Exclusive Insight: Behind the Epic Avatar: The Last Airbender Teaser - Dive into Anthony Gibbs & Tosh Kodama's Creative Journey!

Nickelodeon's popular animated series, Avatar: The Last Airbender, has left a lasting impact since its conclusion and the spin-off show, The Legend of Korra. Recognizing its immense popularity, Netflix saw Avatar become its most streamed show in the summer of 2020. Now, Netflix has its own plans to bring back the beloved adventures of Aang and his friends in a live-action reboot of Avatar: The Last Airbender. Set to be released on Netflix in 2024, the first teaser for the show premiered during Netflix's Tudum event in June.

In Avatar: The Last Airbender, the Four Nations consist of the Water Tribe, Fire Nation, Earth Kingdom, and Air Nomads. Within these nations, there are individuals known as "benders" who possess the unique ability to manipulate their nation's element. When the Fire Nation embarks on a conquest of the Four Nations, two young members from the Southern Water Tribe, Katara and Sokka, rescue Aang. Aang, the young Avatar who has been trapped in ice for a century, is the sole individual capable of mastering all four elements. In order to bring an end to the Fire Nation's destructive war, Aang must undergo his training and fulfill his destiny.

Netflix's Live-Action Avatar: The Last Airbender - Cast, Teaser, & Everything We Know

We interview Imaginary Forces' Anthony Gibbs & Tosh Kodama, creative directors for the teaser trailer of Avatar: The Last Airbender, discussing the intricacies of its design and the various elements portrayed. Please note that this article was written amidst the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, acknowledging the indispensable contribution of writers and actors from both unions in bringing this show to life.

Exploring Avatar: The Last Airbender Live-Action Teaser

Screen Rant: How did you become involved with designing Netflix's Tudum teaser for Avatar: The Last Airbender?

Tosh Kodama stated that they were presented with a concept and provided some creative input, but the main idea originated from the others. The biggest challenge they faced was ensuring authenticity and accuracy in every small detail, as well as transferring the animation into live-action. The comparison between the two mediums was a key focus. A major part of their task involved capturing the subtleties and maintaining the essence of the original. The main difficulty lay in understanding the movement and characteristics of the four elements. The teaser portrayed the beginning stages of bending these elements, but never fully displayed it.

Anthony Gibbs: Yeah, we had the concept of focusing on elemental symbols and their significance, which posed a unique challenge of creating anticipation with minimal elements. Our task was to ingeniously convey the elemental powers of fire, water, and air within the tease. It was an enjoyable experience to gradually cultivate the energy surrounding these symbols and bring the teaser to life.

Did you have prior knowledge of the Avatar franchise before working on the design for the Avatar Tudum teaser?

Anthony Gibbs: I had seen it with my children, and also when I was younger, so I was quite familiar with it. I considered myself a big fan of the show until I met the rest of our team. It was only then that I realized how much bigger fans they were, with half of them being avid Avatar enthusiasts!

Tosh Kodama: I had some knowledge of it, but not very in-depth. Like Anthony mentioned, I watched a few episodes with my kids, but I never really followed the entire series. I was the least familiar with it, but I quickly learned a lot from our team members who are huge fans!

Anthony Gibbs: We both did!

Did you have the opportunity to see any footage from the Avatar series before creating the teaser?

Tosh Kodama mentioned that they didn't get to see any completed scenes during the process. They only had a look at some daily footage, which was quite raw. Can you provide insights into how the teaser for Avatar, which offers only brief glimpses, was created?

Anthony Gibbs: Clearly, the show highlighted the unique personalities of each element. It was a fun opportunity to depict the distinct behaviors, with fire being more aggressive and air being more flowy. We aimed to create characters that would intrigue viewers. Additionally, we faced the challenge of ensuring that each symbol exhibited distinct behavior, as we had limited information to work with. Sound played a vital role in accomplishing this, didn't it Tosh?

Tosh Kodama: Absolutely, sound design played a crucial role. We focused on giving each symbol its own recognizable sound, which helped viewers understand the individual elements even without visuals.

Anthony Gibbs: We intentionally began the teaser on a dark note to utilize the power of sound and guide the audience's understanding from the very beginning. Our aim was for viewers to grasp the nature of the content or its various elements at least by the first or, if not, the second viewing, before unveiling the full picture. What can you generally tell us about the process of creating mysterious teasers, be it for Avatar or your other projects?

Tosh Kodama believes in fully comprehending the intricacies and personalities of each element. To achieve this, simply depicting subtle and graceful air movements is not enough. In our experiments, we explored various aspects such as powerful blasts of air and swirling tornadoes, initially thinking they were impressive. However, we soon realized the need to restrain ourselves.

In order to create something that is both restrained and delicate, we had to surpass our initial ideas. Often, it involves finding the perfect balance and scaling back, ensuring that our presentation is a tantalizing hint rather than a complete revelation. By allowing the audience to sense the vacant space and think, "Ah, I glimpsed something there!", we encourage them to engage their imagination. Even subtle motions of wind or rocks can set the stage, building an atmosphere where spectators can fill in the missing pieces themselves.

Anthony Gibbs: Yeah, the aim was to create a sense of immersion for the audience, as if they were right there in that same environment surrounded by all the tiny particles we incorporated alongside the audience and logos themselves. The logos were designed to have a tangible and textured quality, which enhances the connection and makes it feel like one could actually reach out and touch the symbols. This, in turn, adds to the overall immersion. Additionally, sound played a crucial role in bridging that gap.

Will you be involved with designing any of the trailer for Avatar going forward?

Tosh Kodama: We hope so, but we don't have anything in the works.

What would you say was the most challenging element to convey through such a short teaser?

Tosh Kodama: I think maybe Earth.

Anthony Gibbs: Air and fire have inherent movement, while earth is primarily still.

Tosh Kodama: Initially, we made the mistake of having rocks in motion, but that wasn't effective in creating anticipation. We realized that revealing the bending would spoil the surprise, so we revised it to its current form. It's more engaging when the bending is left to the imagination.

In any future marketing of Avatar for Netflix, which element would you prefer to focus on?

Tosh Kodama: All of them are quite enjoyable! For instance, fire had numerous iterations and it was truly fascinating. We gained a deep understanding of the intricate aspects of fire and flames, appreciating their beauty as well as their intensity and unpredictability. We conducted an immersive study solely focused on fire. Additionally, the graceful movements of air are also captivating.

Anthony Gibbs believes that, similar to actors, people are drawn to the idea of portraying a villain, and he perceives fire as the antagonist in this context. Consequently, he finds the captivating and dynamic nature of fire extremely appealing, offering abundant creative potential. On the other hand, the element of air demands a certain level of self-control and moderation, yet it still possesses its own unique grace. Consequently, Gibbs identifies beauty in both types of movement. Could you provide an overview of the general timeline?

Tosh Kodama: In the end, I think it was about five to six weeks.

Anthony Gibbs: Yeah.

Avatar: The Last Airbender is set to debut on Netflix in 2024.