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Marvel Cinematic Universe, which made a triumphant debut with Robert Downey Jr.’sIron Man,has encountered significant setbacks in recent years. The films have faced criticism for various aspects, including character arcs, franchise connections, and VFX, leaving fans disappointed.
The use of CGI and special effects in the movie has notably been at the lowest not only in the franchise but also in Hollywood, as earlier films like Johnny Depp’sPirates of the Caribbeanfeature much better and impressive special effects. As fans voiced their curiosity about the decreasing quality of effects, particularly in the MCU, VFX artist Rassoul Edji addressed their concerns on X (Twitter), revealing the true reason behind this decline.
VFX Artist Reveals the Real Reason Behind MCU’s Declining Special Effects Quality
VFX artist Rassoul Edji recently addressed the decline in special effects quality within the Marvel Cinematic Universe, contrasting it with the impressive CGI seen in films like theJohnny DeppstarrerPirates of the Caribbean, which debuted in 2006.
Edji attributed the drop in quality to several factors, emphasizing that studios and leadership bear responsibility for these issues. He pointed out that artists are often pressured to deliver intricate work within tight deadlines, with clients frequently changing their requirements without proper planning.
“Clients continually change the brief, shot design and planning are no longer a priority, and we have a lot more work to get through in a shorter amount of time,”hesaid in his tweet. Rassoul Edji also cited the prevalence of post-production changes and additions, which further burden VFX artists.
The average film changes a lot more during postproduction now than they used to. This means new work gets added to our plate and work we’ve already started (and sometimes even finished) gets scrapped. The ‘fix it in post’ mentality also doesn’t help.
Earlier in 2022, a VFX artist working for Marvel Studios anonymously spoke toVulture, as they revealed the challenging working conditions at the studio. They outlined enduring long hours, with nearly six months of daily overtime, and significant stress among colleagues.
They also claimed that the studio frequently made late-stage change requests, while calling for better director training and unionization to improve conditions for VFX workers. While talking about these issues in his tweet, Edji also shared that it is possible to achieve impressive special effects with proper planning and leadership.
Superior Quality is Achievable with Proper Leadership, Planning, and Time
While addressing the issues leading to the decline in CGI quality, Rassoul Edji also emphasized that there is still potential for achieving superior results.“We have and can create work better than back in the day,”he said.
He further stated,“It just needs the right leadership team, planning, and time to verify it happens.”He also underscored the accountability of studios and leadership for subpar outcomes, absolving visual artists of fault in such cases.
As with everything VFX related, it’s almost always the studio/leadership team who is responsible for when things don’t get done up to scratch and never the actual artists fault.
Earlier reports have stated that the Marvel visual artistsfiled a petitionto unionize with the US National Labor Relations Board amid widespread dissatisfaction with demanding work conditions and inadequate pay at the studio.
“We lost some machinery that night”: One Michael Bay Transformers Movie Had Such Insane VFX the Computers Exploded With “Little puffs of smoke”
“This is not about Marvel or Disney, this is about VFX workers throughout Hollywood and demanding respect for the work that we do,”VFX artist Mark Patch toldVarietyin 2023.
As perIMDb, Rassoul Edji has directed and served as a visual effects supervisor for the short filmSeeker. His credits also include work as a digital artist on projects such asSonic the Hedgehog 2and 2023 TV seriesPercy Jackson and the Olympiansas well as serving as a lead digital artist on the upcoming filmSnow White.
Laxmi Rajput
Senior Writer
Articles Published :3447
Laxmi Rajput is a Senior Writer at FandomWire, with over 3,300 articles published covering film, TV, and pop culture. With a degree in Broadcast Journalism and over three years of experience in content writing, she pivoted to entertainment journalism because let’s be honest, superheroes, sitcoms, and Netflix binges are way more fun. Laxmi frequently covers Marvel, Harry Potter, Star Wars, and popular TV shows, offering both fan-first enthusiasm and thoughtful analysis. Her work often dives into Marvel theories, revisits the genius of The Big Bang Theory, or unpacks the Netflix phenomenon of Stranger Things.
