Avatar’s True Entertainment Value: How James Cameron’s Avatar is Changing the Future of Film
Format
Oral Presentation
Faculty Mentor Name
Teresa Bergman
Faculty Mentor Department
Communication
Abstract/Artist Statement
James Cameron’s Avatar is a film that everyone has heard of. With such a globally popular film, the messages that it conveys have the power to change our world whether we like it or not. It is essential then to discover what messages Avatar is communicating to its audience members and the effect that it is having. Several focus groups were conducted and then the data was coded into seven groups that described the different subjects that the participants discussed. The seven categories were religion, gender, ethnocentrism, military, environment, entertainment and extratextual. The two most popular topics based on number of responses were entertainment and extratextual. The entertainment category was based on the discussion of the use of graphics for the film. Graphics were essential to the popularity of the film due to the fact that they do not have to be understood, they only have to be viewed. The implications of the research are that film narratives are changing due to globalization and that in the future we can expect to see more simple narratives coupled with technological advancements in the future like that of Avatar.
Location
DeRosa University Center, Room 211A/B
Start Date
21-4-2011 5:00 PM
End Date
21-4-2011 8:00 PM
Avatar’s True Entertainment Value: How James Cameron’s Avatar is Changing the Future of Film
DeRosa University Center, Room 211A/B
James Cameron’s Avatar is a film that everyone has heard of. With such a globally popular film, the messages that it conveys have the power to change our world whether we like it or not. It is essential then to discover what messages Avatar is communicating to its audience members and the effect that it is having. Several focus groups were conducted and then the data was coded into seven groups that described the different subjects that the participants discussed. The seven categories were religion, gender, ethnocentrism, military, environment, entertainment and extratextual. The two most popular topics based on number of responses were entertainment and extratextual. The entertainment category was based on the discussion of the use of graphics for the film. Graphics were essential to the popularity of the film due to the fact that they do not have to be understood, they only have to be viewed. The implications of the research are that film narratives are changing due to globalization and that in the future we can expect to see more simple narratives coupled with technological advancements in the future like that of Avatar.