![]() ![]() This was in part due to the iterative learning nature of the new approach and also the techniques the team refined during the production. Looking back at that test today, some 18 months later, Port and the team are surprised to see how much further they managed to improve the process. ![]() “I think that enabled him to do the performance the way he wanted to” said Port. For Brolin, the test was key as it was based on clips of him performing in character but also just talking to the directors normally. It addressed the issue of whether he had to perform that role bigger than he might otherwise do, and that the subtlety of his facial performance was going to come through”. “It was great for him to see that as an actor, given that he was playing a CG character that was very big. ![]() ![]() It was clear from the test that small and informed choices would still read on Thanos’ digital face. The test showed the level of low key performance that could be carried through the pipeline. We were standing in the corner while Josh Brolin was reviewing the test, and already the Marvel guys and the Russo brothers were excited by it, but we needed to show it to Brolin” recalls Port. “It was the first day of shooting and we were in the trailer and it was Kevin Feige and these Marvel executives, along with the Russo brothers (the Directors) and Brolin. This test sequence was completed by Digital Domain ready for the first day of principle photography. Digital Domain took this footage, which was not scripted material from the film, and placed Thanos in the Throne room set (next to the torture room), in a fully rendered and final quality shot sequence. The test involved three or four shots of Josh Brolin that were filmed with the actor talking to the directors. This early commitment by Marvel was pivotal in the way Josh Brolin would play Thanos. As a result they engaged Digital Domain three or four months before the shoot to do extensive testing and development. Marvel was very aware from the start of this film that with over 40 minutes of Thanos on screen, if the character did not work, the film would not work. VFX Supervisor Kelly Port headed the Digital Domain team who developed the new face pipeline for Avengers: Infinity War. They were joined by Weta who handled the major fight on Titan between Thanos and Dr Strange, Star-lord, Spiderman, Mantus, Drax and Ironman. In the film, the Thanos character was primarily produced by Digital Domain, who did 400+ shots. One of the main reasons Brolin could deliver such a subtle and measured performance is that he saw the first complex Thanos test from Digital Domain at the start of principle photography (see below) and recognised how well the process could work in maintaining the subtlety of his performance throughout the pipeline. Instead, we see Thanos as a complex character with a nuanced performance based on the acting of Josh Brolin. In Avengers Infinity War, Thanos is a character that is far from a typical pantomime cartoon villain. Often, the plot provides little in motivation and the character, in turn is rarely seen with any subtlety. It is not uncommon for villains to be criticized as one dimensional or lacking motivation. One of the most remarkable aspects of the latest Avengers film is how much focus, screen time and empathy there is for the film’s antagonist Thanos. ![]()
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