It Takes a Union
Behind the Video
Avatar: The Way of Water
Being a Video Engineer can be a lonely position on set. On occasion, like a Script Supervisor, you can
convince production that additional help is needed because of added cameras, multiple location moves, or
cameras that will leapfrog from set to set. Having more support is often the exception and not the rule.
However, on Avatar: The Way of Water, with four and sometimes five stages in operation at Manhattan
Beach Studios (MBS), quite often three to five operators were employed with some days reaching as many
as eleven. With complicated setups and prepping upcoming scenes, planning and coordinating personnel
was essential in making this project a success. This started in 2005, when the technical planning and
pipeline development began for the first Avatar film.
by Dan Moore
