While fans and audiences were naturally curious to see finally Zack Snyder's vision for Justice League , the story of how the Snyder Cut came to stream on HBO Max has dominated headlines and has been just as riveting as the film's story itself.
But Zack Snyder's Justice League is, in fact, a separate film from what audiences saw in 2017's Justice League ; and now that the film is finally streaming on HBO Max with the black-and-white version titled Justice is Gray still to come, Snyder is finally able to turn the spotlight on his craft as opposed to the behind-the-scenes drama.
HOW SNYDER PULLED OFF FLASHTIME
The Zack Snyder's Justice League Twitter account shared a video where the Snyder Cut director and his VFX supervisor John DesJardin revealed how the scene where Ezra Miller's Flash and Kiersey Clemons' Iris meet was made, and how they used a special " color shift and refraction " for the Flash when moving through Flashtime.
It's time to dive into the #SnyderCut. Find out how @ZackSnyder and visual effects supervisor John DesJardin put together the incredible Flash and Iris West scene in Central City. Zack Snyder's Justice League is now streaming on @HBOMax. #TheFlash pic.twitter.com/1CNumKKn5S
In the video, both Snyder and DesJardin break down the various components for this scene ranging from Snyder's sketches to the scene's set pieces and even performance capture.
Snyder also took the time to point out specific character moments, such as how the Flash " comes to a stop, but he's not really paying attention so he kind of digs the ground up a little bit" when rescuing Iris and the choice behind Iris' car.
THE SIGNIFICANCE OF SNYDER'S VFX SHOTS
In any superhero film, visual effects are integral since they directly relate to the main characters and must work for the audience to suspend their disbelief to buy into what's playing out on screen.
This effort is even complicated considering the abilities of Ezra Miller's superhero as well as in creating and filming Flashtime.
Therefore, the 2,500 plus visual effects shots in Zack Snyder's Justice League are definitely worth paying attention to, but it's equally important to remember that fans almost didn't get to see these shots.
According to Snyder and his wife/producer Deborah Snyder, Warner Bros. originally wanted the unfinished cut of the film to be released . Again, visual effects of this kind are not only difficult under the best of circumstances, but even more so considering Snyder had to fight for them and finish them under COVID-19 restrictions.
