After several years with few details about what fans can expect from Netflix's live-action Avatar: The Last Airbender, audiences have finally been given their first description of one of the show's first few scenes, and it appears it will mirror the beloved animated series closely.
Director Michael Goi, who is behind the first and second episodes of the first season, recently spoke to StudentFilmmakers Magazine. During the interview, he described his most recent project and one of its most technically and visually layered scenes, using both practical elements and the virtual production stage. Goi described "a shot of a boat with two passengers getting swept into a massive ice cave on a wave of water and crashing into an ice shelf." It should be noted that, according to Avatar News, several prologue scenes will occur before the shot Goi describes. Details concerning the preceding scenes have not been revealed.
Behind the Scenes of Netflix's Avatar: The Last Airbender
Describing the process of filming the shot, Goi continued, "I added a bit of magic: the ice cave walls were in virtual production, the ice shelf was a practical set piece, and the wave of water was a four-foot trough placed in the foreground of the camera with a split diopter filter in front of the lens. Two special effects technicians dumped buckets of water into the trough as grips and stunt riggers pulled the boat on cables across the floor. The resulting image combined the elements of different specialties to create a new reality that enhanced the fantasy of what was happening."
The first episode of Nickelodeon's Avatar: The Last Airbender opened by introducing Katara and Sokka of the Southern Water Tribe as they ventured out on a fishing trip. While Sokka attempts to spear a fish, Katara practices her waterbending. A combination of Katara's yet-unmastered abilities and Sokka's sexist comments ultimately led to the sibling's discovery of Aang, the boy in the iceberg and long lost Avatar.
Nickelodeon's Iconic Animated Series
Premiering in 2005, the animated show ran for three seasons and came to an end with Book 3: Fire in 2008. The entirety of the series took place within several months, from winter to summer's end. During that time, Aang was forced to master all four elements and defeat Firelord Ozai before he and his Fire Nation forces used the power of Sozin's Comet to destroy the world. The series has been widely praised and formed an enduring fanbase.
The show was created by co-creators Bryan Konietzko and Michael Dante DiMartino, both of which were originally attached to the Netflix series, though they departed the project early on. While the precise details behind their exit have not been made public, DiMartino explained that it was creative differences that compelled them to leave, stating, "Whatever version ends up on-screen, it will not be what Bryan and I had envisioned or intended to make." The creative duo went on to become co-chief creative officers of the Nickelodeon division Avatar Studios, which is currently developing several spinoff and sequel projects to Avatar: The Last Airbender and its sequel series, Legend of Korra.
Netflix's Avatar: The Last Airbender does not yet have a release date.
Source: Student Filmmakers Magazine, via Avatar News