. Cameron combining different types of hardware in Avatar shows evidence of technological convergence.