American Cinematographer - July 2010 - 40
Elements of
Power
Andrew Lesnie, ASC, ACS confronts frigid locations and daunting logistics on M. Night Shyamalan’s The Last Airbender.
By Simon Gray •|•
U
40
pon its debut on Nickelodeon in 2005, the animated TV series Avatar: The Last Airbender was an instant hit. The appeal of its eclectic fantasy universe reached far beyond the intended pre-teen audience. Indeed, M. Night Shyamalan, director of Paramount’s new live-action adaptation of the material, recalls, “My whole family, including my parents, were all captivated by the show. It is one of those rare things whose appeal transcends ethnicity and age.” Based on the events of the show’s first season, Shyamalan’s The Last Airbender features a mise en scène strongly influenced by Eastern mythology, martial arts and related philosophies. The movie’s world is made up of four nations with cultures based upon the classic elements: fire, water, earth and air. Within each nation, special individuals
July 2010
known as “benders” have the power to kinetically manipulate their namesake element. The only person who can control all four of the elements is the Avatar, the world’s spirit in human form. The Avatar is reincarnated throughout the ages, and his unique ability gives him the power to maintain peace and balance by preventing any one nation from dominating the others. In the history that precedes the story at hand, the aggressively militaristic Fire Nation made a pre-emptive strike against the Avatar’s most recent incarnation, a 12-yearold Airbender monk named Aang (Noah Ringer). After the smoke cleared, the peaceful Air Nomad nation lay in ruins, and Aang was nowhere to be found. Emboldened by the Avatar’s apparent death, the Fire Nation attacked the Earth and Water nations. The Last Airbender picks up about a century later, with the conflict among the nations grinding on and the Fire Nation, now led by Firelord Ozai (Cliff Curtis), tightening its grip. The world’s only hope, the Avatar, remains missing, but one person who believes in his imminent return is Katara (Nicola Peltz), a 14-year-old member of the Southern Water Tribe. Katara’s belief is finally rewarded when she and her brother, Sokka ( Jackson Rathbone), discover Aang frozen in a sphere of ice. After his release, the trio begins a hazardous journey to the city of the Northern Water Tribe. Shyamalan decided that the ideal cinematographer for
American Cinematographer
American Cinematographer - July 2010
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of American Cinematographer - July 2010
The International Journal of Motion Imaging - July 2010 Vol. 91 No. 7
Features
Dream Thieves (Inception)
Elements of Power (The Last Airbender)
An Emotional Rebirth (I Am Love)
Crowning Achievements (The Tudors)
Departments
Editor’s Note
President’s Desk
Short Takes: “Telephone”
Production Slate: Lie to Me • The Killer Inside Me
Post Focus: Enhancing Frozen
Filmmakers’ Forum: Gale Tattersall
New Products & Services
International Marketplace
Classified Ads
Ad Index
In Memoria: Karl Malkames, ASC • Vincent Martinelli, ASC
Clubhouse News
ASC Close-Up: Thomas A. Del Ruth
American Cinematographer - July 2010 - The International Journal of Motion Imaging - July 2010 Vol. 91 No. 7
American Cinematographer - July 2010 - Cover2
American Cinematographer - July 2010 - 1
American Cinematographer - July 2010 - 2
American Cinematographer - July 2010 - 3
American Cinematographer - July 2010 - 4
American Cinematographer - July 2010 - 5
American Cinematographer - July 2010 - 6
American Cinematographer - July 2010 - 7
American Cinematographer - July 2010 - Editor’s Note
American Cinematographer - July 2010 - 9
American Cinematographer - July 2010 - President’s Desk
American Cinematographer - July 2010 - 11
American Cinematographer - July 2010 - Short Takes: “Telephone”
American Cinematographer - July 2010 - 13
American Cinematographer - July 2010 - 14
American Cinematographer - July 2010 - 15
American Cinematographer - July 2010 - Production Slate: Lie to Me • The Killer Inside Me
American Cinematographer - July 2010 - 17
American Cinematographer - July 2010 - 18
American Cinematographer - July 2010 - 19
American Cinematographer - July 2010 - 20
American Cinematographer - July 2010 - 21
American Cinematographer - July 2010 - 22
American Cinematographer - July 2010 - 23
American Cinematographer - July 2010 - 24
American Cinematographer - July 2010 - 25
American Cinematographer - July 2010 - Dream Thieves (Inception)
American Cinematographer - July 2010 - 27
American Cinematographer - July 2010 - 28
American Cinematographer - July 2010 - 29
American Cinematographer - July 2010 - 30
American Cinematographer - July 2010 - 31
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American Cinematographer - July 2010 - 38
American Cinematographer - July 2010 - 39
American Cinematographer - July 2010 - Elements of Power (The Last Airbender)
American Cinematographer - July 2010 - 41
American Cinematographer - July 2010 - 42
American Cinematographer - July 2010 - 43
American Cinematographer - July 2010 - 44
American Cinematographer - July 2010 - 45
American Cinematographer - July 2010 - 46
American Cinematographer - July 2010 - 47
American Cinematographer - July 2010 - 48
American Cinematographer - July 2010 - 49
American Cinematographer - July 2010 - An Emotional Rebirth (I Am Love)
American Cinematographer - July 2010 - 51
American Cinematographer - July 2010 - 52
American Cinematographer - July 2010 - 53
American Cinematographer - July 2010 - 54
American Cinematographer - July 2010 - 55
American Cinematographer - July 2010 - 56
American Cinematographer - July 2010 - 57
American Cinematographer - July 2010 - Crowning Achievements (The Tudors)
American Cinematographer - July 2010 - 59
American Cinematographer - July 2010 - 60
American Cinematographer - July 2010 - 61
American Cinematographer - July 2010 - 62
American Cinematographer - July 2010 - 63
American Cinematographer - July 2010 - 64
American Cinematographer - July 2010 - 65
American Cinematographer - July 2010 - 66
American Cinematographer - July 2010 - 67
American Cinematographer - July 2010 - Post Focus: Enhancing Frozen
American Cinematographer - July 2010 - 69
American Cinematographer - July 2010 - 70
American Cinematographer - July 2010 - 71
American Cinematographer - July 2010 - Filmmakers’ Forum: Gale Tattersall
American Cinematographer - July 2010 - 73
American Cinematographer - July 2010 - New Products & Services
American Cinematographer - July 2010 - 75
American Cinematographer - July 2010 - 76
American Cinematographer - July 2010 - 77
American Cinematographer - July 2010 - 78
American Cinematographer - July 2010 - 79
American Cinematographer - July 2010 - 80
American Cinematographer - July 2010 - 81
American Cinematographer - July 2010 - International Marketplace
American Cinematographer - July 2010 - Classified Ads
American Cinematographer - July 2010 - Ad Index
American Cinematographer - July 2010 - 85
American Cinematographer - July 2010 - In Memoria: Karl Malkames, ASC • Vincent Martinelli, ASC
American Cinematographer - July 2010 - Clubhouse News
American Cinematographer - July 2010 - ASC Close-Up: Thomas A. Del Ruth
American Cinematographer - July 2010 - Cover3
American Cinematographer - July 2010 - Cover4
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