To celebrate the 8 million admissions in France for Avatar 2, Disney shared an unpublished video behind the scenes of the filming of the film. This 4-minute report shows many manufacturing secrets, and in particular what the film set looks like in real life, and how the actors play, before becoming Na’vi.
Discover the report that changes everything!
Director James Cameron resorted to what is called performance capture. This began in September 2017 and lasted approximately 18 months. James Cameron worked with the actors on the scenes of the four sequels. He says : “It was a very simple process for them. They weren’t distracted by anything. We would sometimes record for 10 to 12 minutes at a time. It was a creative playground that allowed me to be much more attentive to the actors.”
James Cameron first selected with the team of editors the best performances for each scene, then used a virtual camera to create specific shots. This allowed the director to shoot sequences in a computer-generated world, as if he were shooting in a real location. Through this camera, he didn’t see Zoe Saldaña or Sam Worthington, but their blue characters.
After the shots from the virtual camera were sequenced, the captured shots and performances were delivered to the visual effects experts at Wētā FX (Peter Jackson’s company that had already helped Cameron on the first film). Under the direction of visual effects supervisor Joe Letteri, the craftsmen at Wētā FX ensured that every nuance brought to every performance was preserved.
Set more than a decade after the events chronicled in the first film, Avatar The Way of the Water tells the story of the members of the Sully family (Jake, Neytiri and their children), the trials they face, the the paths they must take to protect each other, the battles they must fight to stay alive, and the tragedies they endure.