FIRE AND WATER: THE MAKING OF THE AVATAR FILMS

Fire and Water: Making the Avatar Films is a great behind the scenes look at the creation of new filming techniques and the extraordinary lengths that James Cameron and his team went to to create the out of this world visual experience that has allowed the Avatar films to take the world by storm, even if this docuseries feels like what would have been a bonus feature on the home video release years ago.

When Avatar came out in 2009, James Cameron once again changed the way that blockbusters were made. Sparking a craze by the studios to release everything in the 3D format after the immersive experience Cameron created on Pandora and immense box office success with it becoming the highest grossing film of all time, a new digital CGI driven filmmaking craze was born. But few films have been able to capture the truly jaw-dropping visual experience Cameron created in both Avatar and Avatar: The Way of Water, and that is because of Cameron’s strive for realism and authenticity in the production of his films, which is the focus of the latest Disney+ two part docuseries: Fire and Water: Making the Avatar Films. Largely focusing on the pre-production and production of Avatar: The Way of Water,  while the world of Pandora and the Na’vi are all created by CGI, the filmmaking techniques that Cameron deploys on set with his actors is the exact opposite of computer generated imagery. Going to extreme lengths (including developing new filming techniques) to ensure that every bit of the actor’s performance is the beating heart of these films, the filmmaking lengths explored in this docuseries are truly astounding. Even if it is almost laughable while watching the docuseries, as you hear a crew member say this is not possible, then Cameron begins sharing his ideas on how to make the impossible seem easy, but that is why he is a titan of filmmaking and its this drive of his to be authentic in filming that makes this docuseries such a fascinating watch.

Even when there is no technology developed to do what Cameron wanted to achieve while shooting the Avatar, that would not stop him from creating the most authentic film possible. Faced with shooting performance capture underwater, because suspending the cast on wires and trying to simulate fluid swimming movement in the air was not realistic enough, Cameron and his team adapted current performance capture filming technology to both shoot underwater and ensure that the performance capture was never sacrificed. The docuseries chronicles this ordeal tackled by Cameron and his team, including travelling to oceans with stunt teams to determine natural movements in the water for both the Na’vi and the creatures they would encounter in the water ecosystems of Pandora, and developing and adapting technology that could be used to replicate the movements of the creates that the Na’vi would interact with, all to create the template for the choreography for shooting in the film tanks.

While the documentary filmmaking on display is nothing of note, as it truly feels like a bonus feature on a home video release or a piece of awards season marketing material to inform guild voters on what actually went into the making of the film, Cameron and the production of Avatar: The Way of Water are more than enough to fully capture viewers' attention. From the specially designed water tanks used for filming in which Cameron could manipulate water movement to create waves and currents for his task to interact with in their performances, the creation of a physical set design, to the entire cast and crew learning to free dive to shoot the underwater sequences so that air bubbles and scuba diving gear would not hamper the performance capture, Fire and Water: Making the Avatar Films makes everything you see in Cameron’s finished Avatar films all the most staggering in achievement. The documentary showcases true movie making magic, negating the need for visual effects work and instead creating the most immersive and realistic environment for his cast to give authentic performances while Cameron captures their raw emotions in the purest way imaginable, reminding viewers the ability of film to transport us on incredible adventures and connect with us on an emotional level unlike any other art form.

It is clear from this docuseries, that even no matter how staggering some of the lengths that James Cameron went to to shoot Avatar: The Way of Water, the end result of the sequel that took the world by storm would not be possible without James Cameron’s visionary filmmaking lengths. While it may not be evident while watching the film as it is a completely digital world, but every production decision on how to bring Pandora to life was carefully thought out, down to the smallest details, to ensure that everything witnessed by the audience on screen was authentic and truthful to the cast’s performances; not fabricated by CGI to enhance something that could be done practically. With the attitude of how this can be shot practically, an informative and riveting behind the scenes look at the production of Avatar: The Way of Water unfolds, displaying creation and artistic expression at every turn in both the docuseries and the production of Avatar: The Way of Water through behind the scenes footage and cast and crew interviews. Even if at times this docuseries feels like a campaign to remind awards voters of the true movie magic or a glorified bonus feature, the sheer brilliance of James Cameron’s approach to directing and filmmaking never ceases to amaze and makes Fire and Ash: Making the Avatar Films a fascinating docuseries for anyone interested in the art of filmmaking and authentic storytelling.