James Cameron's Groundbreaking New Camera Shoots Actors at Distances Up to 1,000 Feet

Never one to shy away from the latest in moviemaking technology, James Cameron has revealed a new Avatar set photo featuring the sci-fi epic's most marvelous motion-capture innovation yet.

Plans to demonstrate the new rig (colloquially known around the set as the Penetrator) last weekend at Comic-Con were scuttled by festival organizers; both its noise and its space requirements proved a last-minute dealbreaker. Its successful use while shooting also may or may not explain star Sam Worthington's failure to visit San Diego in person.

In any case, until Cameron deigns to send along an actual Avatar still featuring anybody or anything but himself and his toys, this is what you're stuck with. If only he'd had this 20 years ago to get better shots of his archnemesis Ed Harris, The Abyss might have proven a better experience for all.

· Exclusive: New Avatar Shot [Empire]