Okay, I know we're all fans and all, but really?

[Lythienne]

A friend of mine who has not seen avatar but knows me to be a huge fan sent me this thread  to see how i felt about it.

My reaction?





And i mean, this is from a position of a HUGE fan of this movie.  Big enough that I will see it in theaters as much as possible and that whenever i talk about it I turn into this hyperactive annoying squeeing fangirl and I'm trying to learn a fake language, Something i have not talent for.  I love pandora and its jungle and its creatures and its language.  I wish it was possible for me to live there i admit.  But depression?  Come now, that's a bit much.


Thoughts?

(If i reposted, i apologize I did look through the section and i didn't see the topic.)

[Txepa-utral Atxkxe]

Good grief. Avatar otakus.

Well, that poster is definitely the appropriate response to that thread...Depression? Not likely. Odds are the people who claim to be 'depressed' as a result of movies not being real are already unhappy with their current state and feel like a golden carrot is being dangled in front of them after movies like these come out...

Which also suggest a concerning underlying problem...

IT'S ONLY A MOVIE.

Would it be insensitive to want to say, "Get real!" to some of these guys?

At least the not-hyperobsessive fans come here and do a little learning. XD

[Lythienne]

To be completely honest, I thought that I was being a hyper-obsessive ubernerd by learning the language.  I have now been quite resoundingly proven wrong, and I don't quite know how to feel about that.  The thought kind of scares me.

And yes, these people are absolutely dissatisfied with thier lives, but i think someone telling them "Get Over it" is, while very much needed, like putting out a wildfire with an eyedropper. -sigh-

[Txepa-utral Atxkxe]

To be completely honest, I thought that I was being a hyper-obsessive ubernerd by learning the language.  I have now been quite resoundingly proven wrong, and I don't quite know how to feel about that.  The thought kind of scares me.

And yes, these people are absolutely dissatisfied with thier lives, but i think someone telling them "Get Over it" is, while very much needed, like putting out a wildfire with an eyedropper. -sigh-

You are absolutely right. But I think you know you're a hyper-obsessive ubernerd if you find yourself tatooing Na'vi stripes on your skin and hating your humanity based on the movie and somesuch...learning a language, fictional or not, shows interest in the culture/linguistic aspect. But I could be rambling.

[Lythienne]

I guess i now have to redefine my definition of "nerd".  Or at least tweak it a bit.

I have a friend, who is also a huge fan but more willing than i am to admit to Avatar's shortcommings, who told me that, based on the amount of squee, he was worried the fanbase would turn into some Twilight-esque ridiculousness.  I scoffed at him.  Now i see his point >.<

[Étienne]

Pfft Neytiri is real...to me 

[Txepa-utral Atxkxe]

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOooooo.....we are NOWHERE near as bad as the Twilight hordes. Granted, some of those guys on that forum might, but man, has Twilight got a fan-dumb unlike any ever seen before.

No. No. No. No. Do not worry.

[Lythienne]

HAHAHA that's what I said.  I mean, compare Robert Pattenson (or whoeverthefuck) regretting taking the role of Edward because of all the nutso fans, and Sigourney Weaver saying how she loves sci-fi fans and our exuberance ^_^

But still.  That thread man.... that thread

[Reronsem Si]

Such depression is the case with any well developed movie, book series (Harry Potter, Twilight) or TV show. Some people have gone to the point of committing self mutilation on themselves when they hear such and such is not in the show or in the book. There will always be extremists to everything. I say give them some pixie stix and some mountain dew and see if they act depressed when they're under a sugar rush!

I will admit I am a uber nerdy and probably the definition of Avatar-phile. Had I not started taking Japanese, I would have commited 100% to learning Na'vi, but I will do my best to learn enough not to confuse myself!

[Txepa-utral Atxkxe]

Just to be clear, I'm not denying our mutual nerd-ism. We're trying to learn a fake language on top of everything else in our lives. Myself, I'm a bilingual trying to learn a third language in college while trying to learn a fake language. And I absolutely love the movie and the world. I'm a nerd.

But I, like you guys, am not crazy. 

[Lythienne]

Well, maybe a little crazy.  But i like a little crazy.  My friends are all a little crazy.  I'm a little crazy.

But that?  That was just batshit f*** insane.

[Night Raider]

"What the hell have you people been smoking out there?"

I don't see no depression about this. Yes, Pandora is surreal and yest a lot of people would like to believe Pandora is real from what I've read, but having a depression about it is simply stupid. If you do want to take part in Pandora's development however, there are ways you can help. Read the numerous topics on this website and simply pick out what you want to do. Gladly, there are quite a few things going on that deserve attention.

[Txur’Itan]

"The Cameron Effect"

I think there is possibly an underlying psychological reaction to the color selection, visual bombardment, CGI realism coupled with the use of stereoscopic projection. 

I also think James Cameron may have deliberately shaped the reactions of the audience.  He is a fan of science, there is plenty of money floating around, he likes to do research.  He may have engineered the situation where people are having extreme emotional reactions to the film.

This could be a studied phenomenon, which could become more prevalent as the entertainment experience of our society becomes more "real".  It is probably similar to the roller coaster like feel of some action movies where you have a sensation of movement when the camera is in First person perspective, even though you are firmly placed in your seats.  The extreme close up in 3d, using the cameras James had made for Avatar, it makes you feel like you are standing in the middle of conversations between the actors. 

In some people, the human mind may not have fully developed coping mechanisms to separate the fantasy on the screen from reality at a subconscious level because of the elevation in selective visual detail technology.  I found that it took several viewings of the film to hammer this sensation down into a manageable box. 

In an empathetical context, I personally have known people with personalities like Neytiri.  More specifically, she very nearly reminded me of a real person who is very dear to me.  My mind is wired to react to the real person's emotional states with concern, and the reaction to her crying is instinctual causal towards me wanting to comfort her as best I can.  I found my self involuntarily/autonomic reacting the same way to Neytiri, only to have to over correct for the fact that the character on screen is not real, and she is not this person I actually care about in real life.  This is not something I had experienced in any of the 3000+ movies I have seen more than once.

Subjectively, leaving the film was like leaving family after a visit with my favorite relatives, I was missing them.  I have a suspicion, that others are experiencing the same sensations.  This sensation has faded for me now, as it does with family after getting back into a routine, but the feeling is still in the back of my head. 

I can imagine that these sensations coupled with any underlying propensity for mental illness like depression could require a viewer warning for psychological evaluation before and after the viewing of hyper realism films. 

Extend this outward, videogames are deliberately heading down this road, to bring hyper realism into the home, and make it interactive, I can imagine a virtual experience of this nature being even more intense, because the activities are controlled by the audience.

[Coyote]

People who are this fragile would have been pushed over the edge by something. If not this movie, then maybe another one, or some real life news event.

I came out of Avatar thinking that it was an awesome movie and giving us all something to think about. I am glad to hear how much money it has made and how popular it is because that tells me that the message in the movie is popular and resonates with people worldwide. I see this popularity as a very positive reflection on us.

Avatar has a message that is pro-environment, and critical of unrestrained capitalism, and that message appears to be popular! Popular enough that even in this economy, this movie is making money hand over fist and people are going back for more. I feel that says something important that these depressed folks aren't thinking about.

Sure, some folks are going just for the action or the 'cool aliens' in general or blue hotties in particular, but even in that crowd there's got to be a spark of awareness.  

[Coyote]

...I also think James Cameron may have deliberately shaped the reactions of the audience.  ...

...The extreme close up in 3d, using the cameras James had made for Avatar, it makes you feel like you are standing in the middle of conversations between the actors. 

I noted this in the theater; that the 3D effect is not just used for scary "got you!" cheap shots but simply to immerse the viewer in the environment, to feel connected to and part of the situaiton. You feel more like you are on Pandora, walking along with the characters as they do their thing. There's an automatic sense of connection with the events going on there.

... and, for one, am not complaining, as I suspect others here won't either! 

[Txepa-utral Atxkxe]

"The Cameron Effect"

I think there is possibly an underlying psychological reaction to the color selection, visual bombardment, CGI realism coupled with the use of stereoscopic projection. 

I also think James Cameron may have deliberately shaped the reactions of the audience.  He is a fan of science, there is plenty of money floating around, he likes to do research.  He may have engineered the situation where people are having extreme emotional reactions to the film...

Somehow I don't think Cameron went THAT far. Yeah, he did tons of research into how Pandora would work and the Na'vi and such, however, I don't think he went into research to try and deliberately drag emotional responses from people. He wanted to get emotion out of people, so he went out of his way to capture the expressions of the actors. So in a roundabout way you're right, but still.

[Hawnuyu atìtse'a]

I love how they use the term coping like they need rehab. Eywa help them to not commit suicide after the sequel

[Coyote]

I love how they use the term coping like they need rehab. Eywa help them to not commit suicide after the sequel

Well... at least not until they see it a few more times and buy all the merch first.

Oh, crap, did I say that out loud? 

( )

Somehow I don't think Cameron went THAT far. Yeah, he did tons of research  [...] ...however, I don't think he went into research to try and deliberately drag emotional responses from people. He wanted to get emotion out of people, so he went out of his way to capture the expressions of the actors...

If he thought about it at all, he probably just wanted people to feel like they were an involved part of it and enjoy it fully... not like some sort of drug-push/psychological warfare ploy.  ::)If you know what I mean. 

[neosis666]

You must also remember, the 3d technology used n Avatar creates not only a psycological responce but a physiological one also.


I spoke with a friend who is doing a study at the moment following the effects of realism in imaginary situations, and she said that Avatar is an example she may very well include in her next years work.

When you watch a movie on a 2d screen whilst you watch real people in most often very real looking situations your still watching a flat image, this requires very little of your brain to proccess and as such the effect of the movie is often average.

Sterioscopic technology causes more of your brain to be used to proccess what you see and hear, as such you subconsiously are more aware of everything in the movie and pick up on more of it, the chain reaction also draws you into the characters and emotions of the movie, this then causes the release of adrenaline and endorphins creating a sence of euphoria, more often than not, without the knowledge of the person watching.


You add this in with the human nature to critisise everything you see and how James Cameron used the new technologies to make the Na'vi species near human like, that level of connection is massively strengthened. Add in yet more factors like the level of detail and wished escapism (now honestly, who wouldn't love to live on an unspolied world like Pandora in a way of living so in harmory with everything around you?) and it doesn't take much to see how people could get depressed after seeing this movie, though depression is most likely not the word, more like a "come down" from a huge adrenaline and endorphin release.


I for one am one of these junkies, I often push myself to the limit, hell the best feeling I had in my life was when a truck nearly sideswiped me, the feeling I had after that was unbelieveable. The deal to coping with it is most often to get your next fix, I know if I don't do something for a couple of weeks I will become "depressed" and down untill I get another fix.

[Hawnuyu atìtse'a]

^^ skydiving. or base jumping. i wants.

Almost wrecking a car is great. I actually almost did after the first avatar viewing, wasn't used to the 3D. Cocaine after heroin