Avatar 2 Set Photo Reveals Elaborate Underwater Performance Capture

A new set photo for the upcoming Avatar 2 from James Cameron reveals how the film used motion-capture technology underwater. With the long-awaited sequel to 2009’s Avatar set to hit theaters in almost exactly a year, interest in the film is building as Cameron has promised to meet and exceed the scope and marvel of the original film. The sequel will see the return of Sam Worthington’s Jake Sully and Zoe Saldana’s Neytiri, and it will explore new regions of Pandora left unseen in the first adventure. With not one, but four sequels planned for Avatar, some have been doubting Cameron’s ambition and ability to effectively create a follow-up to the most successful film of all time. Cameron is out to prove his naysayers wrong.

The first Avatar was praised for its technological achievements. It almost single-handedly launched the craze of 3-D movies that dominated the first half of the 2010s, and the motion capture technology used in the film was unlike any that had been done before. Though motion capture had been used prior, specifically in films like The Lord of the Rings and The Pirates of the Caribbean, Avatar took the technology to a whole new level by using the technology for a large portion of its cast and entire segments of the film. Cameron has promised that his Avatar sequels will continue to push filmmaking technology forward, and now fans are getting a look into how that will be done.

A new behind-the-scenes image for Avatar 2 has made its way online courtesy of EW, and it shows the crew filming with performance-capture technology underwater. The tech was not initially made to work underwater, so Cameron and the Avatar 2 team had to upgrade and create the motion-capture suits and cameras so that they could accurately capture the performances of the submerged performers. The film’s underwater sequences were filmed in a 900,000-gallon tank that replicates the different currents and movements of the ocean. Cameron said they considered shooting the film dry for wet, meaning the actors would be on wires with the water added in digitally later, but that it didn’t look real enough for the film. Check out the new image below:

The film’s cast was scuba-certified and trained to hold their breath for minutes at a time to film their scenes. According to Cameron, Sigourney Weaver was able to hold her breath for six and a half minutes while filming, and Kate Winslet could get up to seven and a half minutes. Producer Jon Landau was impressed by Winslet’s commitment, saying that “I walked by one day and I see Kate Winslet walking on the bottom of the tank. She’s walking towards me and sees me in the window, and she just waves, gets to the end of the wall, turns around, and walks all the way back.” For the film’s more complicated sequences, Cameron brought in underwater dance and gymnastics professionals to film in the actors’ place. The gymnasts could move elegantly and expertly in the water without creating any air bubbles that would interfere with the performance-capture tech.

It’s incredibly impressive to see the extent that Cameron and the Avatar 2 team are going to deliver an ambitious and boundary-pushing experience with the sequel. Considering the first film made almost $3 billion at the box office, they certainly have the money to do so. Avatar 3 was shot alongside Avatar 2 and is slated for release in 2024. Avatar 4 and 5 are also set for releases in 2026 and 2028, but those films will shoot after the release of the first sequel.

Source: EW

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