There was a time, when movie directors and creators could only dream of what might be when technology would finally catch up with the vision they had for some of their movies. Even years ago George Lucas said that the reason he waited so long to continue with his Star Wars series was because the technology didn't exist for it to become a reality. Now that day is getting closer when the technology is in the place where just about anything that someone wants to put on film will be possible. That day isn't too far away.
James Cameron did an email interview with Business Week talking about the future of 3D technology and motion capture ... or has he dubs it - "performance capture."
When asked about the importance of motion capture to the industry as a whole, and specifically his work, he said that when his current project "Avatar" was 
written 11 years ago, it wouldn't have been possible to make the movie, as the technology wasn't advanced enough.
With the introduction of computer generated characters like Gollum in "Lord of the Rings" and "King Kong," by Peter Jackson, it started an era where these types of things are becoming more possible every day.
One new thing that has emerged out the technology is the ability to literally use a real-time virtual camera, which empowers you to direct virtual scenes just like you would live-action scenes. Cameron said that he could view actors as their characters, in actual time, and move the virtual camera to make adjustments as they go.
Referring to concerns of actors about the advancement of technology, Cameron said that there's no need to fear it as it won't replace acting, but is designed to aid both actors and the directing process itself. He contrasted that with the usual computerized animation process by saying that the traditional use is limiting in that it only uses the actor's voice as a tool. In this technology, they're part of the whole process.
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