Hats off to the Russo brothers, as they actually managed to pull off the gargantuan task of making Avengers: Infinity War a great movie. It must have taken a lot of hard work and talent to ensure that a film starring an entire universe full of characters and one with so much hype behind it was even coherent, let alone thrilling and dramatic. But they absolutely knocked it out of the park.
For a window into Joe and Anthony Russo’s thought processes while working on the pic, Vanity Fair caught up with the directors and had them break down a scene from Infinity War – namely, the moment where Thor first encounters the Guardians of the Galaxy.
If you’re interested in filmmaking, this is a great lesson in all the different elements a director has to keep a check on: from shooting a scene, to the choice of camera work, to the lighting, to the cinematography, to – if you’re making a superhero blockbuster, at least – handling CGI characters.
As the scene in question is mostly a comedic one, the Russos’ analysis focuses on how they aimed to squeeze as much humor out of the situation as possible. In particular, they relied on techniques they’d picked up from their work on Arrested Development, using pans from one character to another to capture facial reactions and employing a handheld camera in order to give it a more grounded feel.
It’s also interesting to hear how the Russos deliberately adjusted their color palette for Infinity War, attempting to bring out a brighter tone in the movie in contrast to the more desaturated look they perfected in Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Civil War. It’s an approach that represents the much bigger canvas, with many larger than life characters, that Avengers: Infinity War operates on, too.
Anyways, check out their breakdown up above and be sure to let us know what you think.
