In a recent interview with Andy Parks, the head of the visual development team at Marvel Studios, he revealed how much he enjoys working with Thor: Love and Thunder director, Taika Waititi. He also expressed his views on the path Marvel Studios is taking and how fascinated he is with Kevin Feige’s vision.
There’s no doubt that the costumes and designs in the MCU are amazing. From concept art to posters, Marvel never tries to surprise its fans. Andy Park spoke about his experience with Taika Waititi as well as his more than twelve-year journey working with Marvel Studios.
Andy Park’s Work, Then Vs. Now
Starting with Captain America: The First Avenger Andy Park has come a long way. He explored worlds, characters and stories of different characters and the visions of several directors. Bringing someone’s vision to life would be the essence of how they describe their work.
He states that at first one would think about how big Marvel could get after his grand scale Avengers: Endgame, However, that too was a short-lived thought with Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, as good as Love at first sight. He says the model evolves from the comics themselves and with it the vision gets bigger and bigger.
See also: ‘I wasn’t there when they filmed’: Thor 4 Star tackles harrowing floating-head CGI controversy, reveals Taika Waititi filmed it separately and put his face in it
The Andy Park Experience with Taika Waititi and Thor
Highlighting the difference between the first two Thor movies and the last two, Andy Parks remarks on how much fun he had working with director Taika Waititi. Bringing the same character to life outside of his first two movies in a very different and vivid way is really an experience for him.
He states that working with Waititi is like strapping in for a ride. His ideas not being afraid to explore extremes and him wanting to take those leaps just as much establishes a confidence in his vision that makes Park’s whole journey kind of fun.
“There may be times when we are afraid [and say] ‘Ahhh, I don’t know… maybe that’s a bit too far design-wise.’ So he’ll like to push us to be like, ‘Hey, let’s go.’ Whether that became the design or we backed off a bit, we wouldn’t have found this pivot without going to extremes. That’s pretty much Taika in a nutshell.
More so, it explains how each character and creature has multiple design ideas and options that are all offered and then viewed to determine which is the best fit. He said Eternity’s design also had many options, from grand to simple. Taika Waititi had stated that although the scene was to involve Eternity, the focus should remain on the characters of Thor, Mighty Thor, Gorr and his daughter Love. Which one design that best matched was a precise yet comical design for Eternity.
The design of Omnipotence City and Gorr’s Shadow Monsters
Mayes Rubeo, who serves as the film’s costume designer, and her artists were responsible for designing the characters involved in Omnipotence City. After creating an overall image, the city was then designed with comic precision in mind, after which the characters were further developed.
The Shadow of Gorr monsters also had an amazing story for their design. Taika Waititi’s own children pulled their iteration of the monsters, which was also done by Christian Bale’s children. This then became a practice for each of the crew members involved in the making of the film. Since shadow monsters were an aspect of Love’s imagination, it only made sense for the kids to give their own take on the same. Of course, the final designs ranged from how creepy they can get to how humorous they are.
See also: ‘I was looking for what Taika Waititi did with Ragnarok’: She-Hulk director reveals she took inspiration from Thor: Ragnarok to balance comedy and emotion amid lukewarm reception
Andy Park designs Thunderbolts, Quantumania and his dream comes true
Working in an industry full-time, both on set and with the VFX team, Andy Park shares how he got the first look on his own. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, this is the only look revealed so far for the film. Giving a look at all three suits, being Scott’s Cassy’s and Hope, as well as a view of the Quantum Verse. He talks about how the costumes themselves reveal a bit of their personality and he would love to be a part of introducing these characters. He also talks about how the art of the teaser for the Love at first sight reveals very little about the actual project and yet gives an idea of the characters within the project.
The fact that he has been a Marvel fan since childhood enhances his experience working with Marvel Studios. His faith in Kevin Feige’s vision is strong because even though he would worry about how a project like guardians of the galaxy had to work right after The Avengers only to be amazed at the strength and focus of Feige’s idea. Not only working with precision, but also enjoying his time with the studios.
See also: ‘No wonder it’s trash’: Marvel Fans Troll She-Hulk Director After She Calls Taika Waititi’s Thor: Ragnarok ‘Forefront’ Inspiration for MCU Series
Source: Syfy
