Avatar 2 The Way of Water Airs in HFR Format

 Avatar: The Way of Water has been shown in all cinemas in Indonesia. Avatar 2 is shown in HFR format, what is that?

HFR stands for High Frame Rate. The frame rate itself is how many frames are displayed in one second from a movies, TV show, or video game.

Reported by Mashable, for about the past century, cinema films have been projected at 24 frames per second. However, in recent years, several films have decided to experiment a bit with the enhanced format.

Peter Jackson's The Hobbit trilogy and Ang Lee's Gemini Man both offered HFR playback (much higher than 24fps) during their theatrical runs. As you can see in the Gemini Bathing clip below, the image features a more "realistic" visual texture. Everything is so seamless, it's as if the actors are in the room with you.

It's just that a lot of people don't like HFR, for various reasons. First, most people are not used to it. Second, and perhaps more importantly, watching something at 120fps (in the case of Gemini Man) on a big screen can be uncomfortable. That said, Avatar: The Way of Water's HFR implementation might be a bit more palatable.

James Cameron, director of Avatar, in a number of interviews explained how The Way of Water will adopt HFR. Certain parts of the film will be projected at the usual 24fps and other parts at 48fps. However, this effect will not be felt in 2D format.

"One thing I will say for sure is that 48 frames does little to benefit 2D movies, if at all," Cameron told Yahoo News. "It's really about creating a better experience in 3D."

Cameron explained the underwater scenery will be projected at 48fps. The same goes for flying scenery and other outdoor shots. However, he emphasized that all underwater action is the most frequent place for spectators to see HFR.

Cameron admitted that using HFR for other, more mundane scenes wasn't such a great idea.

"If it's just people sitting around talking or walking and talking, relatively slow developing images, it's not necessary," he told Yahoo News entertainment. "So the trick is figuring out where to use it and where not to use it."

Simply put, if the Na'vi were on land, everything would be displayed as normal. If they dive in Pandora's ocean, get ready for jaw-dropping smooth action.