Captain Marvel (2019) (with Trixter VFX Studio)

2021 kicks off with a supersonic bang as Chris and Alex return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) to explore the world of Kree Empires, alien shapeshifters, flerkens, and digital de-aging in American superhero feature Captain Marvel (Anna Boden & Ryan Fleck, 2019), based on the celebrated Marvel Comics character. Joining them for a discussion of Hollywood special effects production and the labour of fantastical imagery are the film’s VFX Producer Christine Neumann and VFX Supervisor Dominik Zimmerle of German visual effects studio Trixter based in Munich, whose work also includes a number of Hollywood blockbusters and other MCU entries Spider-Man: Homecoming (Jon Watts, 2017), Thor: Ragnarok (Taika Waititi, 2017), Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (James Gunn, 2017), Black Panther (Ryan Coogler, 2018) and the upcoming Black Widow (Cate Shortland, 2021). Topics for discussion in Episode 64 include the industrial relationships between Marvel Studios and its VFX vendors; the splintering of effects workflow into elements of animation, camera/layout, simulation, body dynamics, lighting, pre-visualisation, rigging and compositing; what goes into the creation of digital assets/artefacts, and the challenges in Captain Marvel of replicating everyday or domestic spaces and objects; taste cultures and connoisseurship in contemporary VFX spectatorship; the vital role of controlled lighting environments and virtual camerawork in the design of pristine effects imagery; and the distinctions between a ‘photorealistic’ and a ‘caricatured’ cat.