Following the blockbuster 2009 film ‘Avatar’, James Cameron’s directorial ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ is an epic sci-fi film that serves as a sequel to the original film. Set in the extraordinary world of Pandora, more than a decade after the events of the first installment of the franchise, it follows Jake Sully and his new family, including his wife Neytiri and their children, as familiar enemies attempt to finish what they were. t able earlier.
To keep their family safe, Jake and Neytiri must join forces with the Na’vi army to fight the threat looming over Pandora. An epic battle between two sides on opposite sides keeps viewers on the edge of their seats.
At the same time, the familiar setting of the extrasolar moon Pandora leads to curiosity to learn all about the actual filming locations of the Avatar: The Way of Water sequel.
Where Was Avatar: The Way of Water Movie Filmed?
“Avatar: The Way of Water” was filmed in California and New Zealand, particularly in Los Angeles County, Wellington, and the Auckland region. According to reports, principal photography for the action film’s motion parts began in September 2017 and ended in November 2018.
Filming of live-action scenes began in the spring of 2019 and continued until the end of November of that year before taking a break for the holidays.
However, in March 2020, filming was postponed indefinitely due to the Covid-19 pandemic. After several months of delay, the production team resumed work in June 2020, and in September of that year, filming was finally completed. Interestingly, since much of the story takes place underwater, the team had to create a new motion capture system.
This process itself took more than a year. Additionally, Kate Winslet (Ronal) held her breath for 7 minutes and 14 seconds while filming an underwater scene, breaking Tom Cruise’s record.
California
Many key sequences for “Avatar: The Way of Water” were shot in Los Angeles County, the most populous county in California and the United States. To be specific, the team used the MBS Media Campus facility at 1600 Rosecrans Avenue in Manhattan Beach, located in the southwest region of the county.
Many of the underwater scenes for the film were shot here. The Avatar: The Way of Water film studio is home to 15 different sound stages. It also consists of production offices and a media center. In addition, Los Angeles also served as a crucial filming location.
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In an interview with Collider in November 2017, James Cameron was asked about the difficulty of blending underwater photography. He explained: “…The problem with water is not the underwater part, but the interface between the air and the water, which forms a moving mirror.
This moving mirror reflects all the dots and marks and…creates thousands of false targets, so we had to figure out a way around this problem, which we did. … Now it took us about a year and a half to figure out how to do it.”
New Zealand
The cast and crew of Avatar: The Way of Water also traveled to Wellington, the capital of New Zealand, for filming. Stone Street Studios at 1 Stone Street in Miramar served as one of the film’s key production locations.
Four purpose-built sound stages, offices, a construction warehouse, a prop workshop, and a massive backlot make it a suitable filming location for a variety of projects.
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To incorporate the necessary visual effects into Avatar: The Way of Water film, the team used the services of Weta Digital or Weta FX at 127 Wexford Road in Miramar. Founded by Peter Jackson, Richard Taylor, and Jamie Selkirk in 1993, the company is a digital visual effects company considered one of the most influential in the film industry of the 21st century.
Other parts of “Avatar: The Way of Water” were recorded in the Auckland region, one of the sixteen regions of New Zealand that comprise the metropolitan area of the same name.
In particular, the cast and crew members were spotted filming several key sequences for the film at Kumeu Film Studios, located in the affluent rural community of Kumeū.
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Spread over nearly 66 hectares, the film studio includes an extensive set, production offices, workshops, 12 hectares of forest, and two large water tanks used to film key underwater scenes for the sequel.
In an interview with Screenrant in December 2022, Kate Winslet was asked to explain working underwater. She replied: “The film capture process is actually dry and it’s probably the purest form of acting because you have cameras all over the studio. You have cameras on a regular set, but there are like 20 around you.
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Then you have a helmet with a helmet cam that sees every single movement and muscle and twitches and flashes on your face, even your eyeballs. So you can’t hide. So everything has to absolutely rock solid for the camera to capture every part of it.”
“But doing it all underwater is definitely a lot more challenging. Because of course, you’re holding your breath, you can’t release your bubbles; otherwise, it’s just a bubbly old mess and the camera can’t see anything.
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