Make your next Marvel-inspired short stand out with these four WandaVision effects. Spoilers ahead!
If you’re like me, new original TV shows have been a primary source of inspiration over the past pandemic-shaken year.
Though I miss the movie theater with all my heart, there’s something to be said for the incredible content coming straight to our TVs. With Disney+, this is more exciting than ever for VFX artists and enthusiasts.
We’ve already broken down their previous hit, The Mandalorian, but there’s a new kid on the block. WandaVision is nearing its final episodes, and after a unique start, Marvel’s latest work is ramping into a wild adventure that is sure to have consequences on the next phase of the MCU.
These are four WandaVision inspired effects you can achieve right now with basic tools and stock footage. Major spoilers ahead!
1. The Static Barrier
Wanda’s self-inflicted sitcom dreamworld is marked from the outside by one distinct feature: a static barrier surrounding the suburban town of Westview. The foundation of this effect is simple and something we’ve talked about before: noise, noise, and more noise. What I would call the swiss army knife of foundational VFX tools, noise is incredible for its procedural properties and flexibility. In the case of Westview’s barrier, several layers are implemented with glows and environmental distortions to boot.
Consider how you can blend your forcefield into the world. Would it magnify the light around it? Does it put out heat? These basic questions will take your look to a greater level of detail.
2. Super Speed
One of my all-time favorite superhero effects to recreate is super speed, such as Wanda’s “recast” brother Pietro.
The effect is simple on the surface, but when you dig deeper, you can find several ways to bring this to the next level. The angle of approach is crucial here too with the lowest effort option being speed ramps alone to get your look.
I prefer some clever rotoscoping, transformations, and blurs for that true “trail” effect we’ve all come to love. The special sauce is really in the environment though. For reference, you can find these effects throughout the video below beginning at 0:13. Consider the real-world implications of a human body moving that fast. I’m sure there will be dust kick-up, papers thrown around, and maybe even glass shattered from the force. Sounds like a great opportunity for stock footage to me!
3. Wanda’s Powers
Though incredibly vast and abstract in their application, the physical appearance of Wanda’s powers is quite simple. The ghoulish, almost organic red energy employed by the former Avenger is an incredibly fun one to pull off. It’s somewhere between lightning, plasma, fire, and energy. Most of all, it’s terrifying.
I approach this type of material from the center out, considering that the energy is more often than not focused on a core married to Wanda’s hand. This can be a simple circle with a glow! From there, the energy permeates outwards in a chaotic, yet controlled way. There are tons of options in our Energy Category to get you started here. Add glows and hue shift to your liking, and as if I’m a broken record: consider your environment for the finishing touches. Heatwaves andlens flarescan really mold your effect into the scene.
4. Selective Coloring
We may be blurring the lines here between visual effects and color, but is there really a fundamental difference? One of the most inspiring parts of WandaVision is the blast to the past we’ve been adventuring through each episode.
Starting in full black and white as a 1950s I Love Lucy inspired callback, WandaVision has since ventured through several decades, bringing along with it the same level of fidelity you’d expect.
You can find a great example of this in the official trailer for the show.From grade all the way to aspect ratio, this is quite a fun direction that Marvel has chosen. The best part is it’s a very literal thing that’s happening in the show itself. Wanda is transforming the world around her to fit these molds.
This transformative effect is most apparent when we find a fully colored toy helicopter in a black and white world. To keep this one simple: learn Resolve. Its qualifier tool is an absolute beast for these effects but also for secondary color correction in general.
The biggest takeaway from all of these effects and how they’re employed inside of WandaVision is that there’s an incredible amount of world-building underneath each of them.
These distinct styles, powers, and more rest neatly inside the universe Marvel and Disney have created for the show and ultimately serve to enhance its story. This is the golden rule and one all of us keep in mind. The best effects aren’t the flashiest effects, they’re the ones that serve the story being told!
