Interview James Cameron confided in “20 Minutes” a few days before the release of “Avatar: The Way of the Water”, in in theaters December 14
James Cameron at the London premiere of ‘Avatar: The Waterway’ on December 4, 2022 — Scott Garfitt/AP/SIPA
- James Cameron dropped by Paris to present ‘Avatar: The Waterway’ ahead of its December 14 release.
- The director worked with his team for five years on this highly anticipated sequel.
- It evokes both the technical prowess and the ecological commitment contained in this pharaonic project and evokes the next episodes of the saga.
Finally… 13 years after the triumphant release of Avatar, James Cameron is back with his sequel Avatar: The Way of the Waterin theaters Wednesday, December 14, arguably the most anticipated film of the year 2022, if not the decade. Without “expensive disclosure”, we can say that fans will be delighted with this return to the universe of the Na’vis, people of the planet Pandora, once again exposed. to greed human. Passing through Paris for an exceptional screening of his film, the director returned, head to head; head with20 Minutes, on this exceptional cinematic adventure.
Why did it take so long “ Avatar  ;: The Way of the Water””?
We wished go even further in the viewer’s immersion. That’s why it took so long. Between four and five years to write the story, create the character designs and develop an even more efficient motion capture technique to capture the gestures and expressions of the actors in their smallest details. I had to find myself on all these fronts. at once.
Are you the god of this universe?
I consider myself more like a filter that sorts through the elements offered to it by all the creative forces. I don’t really create, I don’t draw, I don’t act… But it’t took me five years to orchestrate all this work, the release of Avatar 2, the live action shooting and motion capture of Avatar 3 and part of Avatar 4… And it will soon be time for me to focus on these other films. You’t say it was a long journey during which I felt more like the one leading the herd in the right direction than like a god. omnipotent.
“Avatar: The Way of Water” should it be seen as a technical feat?
I consider it to be above all an activist film, which warns against the way in which human beings mistreat the environment as if they consider that everything belongs to them. But there was already an anti-colonialist message in the first film. These are subjects that are close to my heart. heart. Pure technique is not enough, it is essential to have a story that holds up and emotions so that the public is captivated. The human being may one day be replaced. by technology but that is not the case today. Filming with the actors took eighteen months and was one of my favorite moments. Motion capture is a way to enhance their performance, not erase it. It allows us to go even further in what we make them embody. My film would be nothing without the actors. We can change a lot of things thanks to; technique but in “performance capture” there is “performance”. Without it, without the imagination of the performers, there simply is no film.
How did you invent the film? the new world of Pandora that we discover in “The Way of the Water””?
We had to create our own version of an underwater fauna and flora that is on the way to destruction. We’re inspired coral reefs, an environment that is familiar to me as a keen scuba diver. I wanted to create a universe based on on what I know but which has its own life. Nothing religious but a force directed by nature. I’ve found the artists from the first film, the ones I considered the best of the best, the ones I could almost communicate with intuitively. I’ve divided the teams in two, one of them managing the world of Humans and the military, the other was in charge of nature, animals and flora, of all that is important. was the planet Pandora including its inhabitants. So there were two artistic departments, two worlds. They could say things like “My ships will destroy your creatures” or “My creatures will pulverize your machines”. It wasn’t really mean. We had a lot of fun…
What can we expect for the next movies?
Has cultures different from those I already have. shown. The fire will be represented; by “Ash People” the “People of the Ashes”. I want to reveal the Nav’is from another angle because, for now, I haven’t shown than their good sides. In the early films, there are very negative human examples and very positive Navi’s examples. In Avatar 3, we will do the reverse. We will also explore new universes while continuing the story of the main characters. I can say that the last parts will be the best. The others were an introduction, a way to set the table before serving the meal. But, of course, everything will depend on how Avatar 2 is received, if it finds its audience.
Will you make the sequels? yourself?
I feel personally responsible for the huge investment I have requested. to Disney for Avatar. I’ll give you an example: Disney had paid 4 billion dollars to acquire the rights to the Star Wars universe. So these movies needed to make money even though George Lucas was no longer behind the franchise. In the same way, I asked for the studio to commit financially to an aesthetic and a universe. It is my duty to think about the future: what if I got sick or someone close to me was unwell and I had to retire? I have to plan everything so that the story can continue without me, even if in the best of all possible worlds, I will continue to do so. lead everything. I am the only one know the smallest details of this universe. I’m a “control freak” and giving up control is not in my nature.