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Known for cutting edge filmmaking techniques since its inception, James Cameron's Lightstorm Entertainment has always been at the forefront of new technology. With titles such as "The Terminator," "The Abyss" and "Titanic," the company has never allowed limitations in technology to stop the telling of powerful stories. Known for cutting edge filmmaking techniques since its inception, James Cameron's Lightstorm Entertainment has always been at the forefront of new technology. With titles such as "The Terminator," "The Abyss" and "Titanic," the company has never allowed limitations in technology to stop the telling of powerful stories. With the release of "Avatar" in 2009, the company once again proved that there were no limits in filmmaking. The results were breathtaking, and the audiences agreed. "Avatar" would gross over $2 billion worldwide and lead to the announcement of multiple "Avatar" sequels. But just as the story of the Na'vi will evolve in the sequels, so will the technology behind the films. Making It Happen in Real Time Blackmagic Design recently announced that Lightstorm Entertainment used an extensive array of Blackmagic Design products for their work during production for the "Avatar" sequels. According to Geoff Burdick, senior vice president of production services & technology for Lightstorm Entertainment, a key element is the ability to evaluate content as it's being shot, rather than waiting until post production. "We evaluate live camera feeds in a manner as close to the theatrical experience as possible, so we can make real time decisions on set. This saves time during shooting, benefits Weta Digital, our visual effects vendor, and helps streamline our post production and mastering process." Having the ability to review multiple resolutions and frame rates in real time allowed the team to remain in step with issues that may have gone unnoticed before, only to be found later in post. "This is very important as we move into shooting higher resolutions, frame rates and dynamic ranges, with lenses that are resolving details we are not used to seeing and projector technologies capable of displaying all this and more to the discerning movie goer." Lightstorm Entertainment used Teranex AV converters, a Smart Videohub 40x40 12G router, an ATEM 4 M/E Broadcast Studio 4K switcher, and more throughout its pipeline. "It was very challenging for our engineering team to come up with a signal path to enable this workflow," said Burdick. "Not many companies had incorporated this kind of support in their products. Luckily, Blackmagic Design stepped up to the plate."