‘This Is James Cameron, You Know?’ Avatar: Fire And Ash Crew Member Gets Real About Shooting A Wild-Sounding Action Sequence With Real Flames

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James Cameron is a filmmaker who consistently pushes boundaries, and his latest movie, *Avatar: Fire and Ash*, is a perfect example. He’s famous for creating incredibly realistic worlds using large sets and cutting-edge technology. For the third *Avatar* film, he challenged his team to go the extra mile, even incorporating real fire into one of the action scenes.

Garrett Warren, a second-unit director on the upcoming *Avatar* film, recently shared details with Empire Magazine about the team’s dedication to realism. He described a spectacular aerial battle between Na’vi tribes, including a new group called the “Ash People.” The scene combines incredible visual effects with practical elements, like real fire, which Warren emphasized was crucial for making the action feel authentic.

What I really want audiences to experience is a sense of intense action. Imagine a thrilling mix of a full-on pirate ship assault and a dogfight in the sky, but instead of planes, you’ve got these incredible flying creatures called ikran – they move like fighter jets, and that’s how the battles play out. It’s going to be a wild ride!

James Cameron is known for embracing both cutting-edge technology and traditional filmmaking techniques. While he helped pioneer CGI with films like *The Abyss* and *Titanic*, he also famously built elaborate physical sets – even flooding them for certain scenes. So, it’s typical for his *Avatar* films to combine advanced motion capture technology with practical effects like real fire.

The practical effects weren’t just about fire; they involved elaborate physical sets and props. Huge aluminum spaceships were built to represent the ships seen in the final film, and large dinosaur puppets were created for the stunt performers. Stunt coordinator Steve Brown actually rode on these incredible creations. As Warren described it:

Steve performed a dangerous stunt, similar to the dramatic falls seen in the movie *Ash Warriors*. He actually took a couple of hard tumbles. That’s just how director Jim Cameron works – he insists on doing things for real, without relying on special effects.

It’s natural to expect a lot of computer-generated imagery in an *Avatar* movie. However, James Cameron consistently strives to make the world of Pandora feel real, and that includes building actual sets. He also emphasizes performance capture with real actors, believing it delivers more authentic emotion and expression than purely animated details.

You can stream the *Avatar* movies and more on Disney+. Plans start at $9.99 per month with ads, or $15.99 per month without ads. You can also save 16% by paying $159.99 for a full year. See the deal here.

James Cameron’s filmmaking is truly original, and his team clearly shares his ambitious vision. While his approach can be extreme, I believe it’s the key to the stunning success of the *Avatar* films, particularly the incredible underwater scenes in *The Way of Water*. I’m excited to see his vision realized and to experience the magic of his worlds on screen again.

The new *Avatar* movie, *Fire and Ash*, will be in theaters on December 19, 2025. If you’re a fan, you can also rewatch previous *Avatar* films like *The Way of Water* on Disney+.

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2025-09-22 02:12