AVATAR - THE WAY OF WATER editor Steve Rivkin was no stranger to crafting an epic sci-fi film with director James Cameron. Rivkin was on hand for the original, record-shattering film that spawned what would become a fantasy franchise. Still, with WAY OF WATER, there would be new challenges to overcome, not the least of which would be working with ground-breaking underwater motion capture techniques and unique processes such as "facial performance replacement".
Twelve years after the Na'vi repelled the human invasion of Pandora by the Resources Development Administration (RDA), Jake Sully lives as chief of the Omaticaya clan, and raises a family with Neytiri, which includes sons Neteyam and Lo'ak, daughter Tuk, and an adopted daughter Kiri (born from Grace Augustine's inert avatar). His children are inseparable from a human boy named Spider, the son of Colonel Miles Quaritch, who was born on Pandora and was unable to be transported to Earth in cryostasis due to his infancy. To the Na'vi's dismay, the RDA returns to prepare Pandora for human colonization, as Earth is dying. Among the new arrivals are 'recombinants'—Na'vi avatars implanted with the minds and memories of deceased human soldiers—with Quaritch's recombinant serving as their leader.
Editing Avatar - The Way of WaterIn our discussion with Avatar - The Way of Water editor Stephen E. Rivkin ACE, we talk about:
- Building a blockbuster from table reads and title cards
- Crafting two big movies at the same time
- Centering production around "Spider"
- Cutting the film at least two times
- Retiring The Rough Cut
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