American Hi Definition Tapped for Groundbreaking Avatar Premiere
The long-awaited release from James Cameron, famed Titanic director, premiered on December 17, 2009 at MannÍs Grauman Chinese Theatre and AHD was in the projection booth for what was one of Hollywood's most anticipated movie event in recent memory.
The movie is considered groundbreaking not just because of its estimated $300M price tag but also for using only the most progressive techniques for 3D film creation. In fact, three-time Oscar winner Cameron professed to have delayed work on the film, conceived of during the 1990s, until the technology had advanced enough to support his vision.
AHD used two projectors overlayed together to provide sufficient luminosity for the image which was projected onto a 75-ft wide silver screen. So important was the need for the premiere to go off without a hitch, they had an extra set of projectors running in tandem as a back-up just in case. Needless to say, they weren't needed.