Daily Dialogue — July 13, 2016
“You are not in Kansas anymore. You’re on Pandora, ladies and gentlemen, respect that fact every second of every day. If there is a hell, you might want to go there for some R&R after a tour on Pandora. Out there beyond that fence, every living thing that crawls, flies or squats in the mud wants kill you and eat your eyes for Jujubes. We have an indigenous population of humanoids called the Na’vi. They’re fond of arrows dipped in a neurotoxin that’ll stop your heart in one minute. And they have bones reinforced with naturally-occurring carbon fiber. They are very hard to kill. As head of security, it is my job to keep you alive. I will not succeed, not with all of you. If you wish to survive, you need to cultivate a strong mental attitude. You’ve got to obey the rules…Pandora rules.”
— Avatar (2009), written by James Cameron
The Daily Dialogue theme for the week: Info Dump suggested by Will King who is also responsible for today’s post.
Trivia: Director James Cameron, known for being tough on set, allegedly kept a nail-gun on set that he would use to nail cell phones, that had the misfortune of ringing, to a wall above the exit sign.
Dialogue On Dialogue: Commentary by Will: “Another briefing scene example. Cameron uses this scene to change the tone of the film. Up to this point we’ve seen wonder: the spaceship that brings Jake to Pandora, the flight down from orbit, the wondrous beauty of the world and the futuristic machinery at the base. Seems like a nice place. The speech by Col. Qaritch changes everything. Not only do his words tell us something about the world, but his military deportment, his tone of voice, and the scars on his skull all tell us this isn’t the friendly place it at first appeared to be. What info do we get here? 1) the base is protected by a fence; 2) the fauna are mostly carnivorous; 3) the indigenous people are human-like, strong, less technically advanced but nonetheless have potent weapons; 4) that Quaritch is head of security; 5) he doesn’t believe everyone will live long enough to leave Pandora. That’s quite a lot to give an audience in a minute and twenty seconds.”