Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1500728
48 PRODUCTION SOUND & VIDEO – Summer 2023 75'. The Volume is where the action sequences were recorded. The Volume was surrounded by one hundred eighty infrared cameras, suspended from the ceiling, casting IR light over the entire defined space. These cameras, which are calibrated for accuracy every morning, track the actors' movements within the Volume. It also tracks a 'virtual camera' and the props for those action sequences. The actors wore black suits with reflective spherical markers on them that the IR cameras followed. When looking at a RealTime monitor of the Volume, the performers and the characters they were playing could be seen walking around in a 3-D field. The virtual camera, which put a frame and lens around the image, provided the visual background, creating the location and characters for the scene. On each stage, four 65" OLED monitors were placed around the Volume, and thirty smaller monitors at each workstation, showing the Avatar facial and body movements, as well as the scenery of this imaginative world. Instantaneously, the scene became a close approximation of what it would look like in the theater. Not photo-realistic, but close. Additionally, within this crowded Volume, up to sixteen live Sony cameras were positioned to capture close-ups of the actors' facial expressions and movements. This allowed the director to see the detailed performances of the actors and know what takes 'to circle.' These directors' video notes of the articulation of the actors' expressions helped to make references for final photo-realistic digital images done later. These movements, along with sound and video, were all digitally recorded in a massive, air-conditioned server room that accommodated several petabytes of storage. Where does the Video Assist Operator fit into a project like Avatar? My primary function was to record the virtual image along with a 16-camera matrix that would be displayed on the monitors. The recording stations became stationary after hundreds of miles of Canare Belden BNC, and fiber- optic cable were laid to create the pathways. Hardware equipment from Evertz, Blackmagic Design, Decimator Design, Panasonic, and Sony were used in the build-out. Much of the equipment was sourced from B&H Photo and Adorama Camera. Production did source equipment locally, as well through Band Pro Film & Digital in Burbank. Air- conditioning, backup power supplies, and racks of digital storage units were in place before the first day of filming. In addition to the build-out, solar panels were placed on top of all stages, to cut down on the electric bill and all water used in the film tanks were delivered to the golf course right next to the MBS stages. On the first Avatar film in 2005, the production used video assist Playback Technology devices to record the virtual camera and three-quarter-inch tape decks to record the live-action cameras. In 2015, Avatar: The Way of Water production used the QTAKE system to record the virtual camera and a matrix of the sixteen live cameras. In addition, the individual live cameras were recorded on AJA recorders and uploaded onto the digital server after each take. The matrix image for the video assist came from a Blackmagic MultiView 16 device. As a criteria, all devices had to have The crew looks at the environment of the set about to be filmed. Mike Pickel, who passed away during the filming of Avatar: The Way of Water, is on the left frame of the picture. His presence, humor, and talents were greatly missed. Photo by Mark Fellman – 20th Century Studios.