Arctic Environments for Avatar: The Last Airbender

Important Looking Pirates

For Netflix's live-action adaptation of Avatar: The Last Airbender, we helped Important Looking Pirates create high-quality 3D scans of Arctic environments. Through advanced photogrammetry and gigapixel photography in Svalbard, we brought home real-world mountain landscapes, glaciers and iceberg features to merge seamlessly with the show's fantasy elements, transporting viewers directly to the Southern Water Tribe's homeland.

By capturing real glaciers and frozen terrain in one of the most remote places on Earth, we enabled a sense of realism that can only come from the real world. The complexity and real-life details of our 3D-scans of mountains, glaciers and icebergs cannot be rivaled by artificially generated content.

Capturing the Setting

In an ambitious project for Avatar: The Last Airbender, Important Looking Pirates and IVAR Studios ventured to Svalbard's remote Arctic landscapes, using photogrammetry and gigapixel photography to bring the icy world of the Southern Water Tribe to life.

Photographing glaciers and icebergs on location in Svalbard

The Expedition

Equipped with drones and DSLR cameras, IVAR Studios scanned glaciers, icebergs, and frozen terrain in stunning detail, using gigapixel photography and HDR panoramas to create immersive 360-degree backdrops. Over a week aboard a ship navigating to remote glaciers, the team faced freezing temperatures that required precise planning and equipment care. Some of the glaciers captured have since become inaccessible, making these digital models invaluable as records of the Arctic. This immersive approach brought a realistic, breathtaking portrayal of the Southern Water Tribe's world to life on screen.

Arctic terrain with drone camera during the photogrammetry expedition

Iceberg detail captured at close range from the expedition ship

Panoramic view of frozen Svalbard coastline

Golden hour light on Arctic glacier face

Remote glacial landscape accessed by ship during the expedition

End User Experience

By working with real-life Arctic environments, IVAR Studios grounded Avatar: The Last Airbender's icy world in true landscapes. Every glacier and iceberg viewers see is based on the real terrain of Svalbard, creating an immersive world that feels rooted in reality. This realistic approach enhances the storytelling, allowing the audience to experience the Southern Water Tribe's homeland as a vibrant, authentic place.

One of the 3D-scanned icebergs from Svalbard used in the series

Impact

The series has been well-received and was nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Visual Effects in 2024. Fans praised the live-action adaptation for faithfully bringing the animated world to life with real Arctic landscapes. The team at IVAR Studios was proud to help bring visual authenticity to the series, and to preserve a piece of Svalbard in such a popular medium.

"How do you make visual effects look like the real thing? For making the ice environments for Avatar: The Last Airbender we teamed up with IVAR Studios. Through the use of photogrammetry and gigapixel photography we brought home a piece of the arctic in full 3D. Working together was an incredible experience."

Niklas Jacobson

Important Looking Pirates

Credits

Martin Edström - Director
Fredrik Edström - Producer
Oliver Akermo - Camera & Editor
Carl-Fredrik Zell - 3D Artist

Get in touch

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