Tuesday, 02 January 2024 12:17 GMT

Zoe Saldana Hints At Documentary On Making Of 'Avatar'


(MENAFN- Khaleej Times)

Actor Zoe Saldana wants audiences to truly understand the skill and talent that go into motion capture performances, such as those in James Cameron's Avatar movies, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The Oscar-winning actress shared that the filmmaker "is considering a documentary about the making of Avatar, finally giving us a chance to explain, in a meticulous way, why performance capture is the most empowering form of acting."

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During a recent interview with Alicia Keys, the star who played Neytiri in the 2009 and 2022 Avatar films, expressed the importance of giving context to the type of work as "it gives us the credit, the ability to own 100 per cent of our performance on screen."

Saldana continued, "With animation, you might go into the studio for [a few] sessions; that's as much as they'll need you for the whole movie. You go into a studio, however you're dressed, and you lend your voice, right? Performance capture means that Avatar wouldn't exist if Sigourney Weaver, Sam Worthington, Stephen Lang, Kate Winslet, myself, and the entire cast didn't get up and put those dots on our faces. We put on that little unitard with all those dots on it, and step into a volume -- that's what we call the set -- that's rigged on the ceiling, with all these cameras in measured positions. They're all pointing into this space that finds us, and feeds that information into the system that is Pandora."

Saldana has been a longtime champion of motion capture acting, and previously called out the Academy Awards for not recognising those performances.

"It takes an average of seven years between [each Avatar film]," she said. "From the archery, the martial arts, the free diving, the scuba diving -- so that you can hold your breath underwater for longer than five minutes -- to the language Cameron conceived out of thin air, to physically training with former gymnasts, circus performers, and acrobats so you can learn how to walk like an extraterrestrial human species. That's all us, and a group of incredible stunt actors that make our characters feel bionic. God bless them. With the technology that Jim creates, he gives the artist the power of complete ownership. It's beautiful."

Cameron's Avatar won three Oscars, including best cinematography, best visual effects and best art direction.

Saldana is set to reprise her role as Neytiri in Avatar: Fire and Ash, which hits theatres in December this year.

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