AVATAR: THE WAY OF WATER Only Has 2 Scenes Devoid Of Any VFX

AVATAR: THE WAY OF WATER Only Has 2 Scenes Devoid Of Any VFX

Despite Avatar: The Way of Water's massive 192-minute runtime, there are apparently only two scenes in the entire film devoid of VFX.

By MarkJulian - Feb 22, 2023 12:02 PM EST
Filed Under: Avatar
Source: Metro

Sure, James Cameron's Avatar films are known for their stunning VFX but it's still surprising to learn that Avatar: The Way of Water only has two scenes in the movie that don't have any VFX touch-ups whatsoever.  

Metro caught up with the sequel's VFX team (Joe Letteri, Daniel Barrett, and Eric Saindon) at the BAFTA's (British Academy Film Awards), where the group revealed the identity of the two scenes in question.

"There’s one of Spider’s [Jack Champion] eyeball and there’s one of the bottom of the ocean and just some ripples in the bottom of the water," revealed Snider.  Sandon went on to add, "There’s lots of live action, lots of characters with CG but every other scene, VFX shots were touched."

Cinematography purists are likely gnashing their teeth at this revelation but the general audience sure doesn't seem to mind as Avatar: The Way of Water currently ranks  #3 on the all-time worldwide box office gross list with $2.247 billion and counting.

The VFX team certainly put the sequel's estimated $460 million budget to good use as all those VFX shots went on to earn the film several accolades including Best Special Visual Effects at the BAFTAs, Best Visual Effects at The Critic's Choice Awards and several wins at this year's Visual Effects Society Awards.  The film also figures to be a shoo-in to win the Best Visual Effects award at this year's Academy Awards, taking place on March 12.

The third entry in the Avatar franchise was filmed simultaneously with The Way of Water so don't expect another 13 years between installments.  There are plans in place for Avatar 4 and 5 as well, however, Disney and Fox were waiting to see how The Way of Water performed at the box office before officially greenlighting those projects.  It's probably safe to assume at this point that it's now a question of 'when' and not 'if.'

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bobevanz
bobevanz - 2/22/2023, 12:48 PM
Three if you count the credits
BeNice123
BeNice123 - 2/22/2023, 12:56 PM
Period.
BillyBatson1000
BillyBatson1000 - 2/22/2023, 12:57 PM
Sorry to swerve the thread - but THIS could explain some things.

"Shortcuts were reportedly taken on VFX for ‘ANT-MAN AND THE WASP QUANTUMANIA’ with critical resources diverted towards ‘BLACK PANTHER WAKANDA FOREVER’"

https://www.vulture.com/2023/02/marvel-vfx-workers-on-ant-man-and-the-wasp-quantumania.html?utm_campaign=vulture&utm_medium=s1&utm_source=tw
EskimoJ
EskimoJ - 2/22/2023, 1:09 PM
@BillyBatson1000 - Similar to what happened between Black Panther and Infinity War.
BillyBatson1000
BillyBatson1000 - 2/22/2023, 1:11 PM
@EskimoJ - Exactly and FX houses at burnout point.
TheLobster
TheLobster - 2/22/2023, 1:23 PM
@BillyBatson1000 - Marvel is so full of shit lol

They’re the most successful studio but you’re telling me they can’t hire more people to work on VFX for BOTH films? Greed kills y’all
BillyBatson1000
BillyBatson1000 - 2/22/2023, 1:30 PM
@TheLobster - I think 'The House of the Mouse' is the main protagonist here. But damn right! Greed. From 'Life of Pi' onward there's been a steady abuse of goodwill - causing small (and well respected) FX houses to collapse. They need to start paying the real talent. As Robin Williams said when Disney re-used his vocal asides from Aladdin (without asking) "After you shake hands with that mouse, count your _ _ ing fingers.'
The1st
The1st - 2/22/2023, 1:46 PM
@BillyBatson1000 - Nah, business as usual really. I wish people would stop comparing IW and EG to the rest of the MCU. Those films were the culmination of a decade of build up, technically, so the VFX were gonna be epic.
BillyBatson1000
BillyBatson1000 - 2/22/2023, 1:52 PM
@The1st - And so they'd be budgeted-in by the DP, what the article states is underfunding and last minute script revisions left hanging that the CGI teams had to cover, where practical shots or better planning would have resolved.
The1st
The1st - 2/22/2023, 1:55 PM
@BillyBatson1000 - Thank you. I had no idea what it said...you're a godsend. Still sounds like Hollywood to me.
BillyBatson1000
BillyBatson1000 - 2/22/2023, 1:59 PM
@The1st - No argument on Hollywood.
AnthonyVonGeek
AnthonyVonGeek - 2/22/2023, 12:59 PM
That’s something to brag about? I like it when filmmakers brag about using practical effects and not cgi. 🤷‍♂️
Twenty23Three
Twenty23Three - 2/22/2023, 2:02 PM
Animated movies make mad money nowadays
gtabreaker
gtabreaker - 2/22/2023, 4:20 PM
This is insane!!!
Kadara
Kadara - 2/22/2023, 8:07 PM
It is just honestly a visual delight, even if you don't like the story (which is pretty straightforward), I would recommend everyone to check it out just for the experience alone.
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