The filming took place in primarily two stages. About a month of motion-capture photography was taken in California, where Cameron used his “virtual camera system” .This new motion-capture technique displays an actor in a digital surrounding in real time, allowing a director to make changes as if it were live shooting. Following this filming, production moved to New Zealand in October of 2007 for live action photography. A camera called a “simulcam,” a combination of a 3D fusion camera and the virtual camera system, was used during live filming where CG elements interact with live ones. The camera can superimpose CGI(computer generated images) over live action images, allowing a director to be able to tell an actor how to relate to the virtual images.
The computer generated and visual effects of the movie employed some very cutting-edge technology, as well as several new ones. New lighting techniques were used, as well as some new cameras. One camera, called “The Volume,” was used to capture facial expressions for an accurate transition of an actor’s expressions to their CG counterparts. The lead visual effects company was Weta Digital. The New Zealand-based company also did work on King Kong and the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Over 1,800 photorealistic visual effects shots were created by the studio for the film.
An Estimates cost of the film to produce is about $280–310 million and an estimated $150 million for marketing, noting that about $30 million in tax credits will lessen the financial impact on the studio and its financiers & $150 million for promotion.
