Some amazing behind-the-scenes details aboutAgatha All Alongwere recently revealed, and it makes me very hopeful about the future ofMCUproductions. Marvel Entertainment postedMarvel Studios' Assembled: The Making of Agatha All Alongwhich offered fans insight into the actors’ perspectives and the actual production of the series. One of themost interesting revealsfrom the video was thata majority of the sets and effects used inAgatha All Alongwere practical, which is a breath of fresh air for the MCU.
Though the MCU’s constant evolution calls for more grand-scale action sequences and fantasy worlds, it has not gone without its criticisms.Fans are getting tired of the studio’s reliance on CGI and green screens, and it’s getting easier for us to tell whenMarvel slacks on some effects. The fact thatAgatha All Alongbuilt a completely to-scale version of the Witches’ Road was already a good sign of how the series would turn out, and one practical effect from episode 3 really changes the way that we watch the scene.
Agatha All Along’s House Flooding Was Way More Real Than You Might Think
The Flooding Effect Was Completely Practical
In episode 3 ofAgatha All Along,the coven faces their first trial. After getting poisoned by the wine they drank, they had to gather the ingredients to make the proper antidote before time ran out. The witches successfully passed the test, and it ended with their dreamy beach house flooding as a way to push them out to the next trial. There is quite a bit of water that rushes in through the windows, and it’s all the more impressive to find out that the flooding was actually happening in real-time.
The production team built a house that they’d be able to completely flood, putting tanks of thousands of gallons of water around the set.The set was essentially a pool dressed up to look like a beach house kitchenso that when the time came, they could flood the water safely. The foot of water that the actors trekked through in the scene was actually present, as well as the chaotic streams of water rushing in.
Seeing Agatha All Along’s Behind The Scenes Reveals Makes The Show’s House Flooding Sequence Way More Interesting
The Characters’ Reactions Are Genuine
It’s extremely impressive that the show would go to such lengths to pull off a practical effect of this scale, especially since it was essentially only used for a few minutes of one episode. Knowing that the flooding was happening in real-time makes the scene so much more interesting to watch. The actors were experiencing the flood as we were, sothe characters’ reactions to getting drenched were completely genuine. Their panicked attempts to escape the flood are so much more realistic, knowing that the actors likely did want to get out of the water.
Episode 3 endswith the coven climbing into an oven to escape the trial, sliding into a ravine. That transition was practical too, as the actors were filmed sliding down an actual water slide. That knowledge adds a spark to an already comedic situation, as now even we at home feel immersed in the whimsy of the Witches’ Road. Having the actors get hands-on with their roles was a treat for viewers, and it was likely the best way for the actors to really connect to the scene as well.
I Hope The MCU Repeats Agatha All Along’s Practical Effects Successes In The Future
Agatha All Along Pulled This Off On A Smaller Budget
Agatha All Along’s practical effects were a big hit with viewers, and I’m hoping that Marvel will take note of the success. Although digital effects can be cool, the impressive feat of a practical set or effect intrigues fans even more. Having a real Witches’ Road set to work with explains why the characters looked so natural on screen, and adapting more practicality on set would be an easy way to elevate future Multiverse Saga projects and beat some of the past CGI criticisms.
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Marvel went to such lengths to film the flooding house scene, and that’s clear proof to me that they have it in them to pull off such effects. Especially considering thatAgatha All Alongwas a TV series with a much more limited budgetthan the major MCU films, I don’t see why the upcoming big-name franchises like theAvengersorSpider-Manmovies couldn’t do the same. Marvel needs to take note of how well-receivedAgatha All Along’s practical effects were for their own sake if they want to keep viewers invested.
