...a brief analysis of James Cameron's Avatar, a massively successful film that has managed to gross, so far, a half billion in revenue. With its popularity and mass appeal, it has also incurred a considerable amount of criticism from a variety of sources, targeting a variety of topics of the film, from its presentation of alien natives and a colonial corporate military, to race issues and a depiction of cigarette use. This essay attempts to explore main threads of the film, analyzing criticism, and offering its own critique and deconstruction. It will employ diagnostic critique, as well, in order to analyze how Avatar is equally a reflection of and an active influence on contemporary culture. Avatar takes place in the virtual world of Pandora, created by Cameron with digital technology and colonized with fantastic creatures and an indigenous race of tall blue aliens called the Na'vi. The film is presented in three-dimensions, a technology that has been around for some time but this is the first time it seems to be used without reference to novelty. In this way Cameron and Twentieth Century Fox made a film, or rather an experience that cannot be pirated; a considerable amount of its revenue is from viewers paying extra to watch it in three dimensions, undoubtedly multiple times, on a monolithic IMAX screen. The virtual world within Avatar is closely reminiscent of virtual spaces like Second Life; in both environments, individuals use avatars to plug into the space, roam around...
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...Avatar In the future, Humans have traveled through space and locate a planet named Alpha Centauri B-4. The planet is known by the locals as Pandora, which is populated by exotic plants and weird creatures. The human travelers intend on seizing the wealth the planet has to offer. The savior of the story is a former Marine by the name of Jake Sully. Jake Sully joins the native population of the planet in the hopes of avoiding planetary conquest by the human travelers set on depleting Pandora of its environmental wealth. The movie Avatar is a great success with its great action scenes, its creation of futuristic vehicles, the creation of new alien life forms, the expert use of CGI, the beautiful and awe inspiring cinematography, and the selection of vivid and brilliant colors for use throughout Pandora. Avatars introduction and use of the Combat Amp Suit, Grinder Vehicle and Scorpion Gunship helped in taking the combat scenes from an everyday science fiction fight to a whole new level. With raising the bar in combat fight scenes the Combat Amp Suit accessories displayed in the movie emphasize the detail spent by James Cameron in creating the perfect combat vehicle for his movie. The combat suit is fitted with cannons, flamethrower, slashing blade and various firing projectiles. The Grinder Vehicle is an ATV on steroids. The Grinder Vehicle is instrumental in helping the human travelers gain access through the dangerous and dense forest to the indigenous population...
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...healthy community all share similar values and experiences which define how they belong within that community. These shared experiences, values, goals and aspirations, provide a basis for an individual’s self perception. Without them, communities cannot thrive as a whole, and therefore a sense of belonging, self worth and individuality cannot be achieved. This can be seen throughout history, in historical attitudes relating to colonialism, war and equal rights, where conflicting values have seen the degradation and destruction of once strong communities. James Cameron’s 2009 blockbuster film, Avatar, privileges the importance of having...
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...Essay on Avatar Movie This is a free sample essay on Avatar movie: Avatar is the title of the high grossing film produced by James Cameron and released in 2009. the movie stars Sam Worthington, Stephen Lang, Zoe Saldana, Michelle Rodriguez and Sigourney Weaver. It is set in the year 2154 on the moon Pandora found in the Alpha Centauri system. The moon is inhabited by a blue-colored humanoid tribe known as the Na’vi. Humans have discovered a mineral, unobtainium, on Pandora. The mining activities by humans have led to conflicts between then and the native Na’vi tribe. The title of the film is taken from the genetically altered human-Na’vi hybrids created by a team of researchers from earth. The avatars are used by the researchers to help in interacting with the Na’vi. Though the movie is about the Na’vi-human conflict on Pandora, it is also mainly about the love relationship that develops between the avatar Jake (played by Sam Worthington) and a native Na’vi, Neytiri (Zoe Saldana). The two have to fight off the invading humans, although this puts Jake in danger since he is half Na’vi half Human. In the end, the human invaders are defeated and Jake becomes a full Na’vi, after re-affirming his love for Neytiri. Cameron started developing the 162-minutes long movie in 1994. With a budget of more than $246 million, he was able to create one of the most innovative movies of all times. The movie was released in 2D and 3D formats all across the world. It managed to gross a total...
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...Short essay on Avatar Myths are supernatural or religious tales with cultural and historical backgrounds, often containing moral lessons that are valued by the culture they originated from. The movie Avatar is a modern myth, its popularity stemming from the inspiration it draws from familiar and widespread themes found in classical myths. Avatar reuses and refreshes these themes for current audiences. Ancient stories such as those of Icarus, Prometheus, Gilgamesh, and Hercules, as well as contemporary issues, represent many of the same themes that are revealed in Avatar. Avatar is the title of the high grossing film produced by James Cameron and released in 2009. the movie stars Sam Worthington, Stephen Lang, Zoe Saldana, Michelle Rodriguez and Sigourney Weaver. It is set in the year 2154 on the moon Pandora found in the Alpha Centauri system. The moon is inhabited by a blue-colored humanoid tribe known as the Na’vi. Humans have discovered a mineral, unobtainium, on Pandora. The mining activities by humans have led to conflicts between then and the native Na’vi tribe. The title of the film is taken from the genetically altered human-Na’vi hybrids created by a team of researchers from earth. The avatars are used by the researchers to help in interacting with the Na’vi. Though the movie is about the Na’vi-human conflict on Pandora, it is also mainly about the love relationship that develops between the avatar Jake (played by Sam Worthington) and a native Na’vi, Neytiri (Zoe...
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...Paige Johnston Film Essay Avatar The critical acclaim that followed the box office destroyer, Avatar, out shined most films since the creation of Hollywood and the American cinema composition. Coming in at the second highest grossing film of all times only behind Titanic, James Cameron and his crew of artistic creators surely gave their audiences something to talk about. The film takes place in two separate worlds, the industrialized earth and the beautiful and plush avatar infested world of Pandora. The controversy of the film is centered on the humans mining the world of Pandora for a highly valuable element worth an estimated $20 million dollars a kilogram. The artistically drawn battle between the humans and the natives of Pandora, bring about a reminder of several classically organized stories that seem to follow along the same paths that Avatar treads upon. With this controversy that is being brought to light, the issue of race, racial tolerance and other problems dealing with color are brought up throughout the film in a multitude of ways. Whether it be embodied in the thoughts and processes of the characters, through the actual actions of the film, or the eerily similar comparisons that can be made between Avatar and other racially charged films, race is definitely a subject that was vividly dug up when the film crossed the minds of the viewers. Many reviews of the film Avatar put most of the racist charges and blames of inequality onto the writers of...
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...This essay will be a theoretical exploration and close-reading examination of the game The End of Us, created by Michael Molinari and Chelsea Howe for the San Francisco 2011 48 Hour Global Game Jam. The focus will be of the game from beginning to end as it relates to the parallel experiences of humankind. I am deeply interested in the player’s reception of the experience of the play, especially at the end when one recuperates from the tragic ending and connects the actions of the comet to a narrative of the human experience. I am choosing this game because I am astounded by the user’s emotions as the outcome of such a game that has no overt narrative or goal, but simply through the totality of actions and music of two comets can create a gaming experience that stretches to an artistic, meaningful, and humanistic level....
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...Name: Institution: Analytical Essay on Game-Playing Game studies involve the practical analysis and studying of a game, its subculture, players, as well as, its wider culture from variety of various academic viewpoints. Games are played as source of entertainment and hobby. However, the analysis of how it works to achieve this is important. Games are analyzed using concepts from anthropology, sociology, psychology and literature. This paper aims at providing a detailed cogent analysis of video games as a game preferred by many, especially kids. The essay will also answer some obvious questions such as how the game is played, how the players interact with the game, how the players interact with one another and the relationship of the game to real life. Virtually, all video games are defined by their various limitations. Like any other games, the most open video games have incentives and boundaries that help in directing the actions of the player. The boundaries are the essential rules defining the game. Rules aid in the provision of the objectives and structure dictating the basic form or nature of the game and ensuring the provision of policies regarding minor issues within the game’s framework. The other important element of the game is for each player to have a given degree of control within the limitation of the game dictated by the game’s formative reset. The rules must be agreed upon by all the people participating in the game. A balance of boundaries and freedom serves...
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...7th/5th2013 Practice Essay Essay Question: Pandora is portrayed as a Garden of Eden of sorts. How is nature portrayed throughout the film and how does this relate to human nature and the ways in which humans are portrayed throughout the film James Cameron, the director of Avatar presents a beautiful planet; Pandora in which the inner peace and tranquillity is represented by a Garden of Eden of sorts. He uses techniques such as colour imagery, juxtaposition and a wide range of camera angles, to touch on the prominent themes of destruction, loss, sacrifice and the balance of nature. All of these themes present a destructive portrayal of human nature, whilst presenting the powerful force of nature. Throughout the film destruction portrays that what humans are doing is wrong. The humans are destroying the beautiful planet; Pandora. The humans are bombing the Na'Vi's home tree after they refuse to move, this then results in rebellion by the Na'Vi. One of the scenes to show this and draw the audience in is when Neytiri is running but falls and as she goes to her feet, she looks around and sees her people being slaughtered by the machines of mankind with. Slow motion and dramatic music are used to create a sense of loss. This emphasises the power of destruction that is happening around her as well as the dramatic result on nature leaving the audience in suspense. This makes the audience fearful of the outcome for the Na'Vi people because we have developed empathy for...
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...Analysis of Ethnocentrism in Avatar In the film Avatar, Jake Sully, a human, mentally controls a body that contains cells of the Na’vi natives from the planet, Pandora, and he attempts to learn the culture of the Na’vi. In a long run, the effect of being exposed to enthnocentrism, primitivism, romanticism and exoticism, could have changed Jakes’s decision from helping the humans to helping and living with the Na’vi. The aim of this essay is to explore enthinocentrism and its three areas: the primitive lives of the Na’vi, Na’vi’s romanticism with nature, and the exoticism of Pandora’s features and its inhabitants. Ethnocentrism is the view of one’s own culture to be superior and normal over the other culture (Lundberg, 2013). To the humans, they view the Na’vi as “blue monkey” (Cameron & Laudau, 2009), and are disrespectful towards their culture. The Na’vi also show the same attitude towards humans, where Eytukan, the clan leader, said that Jake has an “alien smell” (Cameron & Laudau, 2009). The humans view the trees as merely just an obstacle, whereas the Na’vi valued the trees deeply, where they believe that the trees are sacred, and were used to communicate and worship their mother goddess, Eywa. In turn, both sides think of each other as inferior and uncultured creatures from their contrast of their own beliefs. Primitivism is the view of another culture that is less developed, evolutionary and technologically (Lundberg, 2013). A scene where the Na’vi gives the impression...
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...Amy Lecroy May 20, 2012 Block 4B Avatar Essay Throughout history people have often encountered others with very different cultures, belief systems, and lifestyles. In order to work and live together peacefully, a common understanding and engagement of other cultures needs to occur. However, other choices to respond to differences exist; the option to ignore differences, or to reject the others culture and beliefs are just two counter-productive responses to difference. This scenario is no different in terms of the relations between the Na’vi and the humans in the film Avatar. The two cultures are indeed very different, and their interaction mirrors the real-life cultures in our planet’s history. By far the most important difference between Na'vi and humans is zahelu, their ability to overcome the isolation of embodied existence through direct neural interface with other living creatures. The central nexus of human sadness, from the fall of Adam onward, has always been our paradoxical estrangement from the nature of which we are still inescapably a part. The rift between nature and culture cannot be resolved either by returning to nature or by eradicating it completely—it must remain forever an unresolved tension. And, from agriculture and domestication of animals to repression of our own instincts, we have only been able to bridge the gap through brute domination. The Na'vi, with zahelu, are able to achieve what we cannot: a relationship between culture and nature that...
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...Was IPL well marketed ?? Even in the earlier avatars of IPLs, there have been attempts to present IPL more as an experience rather than just a sport. It had been made a confluence of Hollywood, Bollywood, Dance, Drama, flesh and obviously cricket too. The huge spending by broadcasters to make IPL a success has been consistent year on year. The effort made to convert IPL an Indian version of European league has been a success to some extent. It contains all the element of entertainment that an audience can ask for. Now recently the stage performances by various artists have also started catering to this kind of need of entertainment. Though I believe, catering to the need of particular segment many a times, the marketing efforts have been gone to too much length than actually needed. As have been observed, skimpily dressed cheerleader and their dances are not much welcome to traditional society like India, where entire family watches TV together and still such a show of exuberance combined with excessive show of flesh is generally a taboo. IPL has successfully poached into viewership of TV soaps, as it was a welcome change and affect created was of mirth and merry and welcome break from Saas-Bahu’s painful saga. IPL has been successful in bringing the entire family together as it has something for everyone These classes of people, who want to see cricket along with entertainment rather the other way around, have been dithering away from this new genre of cricket. IPL...
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...world can be described many different ways, but one word comes to mind when technology is mentioned: addicting. Cell phones have become a huge part of everyday life, targeting mostly teenagers. How many teenagers have you seen walking around without a cell phone? I will assume your answer will be close to none. Things like Social Media and constantly messaging have completely taken over. So now answer this question, are teenagers really growing up tethered? According to Sherry Turkle in her essay Growing Up Tethered she mentions interviews and studies many teenagers about the impact of media on their lives. Many admitted to texting and driving, saying they love to be interrupted by...
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...Film Evaluation Italics ALL film titles are in italics (so are book titles, album titles, video game titles, etc…). If you mention a film once, twice or more – they are always in italics. For example: Avatar is one of the worst films I have ever seen. If you are looking for a poorly written film with amazing visuals, you might want to consider Avatar as an option. Publication You need to select what publication you are writing for. This is a major difference in this essay. This could be print or online based. A publication style will change your tone and voice for writing. The publication will simply be stated under your name on your draft and final draft. Feel free to write for Rolling Stone, Spin, The Onion, Westword, The Advocate (YOUR school newspaper), online sites, etc… If you want something more standard, simply select The Denver Post. If you want to select something more appropriate for your writing style, select a publication that will give you such freedom. You must select a real one though. Evaluation An evaluation is just that – YOU evaluating. This is NOT simply a summary of a film. Do NOT write what happened start to finish. Your goal is: defend what you liked or disliked in the film – feel free to use examples – but SHOW why/how you liked/disliked them. You can select acting, plot, direction, cinematography, CG, special effects, hue/tone, music (soundtrack or score), costumes, genre (romance, horror, etc…) and more. Simply select several...
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...MBA 540 EXAM Due: Monday, April 6, at 10:00 p.m. The following exam is composed of fourteen short answer/essay questions worth 1-2 points each. Be sure to address ALL parts of each question. You may use your textbook, notebook, PowerPoint slides in Sakai, and classroom notes, but may NOT work with anyone else to complete this exam. You are not required to cite your sources. Submit your completed exam to Sakai by 10:00 p.m. on Monday, April 6. Two points will be deducted for each day that the exam is late. Points 1. Describe how Lumos Labs uses mass customization and CRM (customer relationship management) to enhance its marketing efforts? Include a definition of each term. 1.5 Customer relationship management (CRM) is a term used to define software programed with a database that works as an integrated management system focused on customers. It includes several process and tasks...
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