In a recent interview at the 2023 BAFTAs, Joe Letteri, Daniel Barrett, and Eric Saindon represented the VFX team and discussed their work on Avatar: The Way of Water. Saindon told Metro that there were only two scenes that did not feature VFX:
There’s one of Spider’s [Jack Champion] eyeball and there’s one of the bottom of the ocean and just some ripples in the bottom of the water… There’s lots of live action, lots of characters with CG but every other scene, VFX shots were touched.
Although such a fact might be surprising, in many ways, it is not. However, this fact leads to a greater appreciation for the team’s talent and commitment to the film’s artistry. The team won the BAFTA Award for Best Special Visual Effects that night.
The team also teased James Cameron’s third installment of the Avatar franchise as Letteri states: “There’s some pretty terrific scenes in there, actually. Something to look forward to.”
Avatar: The Way of Water is still airing in theaters due to its massive success. The film is directed by Cameron and stars Zoe Saldana and Sam Worthington, continuing the story of Jake and Neytiri’s family following the first film’s events.