postPerspective Update

WandaVision Director Matt Shakman
on Post and VFX Workflows

By Iain Blair

After conquering the global box office, the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) has turned its attention to streaming and the small screen — both figuratively and literally — with WandaVision, an inventive blend of classic television and the MCU. The show marks Marvel Studios’ first Disney+ series, and it’s also its first journey into the world of sitcoms — with a Marvel twist, of course.

The story centers around Avengers Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) and her android husband Vision (Paul Bettany), who find themselves living idealized suburban lives — but in a surreal, ever-evolving alternate universe that is cleverly modeled on various sitcoms of different eras. It begins in the style of black-and-white 1950s shows, and moves through the decades, updating everything from costumes and sets to visual language and visual effects as it goes.

“It’s a mash-up of classic sitcoms and large-scale Marvel action,” says executive producer Matt Shakman, who also directed all nine episodes.

I spoke to Shakman about post, VFX and making the show with DP Jess Hall, ASC, BSC, production designer Mark Worthington, and VFX supervisor Tara DeMarco.

What were the big technical challenges of directing the series?
Because it was this huge production, we started on all the post and visual effects immediately, as they were such a key part of each episode. For instance, when things would fly through the air in the ‘50s or ‘60s eras, we’d use jump-cuts and wires, like they used to. And we’d freeze Elizabeth, have her stand-in copy the exact position while she ran off to change clothes, then she’d come back and stand in the same position. That’s how she’d magically transform from dress to dress, which is how they did it on Bewitched. Then we’d use visual effects to take out the wires and smooth out the jump-cuts.