The decades-long labor of love James Cameron and his Avatar family have put into building out the world of Pandora is a feat his Avatar: The Way of Water leading lady thinks should be chronicled deeply as a testament to the art of performance capture.
In an interview with musician Alicia Keys for By Design, who notes herself as an Avatar fan, Zoe Saldaña revealed that in time that’s something the legendary director may get to. You know, after whatever follows Avatar: Fire and Ash. Saldaña told Keys, “I’m excited that James Cameron is considering a documentary about the making of Avatar—finally giving us the chance to explain, in a meticulous way, why performance capture is the most empowering form of acting. It gives us the credit, the ability to own 100 percent of our performance on screen. With animation, you might go into the studio for [a few] sessions; that’s as much as they’ll need you for the whole movie. You go into a studio, however you’re dressed, and you lend your voice, right?”
She continued describing the immense work that goes into an underrecognized art form: “Performance capture means that Avatar wouldn’t exist if Sigourney Weaver, Sam Worthington, Stephen Lang, Kate Winslet, myself, and the entire cast didn’t get up and put those dots on our faces. We put on that little unitard with all those dots on it, and step into a volume—that’s what we call the set—that’s rigged on the ceiling, with all these cameras in measured positions. They’re all pointing into this space that finds us, and feeds that information into the system that is Pandora.”
Elaborating on the nearly decade-long process in between films, where it’s clear, like stunt work (which is finally getting an Oscar category in 2028), performance capture needs to be given its credit, according to the actress.
“It takes an average of seven years between [each Avatar film]. From the archery, the martial arts, the free diving, the scuba diving—so that you can hold your breath underwater for longer than five minutes—to the language [Cameron] conceived out of thin air, to physically training with former gymnasts, circus performers, and acrobats so you can learn how to walk like an extraterrestrial human species…”
Emphasizing the scope of work that Cameron orchestrates on a massive scale with his Avatar ensemble, Saldaña shared, “That’s all us, and a group of incredible stunt actors that make our characters feel bionic. God bless them. With the technology that Jim creates, he gives the artist the power of complete ownership. It’s beautiful. I told him, ‘I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for Terminator, Aliens, Ellen Ripley, The Abyss.’ At 10 or 11 years old, I would watch [the behind-the-scenes] over and over and over again. I liked the sacrifice that goes into putting something together. It’s art.”
Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
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![‘Bluey’ has an unexpected Dropout connection beyond the ‘Game Changer’ shock
Watching Bluey, the beloved Australian cartoon show for kids, you might not think of Dropout, a streaming platform that revels in adult humor. But thanks to Game Changer‘s provocative Season 8 premiere episode, “Don’t Wake Standards and Practices,” Dropout CEO and host Sam Reich has revealed an incredible connection between the comedy streamer and the hit cartoon. To answer burning questions we had about Game Changer‘s “Don’t Wake Standards and Practices,” Mashable Entertainment Editor Kristy Puchko spoke with Reich about the ins and outs of the “legally spicy” episode. When asked about Lou Wilson’s Bluey rant — during which a parody of the adorable pup appeared onscreen — Reich revealed that he’d previously worked with Bluey creator Joe Brumm. “I don’t think that most people know this,” Reich said. “It’s the tiniest little diatribe, but we did an animated series really early on for Dropbox called What the Fuck 101, which was like a messed-up Magic School Bus.”
Mashable Top Stories
“At the time,” Reich explained, “The chief animator of that [show] was like, ‘I’m gonna have to pull double duty on this and another project that’s been green-lit, because it’s really personal to me.’ And so, simultaneously, this guy, Joe Brumm, was doing What the Fuck 101 and the first season of Bluey. And before that, he did a huge number of College Humor shorts. I mean, all over his resume, the biggest thing on his resume was College Humor before it was Bluey.” Reich clearly relished his time working with Brumm, both at College Humor and its spinoff streamer Dropout. And of Bluey, he said, “I’ve watched a fair amount of it. It’s fantastic. It’s so heartfelt and distinct and original, and it’s a work of art. And you would never guess the other things that Studio Joho was doing for us.”WTF 101 is now streaming on Dropout. Bluey is now streaming on Disney+.
#Bluey #unexpected #Dropout #connection #Game #Changer #shock](https://i0.wp.com/helios-i.mashable.com/imagery/articles/001JAfkt9KatQlBMCHig0nR/hero-image.fill.size_1200x675.v1779124876.jpg?ssl=1 "‘Bluey’ has an unexpected Dropout connection beyond the ‘Game Changer’ shock
Watching Bluey, the beloved Australian cartoon show for kids, you might not think of Dropout, a streaming platform that revels in adult humor. But thanks to Game Changer‘s provocative Season 8 premiere episode, “Don’t Wake Standards and Practices,” Dropout CEO and host Sam Reich has revealed an incredible connection between the comedy streamer and the hit cartoon. To answer burning questions we had about Game Changer‘s “Don’t Wake Standards and Practices,” Mashable Entertainment Editor Kristy Puchko spoke with Reich about the ins and outs of the “legally spicy” episode. When asked about Lou Wilson’s Bluey rant — during which a parody of the adorable pup appeared onscreen — Reich revealed that he’d previously worked with Bluey creator Joe Brumm. “I don’t think that most people know this,” Reich said. “It’s the tiniest little diatribe, but we did an animated series really early on for Dropbox called What the Fuck 101, which was like a messed-up Magic School Bus.”
Mashable Top Stories
“At the time,” Reich explained, “The chief animator of that [show] was like, ‘I’m gonna have to pull double duty on this and another project that’s been green-lit, because it’s really personal to me.’ And so, simultaneously, this guy, Joe Brumm, was doing What the Fuck 101 and the first season of Bluey. And before that, he did a huge number of College Humor shorts. I mean, all over his resume, the biggest thing on his resume was College Humor before it was Bluey.” Reich clearly relished his time working with Brumm, both at College Humor and its spinoff streamer Dropout. And of Bluey, he said, “I’ve watched a fair amount of it. It’s fantastic. It’s so heartfelt and distinct and original, and it’s a work of art. And you would never guess the other things that Studio Joho was doing for us.”WTF 101 is now streaming on Dropout. Bluey is now streaming on Disney+.
#Bluey #unexpected #Dropout #connection #Game #Changer #shock")
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