James Cameron's Movies - Essay Example

In Titanic, in the depiction of the ship sinking, the imagery that resulted from the décor was so real, it’s like Cameron actually rebuilt the whole ship again and destroyed it, especially when the ship tilted and broke into two, and the timing of the lights in the whole ship. In Avatar lighting, the way the imagery in the battle was perceived was due to the great combination of intensity, direction, and very high lighting quality. Since light affects the way colors are rendered, this was used to focus attention predominantly on particular aspects, for example, the eyes of both Jake and Quaritch. This captured fully the flaring emotional moment. In Titanic, lighting was used to show the clarity of the disaster and details of the shipwreck, especially when almost half of the ship was submerged, while the other half was still above the water but slowly being engulfed.

            In Avatar, the space, depth, proximity, size, and proportions of both Jake and Quaritch were well manipulated in 3D. The acrobatics in the battle were enhanced primarily by this careful manipulation. It effectively determined the mood between them. Titanic’s sheer size was also captured well in 3D, displaying magnificent details, especially when the ship slanted. Jake and Quaritch’s adverse and unique costume-like appearance in Avatar was used to fully capture the extreme aspects of the two. Although they are both humans in the scene, they embodied two different worlds and ideologies. Also, there is a careful blend of good and evil, old and new, the past and the future. Titanic’s depiction in aspects of costume in the scene was mainly in the falling off of passengers of different classes as per their clothes, who were desperately clinging to the railings as the ship capsized (Passarella 10).

            In relation to implicit and explicit meaning in Avatar, viewers easily notice a very thinly veiled case scenario on the Iraq war, the US policy regarding terrorism, the inhumane actions based purely on greed in corporations, and environmental concerns. There seems to be a reflection of the Israeli/Palestine conflict, as Jake depicts inferior fights, while Colonel Quaritch is seen using heavily armed and armored machines. Jake's decision and passion to fight his own way in defense of the Omaticaya are intriguing. Despite having years of personal experiences with his kind, for example with colonel Quaritch, especially by virtue of being soldiers while having basically insignificant personal experiences with the Na’vi, Jake recognized the barbaric acts being committed against them and acknowledged the lack of correspondence between what he signed up to do, in relation to what his superiors like Quaritch were demanding of him. In Titanic, the ship was thought to be unsinkable, thus before setting out; a compromise was made regarding the number of lifeboats aboard the ship. When it began sinking, the richest got the first priority on the lifeboats, which did not carry the full passengers it could accommodate. While they waited in half-full lifeboats, they witnessed cries of people freezing to death and didn't offer to help them. Since it came out in 1997, this film seems to depict the 1995 Rwanda genocide, which the able nations of the world just watched and did nothing to prevent the senseless killings of the poor people, since the rich already flew away with their families to other countries. Given the prevailing trend in our society today, if a similar tragedy was to happen, would the result be any different?

            Regarding realism vs. antirealism, realism is based on accepting that non-observable phenomena exist, while antirealism takes a completely opposite view, in that a theory should never be considered as certainty. In this Avatar scene, both Jake and Quaritch are depicted to function optimally in their unnatural bodies. The whole concept of being perceived to be weak and inferior unless one uses some form of technological enhancement to survive well can be viewed from a realist point of view. This is because, in today’s world, we are all exposed to scientific body enhancements in one way or another in order to survive, for example, vaccinations. However, from an antirealism point of view, one can survive without undergoing such, and this is evident in some cultures, where people don’t believe and adhere to scientific enhancements to their bodies either through medication or any other form, and they are living well. Titanic’s sheer size, architectural expertise, good technology, high quality, and best materials invested in its construction, from a realist point of view, could undergo a series of destruction, making the whole structure seem inferior and the whole construction process useless. Realistically, this is actually impossible and is just a theory well acted out.