She-Hulk: Attorney at Law's debut on Thursday, August 18 is fast approaching. The show is something of an experiment for Disney, considering its format is far from the usual for MCU and Star Wars shows on Disney+. Beyond that, the show's heavy reliance on CGI could very well be the thing that makes or breaks the series for many viewers, especially considering the criticism it has already garnered.
Now, Marvel has done work to improve the CGI in She-Hulk, evident in the trailers that have improved gradually with time. However, the fact remains that the full episodes will be the ultimate test of how well Tatiana Maslany's character is received by fans. A lot of work has been done to transform her into one of the most famous members of the Hulk family.
Recently, the She-Hulk star shared some inside insight on how it all came together, along with a trick that was also employed in Thor: Love and Thunder.
She-Hulk Borrows Tricks from Thor 4 and Thanos
In a recent interview with Good Morning America, She-Hulk: Attorney at Law starTatiana Maslany talked about how the film crew brought Jennifer Walters' other side to life. She points out that beyond the obvious mo-cap suit, the crew "would do these things where [she'd] be like on a platform."
“I mean, so we had the mocap suit, so that was one thing. But then we would do these things where I’d be like on a platform, basically this high off the ground. And somebody, you know, my scene partner would be acting with me, as if that’s just my height.
This technique was also employed by Natalie Portman in Thor: Love and Thunder to help portray the physical strength brought on by her transformation into the Mighty Thor.
The crew also borrowed techniques that were used in Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame to bring Thanos to life. Maslany relates that sometimes "there was also this absurd thing that was like this frozen She-Hulk face" attached to her helmet. Josh Brolin used a similar Thanos head on a post above his helmet to help his co-actors look in the right place when talking to Thanos in the Avengers films.
Diverse Techniques Needed for a Diverse Roster
It goes without saying that bringing the characters of the MCU to life isn't always as simple as a costume. From the very beginning, characters have had to make use of mobcap suits to help portray elaborate costumes or larger-than-life characters.
As time has gone on and more...interesting individuals have joined the MCU, new techniques have come with them. While the mocap suit and helmet trick used by Maslany for She-Hulk isn't exactly new, it is an indicator of the changes needed to help portray these characters.
Platforms and smiling She-Hulk faces do more than just help the capture the actor playing the character though. They do wonders for helping the costars in a scene more accurately and authentically interact with the character in question. Gone are the days of the filming of Hobbits for Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, where smaller characters were filmed on separate screens, famously leaving other actors speaking alone in front of a green screen.
These methods of filmmaking go further than just doing what's needed to make a character appear on screen. They serve to help all the actors involved provide their best performances, and go to show how Marvel Studios is constantly working to enable the actors who join the MCU to feel as comfortable as possible even when portraying outlandish situations. The resulting quality is part of why Marvel films have the level of polish that they do, and continuing to innovate in this field is a must as the franchise goes forward.
Fans will get to feast their eyes on Marvel's second most famous superhero lawyer when She-Hulk: Attorney at Law debuts Thursday, August 18, only on Disney+.
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