The next generation directors

According to this article (and common sense), the next generation directors need to be just as skilled behind the computer as they are behind the camera:

http://www.awn.com/articles/3d/avatar-and-future-digital-entertainment -creation/page/3%2C1

"Toward Virtual Production

It's been a long journey since the pseudo-pod in the Abyss in 1989 marked a major milestone for computer generated visual effects and the start of the onslaught of technology into the movie industry. The production of Avatar gives us another picture of how technology is liberating creativity. Directors can direct computer-generated and live actors in real time, in digital environments. The performance of actors can be augmented and/or transported to virtual characters. The availability of high quality, high fidelity prototypes for movies can help creative teams share their vision and have a holistic view of their work.

We on the development side have a lot more work ahead of us to get our software to the point where it is truly empowering to non-technical creatives to conceive and realize their visions. It is up to us to simplify and democratize these techniques for every filmmaker, especially for the future generation of directors that is just as comfortable behind the computer as they are behind the camera."



If the tool used in Avatar becomes better, cheaper and easier, that's great news. The amount of time and money spent on creating whole digital worlds and other complex projects means that it will most likely never be taken for granted by the directors, since it will still cost tens of millions of dollars. But the audience will probably take it for granted, and that's a good thing. It will make it hard for moviemakers to hide behind amazing effects if the story or other elements of the movie is awful. People will instead see the movie for what it is. Not that they won't enjoy visiting alien landscapes and futuristic cities.
A lower price will also mean a bigger chance of getting ambitious projects greenlighted, ideas that could be a bit out of the box. There is a risk that some of these will suck, but now and then, there will also be a cool gem which would otherwise not have been made. And with digital cinemas, the program will be more flexible, and it will be the audience who decides which movies that will stay for a while, and which movies that will go away pretty fast.
When you can do everything in a film, no matter how amazing, it will in the end mean a return to storytelling, not turning your back to it.