James Cameron’s “Avatar” is a certified phenomenon, taking months to surpass his previous all time box office leader, “Titanic.” Having seen the film in 3D, I can report there’s really no mystery as to why “Avatar” is such a hit. The movie immerses the viewer in both the world of Pandora and the story in a way that makes it feel more like a theme park ride than everyday cinema.

As odd as it might seem, since I saw the movie and subsequently learned more about how it was made, I kept thinking that the making of “Avatar” holds some important lessons for makers of MR software. 

1. Technology must serve the purpose, not be the purpose.

Starting way back in the 1950’s, 3D movies were predominately created as novelty films. 3D technology was used as an excuse to have filmgoers experience things flying at them or jumping out from the screen usually at the expense of plot, story, dialogue, acting, all the things that go into making a good film.

In “Avatar,” Cameron used the 3D technology primarily to create stunning depth of field views of the world of Pandora. This plays perfectly to the idea of avatars and the immersion of the characters into this world where the audience is taken along for the ride. The number of gimmicky moments of objects flying out at the audience is kept to a minimum, and used only when it really adds to the scene and story.

How often have we all used software that has flashy graphics and interactions, yet those very same flashy graphics seem to only get in the way of what you are trying to accomplish? Ideally, technology should disappear into the user’s experience.

2. Don’t take technology at face value.

Cameron knew he wanted to do “Avatar” in 3D, but he wasn’t satisfied with the experience delivered by even state of the art 3D systems. Knowing that this was critical to the experience he wanted to deliver, Cameron went to Sony to see what could be done. Sony created a special line of cameras to suit Cameron’s specs, and the rest is history.

I’ve seen this happen more than once in the past decade in the MR industry. A new technology or phenomenon emerges in the wilds of the Internet and it gets adopted almost note for note for MR. Forums, chat rooms, blogs, communities, and Second Life are all wonderful things, but it’s crucial to step back and look at them from the core MR mission to find the best applications. The biggest leaps happen not from a note for note application, but from a re-interpretation of technology to enable researchers to fulfill their mission more efficiently and effectively.

3. Little details can make a big impact.

Watching a scene of people strolling through the Pandoran forest, I was struck by a tiny detail that is foreign to most computer-generated landscapes: bugs. As the characters walk through the forest, you can see bugs flitting about. The bugs are too small to see any real detail (even on an IMAX screen), but clearly they are there, and thousands of half-formed incandescent critters have a huge impact on the setting.

In software, the little details can have a big impact as well. Beyond, the basic issues that need to be navigated, how you get from one place to the next, how clearly information is presented, and how your code performs, little details and touches can greatly  impact the sense of responsiveness both to purpose and to the users “touch.”

At Revelation, we constantly strive to create the experience of delight for our customers. While we may not be crafting the biggest movie of all time, these lessons from “Avatar” are on our minds every day.