Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1495092
of pieces of coral, mixing alien looks with more recognizable ones. Often the alienness would come from these macro structures that were encrusted with more earthlike detailing. Hinting at the greater intelligent design of Eywa and the connectivity of Pandora, the large coral structures have fractal inspired designs, and the interconnected kelp forest of the third act battle evokes a network, much like the forest established in the first film. Over one hundred creatures had to be designed to fill out the rich and varied ecosystems, from the tiniest of baitfish to the largest ocean-dwelling creatures. Jim wanted a level of biomass that isn't seen in the oceans of Earth but is theorized to have existed in the prehistoric era. In harmony with this ocean are the Metkayina people, living right above it and spending a great amount of time in the water for their daily life. Their village and culture needed to be instantly identifiable and distinct from the Omatikaya from the first film. This is most apparent in their sprawling village suspended over the water with dozens of interconnected tensile walkways and woven wasp nest like dwellings, or "marui" as Jim dubbed them. These walkways were not only practical but served a thematic purpose. Continuing the theme of connectivity, the walkways connect marui, as pathways connect neurons, creating a network between the community. If you look down on Metkayina village, the neuron pattern is very apparent. All methodologies were on display in realizing this complicated village design, from pen and pencil to VR and 3D printing with everything in between. Even for these virtual sets, the film sought verisimilitude by taking a real-world approach, creating practical studies of Metkayina architecture and props at full size and miniature scales. This was designed over the course of years and culminated in a quarter scale "bigature" of the Sully marui. Weta Workshop executed it beautifully based on the Los Angeles Art Department designs. Supervising Art Director Aashrita Kamath was indispensable coordinating between different teams across the world. I took multiple trips to New Zealand to supervise the build and it was a privilege to work with their talented teams. It was of immense complexity and stood over fourteen feet tall. Complete with intricately woven flax walls, floors and walkways, stretched over a sinuous frame of bent cane, it served as the style guide for the rest of the village and became invaluable reference to Weta FX in their final shots. But this practical realism also had to be realized in the motion of the actors. The team at MBS designed and fabricated a large tensile walkway that corresponded to sections of the village so that there would be the appropriate bounce and sway to the captured performance of the cast. Tuk's playful bouncing on walkways was real joy A. TULKUN WITH CALF. CONCEPT ILLUSTRATION BY IAN JOYNER. ZBRUSH AND PHOTOSHOP. B. LO'AK AND PAYAKAN. CONCEPT ILLUSTRATION. BY ZACH BERGER. C. ROA, FEMALE TULKUN. CONCEPT ILLUSTRATION BY ZACH BERGER. DONE TO FINALIZE ROA'S TATTOOS AND FACIAL PATTERNING. D. ISV SLING LOAD LANDING MODULE. BY FAUSTO DE MARTINI. STUDY OF AN RDA STARSHIP DEPOSITING ITS PAYLOAD DIRECTLY INTO THE PANDORAN ATMOSPHERE. E. BRIDGEHEAD, SATELLITE VIEW. CONCEPT ILLUSTRATION BY BEN PROCTER AND JONATHAN BERUBE. A DETAILED URBAN PLANNING EFFORT WENT INTO DEFINING THE NEW COLONIAL CITY AND ITS PROTECTIVE KILL ZONE. A B C