Avatar: The Way of Water | 16 DEC 2022 | Don't worry guys, critics like it

[Neo]

btw, the title should really be adjusted... that 415m figure is entirely wrong for anything else than a mention of how much they'll spend in NZ.

Isn't the whole movie being done in NZ?

[Dementeleus]

Isn't the whole movie being done in NZ?

 

The memo of understanding on the new movies includes several commitments inlcuding a spend of at least NZ$500M ($413.1M) on local production activity – ie, most of the live action shooting and VFX. There’s also an engagement to hire Kiwis in Head of Department roles with about 90% of the live action crew expected to be local. New Zealand will also get to host “at least one” official red carpet premiere.

 

 

(from Deadline)

 

That doesn't say anything about the entire three movies being shot there.

[Elessar]

It'll probably be like with the first one, life action and effects (most of them anyway) in NZ, motion capture in the USA.

[bballman24]

It'll probably be like with the first one, life action and effects (most of them anyway) in NZ, motion capture in the USA.

I thought Avatar was a documentary

[Neo]

 

 

(from Deadline)

 

That doesn't say anything about the entire three movies being shot there.

 

Fixed the title, is it better?

[dashrendar44]

It'll probably be like with the first one, life action and effects (most of them anyway) in NZ, motion capture in the USA.

 

And just like the first Avatar, WETA will be so overwhelmed in a rush to complete FX work that they'll dispatch and bid the VFX work to every visual companies on the whole planet to meet the deadline. (I think everyone that gravitate more or less in VFX world know someone who worked on Avatar. I know someone who was in my CG course back in art school that did compositing work on Earth scenes for hence)

Edited December 18, 2013 by dashrendar44

[lilmac]

I wish ILM had lead on the FX work.  There is no other effects house which is better.  *sigh*

 

 

This article from 2010 is encouraging though:

 

Cameron and Weta awarded some 600 shots to other visual effects shops, including Industrial Light & Magic, which took on over 180 shots. The ILM shots were carefully chosen as to not contain any hero animation work (which was being completed at Weta), and heavily featured vehicles, certain Pandora environments, and battle sequences. The division of labor was crafted to be as logical as possible-- but it still required an extraordinary amount of coordination and cooperation between Weta, ILM and other vendors who shared assets, in order to make the work as seamless as possible. In the final film, you might see two Weta shots, then two ILM shots, then Weta and ILM shots back-to-back. We spent a great deal of time ensuring a seamless blend of our work; our hope was that audiences felt no perceptible change in quality, texture or feel between the different vendors' effects shots.

[Elessar]

WETA is at least as good as ILM.

[Moviefanatic]

Not sure if I'm reading that right but this is very impressive if the entire trilogy "only" cost 415 million. Wasn't it rumored that Avatar one had like a 500 million budget?

[vc2002]

I take it the motion capture stuff will still be shot in USA, like the first...

 

Mo cap was all done in NZ in the first one.

 

Wait, just checked on wiki. Elessar was right. Mo-cap was done in the US.

Edited December 18, 2013 by vc2002

[Neo]

Not sure if I'm reading that right but this is very impressive if the entire trilogy "only" cost 415 million. Wasn't it rumored that Avatar one had like a 500 million budget?

Updated title.

[Elessar]

That's not the budget but the minimal amount they have to spend in NZ to get the full benefits.

[Moviefanatic]

That's not the budget but the minimal amount they have to spend in NZ to get the full benefits.

Oh okay. I see.

[Elessar]

Mo cap was all done in NZ in the first one.

 

Really? I remember differently. Wasn't it Giant Studios which are based in the USA?

[Dementeleus]

Really? I remember differently. Wasn't it Giant Studios which are based in the USA?

 

From Wikipedia:

 

Principal photography for Avatar began in April 2007 in Los Angeles and Wellington, New Zealand.

 

Motion-capture photography lasted 31 days at the Hughes Aircraft stage in Playa Vista in Los Angeles.

 

Live action photography began in October 2007 at Stone Street Studios in Wellington, New Zealand, and was scheduled to last 31 days.

[vc2002]

Yes. My memory was wrong. Mo-cap was done in the US.

 

So, what Elessar suggested should be how they film the sequels. Remember the news a year ago that Cameron rented a big studio space in Manhattan Beach? That's for doing the mo-cap stuff for the sequels. http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/james-cameron-make-avatar-sequels-176992

 

It'll probably be like with the first one, life action and effects (most of them anyway) in NZ, motion capture in the USA.

[dashrendar44]

I wish ILM had lead on the FX work.  There is no other effects house which is better.  *sigh*

 

WETA has conquered the dead eye effect that plagued CG humanoid characters (Ask Zemeckis) and what they did on Avatar is no small feat.

[Neo]

http://vine.rottentomatoes.com/vine/showthread.php?t=2292082

 

 

 

Nice to see I'm not the only one who thinks this and knows really, it's true..

 

 

Can't believe they are discrediting what a sequel is. I guess whoever wrote that doesn't know Cameron and what he does with his movies.

Edited December 18, 2013 by Neo

[dashrendar44]

At this point, there is more chance Avengers 2 sucks donkey balls than Avatar 2 because Whedon has no experience in making bombastic sequels that live up and expand on first entry unlike Cameron. Aliens and T2 speak for themselves.

[dashrendar44]

 

How was Firefly 2?

 

Oh wait...