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March/April 2021

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WANDAVISION www.postmagazine.com 18 POST MAR/APR 2021 T he Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) — the highest-grossing franchise in history, with 23 releases to date and numerous in development — has dominated the box office and in a short time extended its reach into the broadcast realm. Now, it is conquering the streaming market with WandaVision, on Disney+. The limited streaming series centers on Wanda Maximoff (the Scarlet Witch) and Vision, a syn- thezoid, who began a relationship in the feature Avengers: Infinity War (2018), prior to Vision's death. If you think WandaVision is simply a contin- uation of that film, or like any other previous MCU offering, you obviously have not seen the series. WandaVision, in fact, is perfectly styled for TV. "It's a mash-up of classic sitcoms and large-scale Marvel action," says Matt Shakman, who directed all nine episodes of the series. And true to MCU form, WandaVision contains amazing visual effects — some big and bold, some subtle, and some charming and harkening back to a different time…several, in fact. WandaVision picks up soon after the events of Avengers: Endgame, with Wanda (Elizabeth Olsen) and the now-alive Vision (Paul Bettany) having just been married and living a sitcom life. Vision has amazing processing speed and the ability to change densities, while Wanda is still capable of telekinesis and warping/altering reality. Soon, little clues indicate something is not quite right in this drama/mystery/romance/sitcom/superhero series. In the town of Westview, NJ, where Wanda and Vision live, Wanda and Vision's relationship progresses in classic television show styles, starting with 1950s black-and-white, then moving through the decades, with the sets, clothing, attitudes, technology and even the effects reflective of each particular period. "It was really important to us that we weren't parodying sitcoms," says Shakman. "We studied tone and style from era to era (from the 1950s through the 2000s). We wanted to make sure what we were creating was absolutely faithful to the original touchstone shows." And that includes the visual effects. "We tried to stay faithful to what could have been achieved in each decade," adds Tara DeMarco, visual effects supervisor. 20 vendors contributed VFX to the series. WandaVision These Avengers star in their own 'television show' BY KAREN MOLTENBREY

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