This happen to anybody else?

[Zhowìntll]

When "Avatar" was released last December, it stayed with me for a very long time. While doing normal everyday activities, thoughts of Pandora raced through my head. No movie has ever done this to me. Yeah, I've seen movies that stuck with me, but only for a day or two, and not so intensely. "Avatar" was on my mind for weeks, the music constantly playing in my head.

Over time, of course, this effect wore off. But now that the re-release is in theaters, it's back. I constantly hear the song "I See You", in my head. Either that, or the music for "Jake's First Flight". And you know what? I'm okay with that. I don't feel OCD, because it doesn't detract me from performing normal stuff, and nobody would know it was there in the back of my mind, if I didn't tell them. I like the feeling of Pandora running through my head, it's rather pleasant.

Anybody else have similar experiences?

[Ekirä]

There isn't a day that goes by that I don't think of the Na'vi. Of course, because I visit this forum every day it's kinda impossible to forget....

[archaic]

HRH, me too.

[DutchNavi]

When "Avatar" was released last December, it stayed with me for a very long time. While doing normal everyday activities, thoughts of Pandora raced through my head. No movie has ever done this to me. Yeah, I've seen movies that stuck with me, but only for a day or two, and not so intensely. "Avatar" was on my mind for weeks, the music constantly playing in my head.

Over time, of course, this effect wore off. But now that the re-release is in theaters, it's back. I constantly hear the song "I See You", in my head. Either that, or the music for "Jake's First Flight". And you know what? I'm okay with that. I don't feel OCD, because it doesn't detract me from performing normal stuff, and nobody would know it was there in the back of my mind, if I didn't tell them. I like the feeling of Pandora running through my head, it's rather pleasant.

Anybody else have similar experiences?

I had a similar experience.

I assume that you asked yourself the question why Avatar has such an impact on your thinking. At least I did. 
I read you are a film maker, so maybe you are better able to understand what it is that makes Avatar different from other movies.
Do you have an explanation for its psychological effect that you are willing to share?

Is it because of the acting?
Is it because of the emotions that are shown?
Is it because of the creature/Na'vi/Avatars design?
Is it because of the design of the Pandoran environment?
Is it because of the choice of colors?
Is it because of the 3D?
Is it because of the sound?
Is it because of the music?
Is it because of the dialog?
Is it because of the Na'vi language?
Is it because of the Na'vi culture?

Have you an explanation how James Cameron knew or learned how to make a movie with such a psychological effect?

['Oma Tirea]

There isn't a day that goes by that I don't think of the Na'vi. Of course, because I visit this forum every day it's kinda impossible to forget....

Teng

[Ekirä]

Is it because of the acting?
Is it because of the emotions that are shown?
Is it because of the creature/Na'vi/Avatars design?
Is it because of the design of the Pandoran environment?
Is it because of the choice of colors?
Is it because of the 3D?
Is it because of the sound?
Is it because of the music?
Is it because of the dialog?
Is it because of the Na'vi language?
Is it because of the Na'vi culture?

Great list--I put the ones in bold that influenced me the most.

[Zhowìntll]

Have you an explanation how James Cameron knew or learned how to make a movie with such a psychological effect?

Oel gnati kameie, ma DutchNavi.

Thanks for the question. As far as filmmaking is concerned, Cameron is obviously somebody I admire, greatly. The short answer to your list of questions is "yes", to all of it. The answer to your question above is a little more complicated.

Based on things I've read from him, and interviews I've seen with him, I don't believe Cameron made "Avatar" with any sort of goal of making a movie that would have such a reaching "psychological effect", as you call it, on so many people (I would call it more of an emotional connection, but that's just symantics -- I think we mean the same thing).

James Cameron has said, on many occasion, that he doesn't try to figure out any sort of formula for a movie -- it's not some cold calculated thing. Quite simply, all he does is make a movie that he, himself, would want to watch, and hopefully, other people will want to watch it as well (incidentally, I think the same is true of all the best filmmakers). The filmmakers that think too much about what they think an audience wants, or how to please this demographic or that one -- those filmmakers end up making crappy, formulaic movies. Cameron's movies are great because he makes movies that he likes.

Of course, I can only speak for myself. The reasons why "Avatar" made such a deep connection with me are many. But at the end of the day, it always comes down to story. I love the grand romantic adventure in "Avatar". I love, love, LOVE the story of Jake's rebirth (and that's really what this movie is about). The action is cool. The movie is visually astounding. The music is terrific. Ultimately, though, it's all about Jake, and I think his story is beautiful.

[Human No More]

I never truly lost it... Ever since first seeing Avatar, I have really felt like I should be on Pandora... Earth is not my home.
That's never gone... sure, it's been stronger and weaker at times, but it's always been there. Whenever I stop form something and let my mind wander, it drifts straight off there...

[Eyamsiyu]

The only reason why I am not as passionate about it as I was when I started is simply because of time restraints and exposure to so many other things that keep my obsession at a limit.

I never "lost it" and my passion is still VERY strong.  It just has taken a seat in row #2 on the priority express.

[DutchNavi]

Ma Zhowìntll, Irayo.

Thanks for the question. As far as filmmaking is concerned, Cameron is obviously somebody I admire, greatly. The short answer to your list of questions is "yes", to all of it.

We definitely agree on that part. But maybe there is something that you're missing and want to add to the list?

Based on things I've read from him, and interviews I've seen with him, I don't believe Cameron made "Avatar" with any sort of goal of making a movie that would have such a reaching "psychological effect", as you call it, on so many people (I would call it more of an emotional connection, but that's just symantics -- I think we mean the same thing).

It could very well be that James Cameron expected this movie to have this emotional connection. But I am pretty much convinced that in my case and probably others, the effect of the movie is much stronger and probably has even a measurable physiological effect. In a Dutch documentary about mindfulness and the relation between our mind and brain it is shown that our thoughts (mind) influence the way our neurons (brain) develop (you can watch it here and you may want to skip the first 9 minutes)

James Cameron has said, on many occasion, that he doesn't try to figure out any sort of formula for a movie -- it's not some cold calculated thing. Quite simply, all he does is make a movie that he, himself, would want to watch, and hopefully, other people will want to watch it as well (incidentally, I think the same is true of all the best filmmakers). The filmmakers that think too much about what they think an audience wants, or how to please this demographic or that one -- those filmmakers end up making crappy, formulaic movies. Cameron's movies are great because he makes movies that he likes.

I agree that it isn't some cold calculated thing what James Cameron does. If I remember correctly, at first JC intended the Na'vi to have four arms and gills. But four arms proved unpractical for the actors and gills made the Na'vi too alien to identify with, so those ideas were dropped.
Here is a fragment from F.X. Feeney's interview with James Cameron that you probably know:

James Cameron (41m18s): "Well people have, before the monotheistic religions, back into the mist of prehistory, there have been many traditions and religions and belief systems structured around the idea of nature worship. And of course trees are the most obvious physical symbols of nature, from the druids to a lot of the pagan cultures in Europe, about the same time as the druids. The thing is, I found this all out later. After I had Avatar written, I started to read books and download stuff about the worship of trees and the ideas of nature worship and goddess based religions, the cycle of death and rebirth that are celebrated in the so called pagan mystery religions and so on, and how those fit into a lot of the early kind of ceremonies of Christianity set around Christmas being the winter equinox solstice and Easter being the spring equinox and all that stuff. So there is an enormous rich tradition that goes way back in to the archetypes of human thought on this. There are times as a filmmaker when you just like how it looks and yet you know that it is highly freighted with meaning in different areas. I am attracted to images and ideas that work on a kind of unspoken level or an almost unconscious or subconscious level. This is a theory that sort of emerged when I was cutting the picture. I realize now looking at the movie that I was being drawn to a kind of images and visual ideas that had power, but I but couldn't always articulate why they had power. At that point, when I have that feeling, now I realize I am starting to tap into something that is getting to a more universal level of experience and so I have tried in the way the surrealist artists consciously try not to mediate their dream images, but just paint them. They had an image in their dream they just paint it, they wouldn't try to figure it out, they would just paint it. I have been trying to do the same thing with this movie, to create a connection to a kind of what I call a lucid dream state. A good example would be: many of us, if not most of us, have dreams of flying when we were kids and yet when we are adults that tends to fade away. I know it's faded away in my life, I still have the occasional one I cherish, but I used to have them every night. I don't know where that comes from, but maybe it is just a sense of when you are a kid you don't know what the boundaries of the possible are, when you are an adult you know what they are. These kids live in a kind of world that is half reality and half fantasy all the time, because they haven't created a sense of what those boundaries are. What I tried to do with Avatar was reverse that process: start taking those boundaries away where you can have floating mountains and you can go and fly and feel the joy of flight and all those things, which put you back into that child like, half awake, half asleep kind of feeling. And not try to overly analyze or mediate, that's why I have tried to keep the talking to a minimum in the movie. It reaped a lot of scorn from reviewers that like twenty page dialog scenes, but Quentin does that, God bless him. He does that; I can't do it like he does."

Amazing to head JC say: "The thing is, I found this all out later."
I do believe JC used some sort of "formula" or method for Avatar: first (intuitively) determine the desired themes/allegories, then create the story (visuals/dialog) that contains them. If you do not get a theme or allegory to fit, move it to a sequel.
One of the themes in Avatar is Seeing. In the subtitles there are more than 100 lines that contain see/look/watch/sight/show etc., but this theme is also made visible: close-ups of eyes, some of the people in Hell's Gate still wearing (common) glasses, all the main human characters wearing a watch at their left wrist (even if they are clearly left-handed like Norm) except for Jake who has it on his right wrist (Sam is right-handed). This theme is also very much connected to the left/right theme in Avatar that I mentioned in another post.

Another theme is "everything is backwards now", this is clearly made visible with the title at the end and mirrored images of the floating mountains after it. But also in dialog, for instance:
1st half of the movie, Grace says to Jake: Head down. Down.
2nd half of the movie, Jake says to Grace: Down! Head down!

I have two questions for you:
Why has James Cameron given the name Pandora to the home world of the Na'vi?
What is Norm probably thinking about when you see him imprisoned together with Jake and Grace (before Trudy shows up)? And how can you know that?

Of course, I can only speak for myself. The reasons why "Avatar" made such a deep connection with me are many. But at the end of the day, it always comes down to story. I love the grand romantic adventure in "Avatar". I love, love, LOVE the story of Jake's rebirth (and that's really what this movie is about). The action is cool. The movie is visually astounding. The music is terrific. Ultimately, though, it's all about Jake, and I think his story is beautiful.

For me the story is not the main reason why I like Avatar so much. The allegories and themes that are beautifully visualized play for me a bigger role. But also for me there are still scenes where I feel a part of my brain gets really excited but I can't exactly say why, for example when Jake meets Max Patel for the first time.

[NaviFreedomFighter]

Is it because of the acting?
Is it because of the emotions that are shown?
Is it because of the creature/Na'vi/Avatars design?
Is it because of the design of the Pandoran environment?
Is it because of the choice of colors?
Is it because of the 3D?
Is it because of the sound?
Is it because of the music?
Is it because of the dialog?
Is it because of the Na'vi language?
Is it because of the Na'vi culture?

Great list--I put the ones in bold that influenced me the most.

I think for me it is the language and the culture especially Oel ngati kameie

[Duma Vadamee {Aungia Tsawkeyä}]

Is it because of the acting?
Is it because of the emotions that are shown?
Is it because of the creature/Na'vi/Avatars design?
Is it because of the design of the Pandoran environment?
Is it because of the choice of colors?
Is it because of the 3D?
Is it because of the sound?
Is it because of the music?
Is it because of the dialog?
Is it because of the Na'vi language?
Is it because of the Na'vi culture?

Great list--I put the ones in bold that influenced me the most.

I think for me it is the language and the culture especially Oel ngati kameie

i think its all of them for me. 

['Oma Tirea]

Is it because of the acting?
Is it because of the emotions that are shown?
Is it because of the creature/Na'vi/Avatars design?
Is it because of the design of the Pandoran environment?
Is it because of the choice of colors?
Is it because of the 3D?
Is it because of the sound?
Is it because of the music?
Is it because of the dialog?
Is it because of the Na'vi language?
Is it because of the Na'vi culture?

This is what influences me the most AFAIK.  The one in purple led me here

[Duma Vadamee {Aungia Tsawkeyä}]

why not all of them?

[Human No More]

It's all of them... and so much more...
It's something you either See or you don't.

['Oma Tirea]

It's all of them... and so much more...
It's something you either See or you don't.

Sran, and ma Duma Vadamee, I was only highliting the ones that influenced me the most.  All of them (and probably then some ) influenced me.

[Duma Vadamee {Aungia Tsawkeyä}]

It's all of them... and so much more...
It's something you either See or you don't.

Sran, and ma Duma Vadamee, I was only highliting the ones that influenced me the most.  All of them (and probably then some ) influenced me.

ahh....then why didn't you say that in the first place?

[zineketaye]

I think one of the additional factors (with regard of the list repeatedly given above) is a special kind of reality in this movie. There are very few "movie-mistakes" in it, but so many details playing together to give a picture of a world that very well could exist.

Example: Jake has to loose his transponder for not beeing found after separation from the group. You can see it go off his neck when he crashes into the rock underwater ... And then it's not emphasized that his connection has gone. Other movies may have shown him searching the transponder when trying to use it, not loosing it ...

Some time ago I have seen someone putting it this way: "I think, JC made this movie completely at original sites, using a secret spacecraft to go there an come back with the raw material"

[Maria TunVrrtep]

I think the thing in the movie that "moved" me the most was when Jake connects to the Tree and tells Eywa to search Grace's memories and see what the Humans had done to "their mother".  This is especially poignant to me because of my religious views.  In my faith, the Earth is our mother.  We need to care for her as much as she cares for us.  
It hurts me every day that we do not care for our Mother more.  We injure her every day.  And we don't seem to care.  That is what Jake is trying to say in the scene at the Tree.  That the Humans didn't care for their Mother and hurt her so much that there was nothing there for them anymore.  And all they seem to want to do is come to Pandora and kill that beautiful world also.

[Redpaintednavi]

I think the thing in the movie that "moved" me the most was when Jake connects to the Tree and tells Eywa to search Grace's memories and see what the Humans had done to "their mother".  This is especially poignant to me because of my religious views.  In my faith, the Earth is our mother.  We need to care for her as much as she cares for us.  
It hurts me every day that we do not care for our Mother more.  We injure her every day.  And we don't seem to care.  That is what Jake is trying to say in the scene at the Tree.  That the Humans didn't care for their Mother and hurt her so much that there was nothing there for them anymore.  And all they seem to want to do is come to Pandora and kill that beautiful world also.

Yes, humans in that aspect in some way reminds of the aliens in Independance Day, going from world to world and depleting those worlds of resources, leaving barren wasteland.