The prettiest Marvel show this year was “Agatha All Along” Time to ask Digital Domain how they did that!

We got a chance to talk to Digital Domains Michael Melchiorre, who has been in the VFX-Game since 1997 – earning his first spurs on “Xena, Warrior Princess”, and being a compositor or supervisor on almost 60 movies – including the Marvel Universe with “Avengers: Endgame”, Black Widow (Which earned him a VES nomination), “She-Hulk: Attorney at Law (which earned him a Telly Award), Shang Chi and many more. Outside that universe, he has been part of all kinds of productions, from “Power Rangers” to “I, Robot” and from “Transformers” to “Benjamin Button”. See a full list on his IMDB-Profile here.

DP: How did you get involved in the project?
Michael Melchiorre: As I was finishing up “She-Hulk: Attorney at Law,” Digital Domain was in the process of actively bidding on new projects, one of which was “Agatha All Along.” My background as a compositing supervisor made this a perfect fit for me, as it was a very comp heavy show. Digital Domain was the main vendor on this show completing just under 400 shots, spread across all nine episodes.

We went through the normal bidding process on this show since it had been a few years since we were involved with “WandaVision.” We were able to reuse our Agatha digi-double. This was helpful in that we had already nailed her likeness in the previous show. However, she had an all new costume on this project, so we still had to make extensive upgrades and adjustments.

DP: Digital Domain was a key player in this project. How did you integrate your pipeline with Marvel’s existing workflows to ensure seamless collaboration?

Michael Melchiorre: We have worked closely with Marvel since the release of “The Avengers” in 2012, which was the first Marvel project I was involved with at Digital Domain. At this point we know Marvel’s pipeline very well, and it is pretty standard from show to show. This makes it easy to get a project up and running.

DP:Marvel’s “Agatha All Along” has such a unique tone and aesthetic. How did your team approach defining the visual style of the series?
Michael Melchiorre: We knew going into this show that the creatives were looking to evoke the feeling of movies we all watched in the early to mid eighties. Movies like “Poltergeist,” “Ghostbusters,” “Return of the Jedi,” and “E.T.” were definitely touchstones we were aiming for.

DP: What was your approach to creating Agatha’s magical energy and effects? Were there any particular inspirations or references?
Michael Melchiorre: Beginning with Lookdev in November 2022, we were tasked with establishing distinct looks and colors for the magic of each witch: Agatha (purple), Teen (blue), Rio (green), Alice (orange), Lily (yellow), and Jen (pink). Each effect had to be unique yet maintain a consistent feel within the “Agatha All Along” world as well as what had been already established in “WandaVision”.

From spellbinding magic effects to thrilling broom chases and enchanting environments, the Digital Domain team crafted a captivating visual experience that fully immersed viewers in Agatha’s magical world. ©MARVEL, Courtesy of Digital Domain

DP: The show features a mix of magical elements and grounded environments. Can you describe the main challenges in creating VFX that felt both fantastical and believable?
Michael Melchiorre: The Burial Mound Sequence, as we called it, was a very complex and difficult task. Although there was some consideration of completing this sequence in 2D, through the use of time lapse footage, the work was ultimately done in CG. As Agatha is gently laid to rest on the ground, her body withers and decays with grass, flowers, and mushrooms growing to envelop her. As the mushrooms mature and die, they are replaced by blooming roses and purple flowers, symbolizing the beauty that arises from her sacrifice. Our Environments team built growth simulations that allowed them to meticulously control every mushroom, flower, and blade of grass. Once we had the death/growth timing locked in, the FX team added subtle details such as falling pebbles and dirt being pushed aside as new flowers sprouted from the ground. A keen observer will notice that Agatha’s toes begin to curl as she withers away. A subtle nod to witches that have come before.

The Burial Mound Sequence was a complex and challenging task for the Digital Domain artists, requiring extensive collaboration from both the Environment and FX teams to bring it to life. ©MARVEL, Courtesy of Digital Domain

DP: Lighting and rendering play an important role in setting the mood for magical scenes. What tools and techniques did you use to achieve the show’s distinctive lighting effects?
Michael Melchiorre: The look of Evanora’s ghostly form was loosely based on the Librarian ghost from “Ghostbusters”. This again was an all 2D effect. The actress who played Evanora was filmed against a bluescreen, suspended by wires. Through a series of keys and mattes of targeted densities, compositors slowly layered Evanora back into the plate, paying close attention to the density and transparency of her form. On-set production had fans blowing to simulate a gentle, ethereal breeze. However, this was often blowing too fast for the look we were after. To solve this piece of the puzzle, our compositors strategically retimed and slowed down areas of her gown or hair that were moving too fast, being careful not to alter the performance or facial features. These areas were then carefully reintegrated into Evanora’s ghostly form.

©MARVEL, Courtesy of Digital Domain

DP: The show has a period aesthetic. How did this influence your VFX work, and were there any particular challenges in matching the period look?
Michael Melchiorre. We absolutely went ‘old school practical’ on much of our work for this show. During the final battle between Agatha and Rio in the backyard, the ominous green clouds we see above them are actually practical cloud tank elements. We sifted through tens of thousands of frames of footage looking for just the right cloud movement to convey the foreboding tone we wanted. Once we selected the pieces we wanted to use, compositors layered them into a 360 degree dome in Nuke. The end result was a great homage to effects reminiscent of things we grew up watching in “Ghostbusters” and “Poltergieist”.

Drawing inspiration from “Return of the Jedi” and its speeder-bike chase, Digital Domain was responsible for the Broom Chase Sequence©MARVEL, Courtesy of Digital Domain

DP: Can you talk about the collaboration between the VFX and Animation departments on this project? How did the teams ensure consistency in the final visuals?
Michael Melchiorre: The Animation team was an integral part of this project, most notably during the Broom Chase Sequence. Drawing inspiration from “Return of the Jedi” and its speeder bike chase, on-set production built an elaborate forest set and used drones to capture 180-degree array footage that, when stitched together, would be used as backgrounds to insert our broomstick riding coven into.

Paying homage to “E.T.,” Digital Domain artists hand-animated each character flying high above the treetops across a blood moon to escape the forest road.©MARVEL, Courtesy of Digital Domain

Each coven member was shot individually on a blue screen, suspended by harnesses. Once the comp team extracted each character from the blue screen, the animation team stepped in to help ‘fly’ the witches through our digitally created forest environment that matched the practical set. This helped ensure all of the witches were traveling correctly in 3D space, keeping their scale and position consistent and, most of all, keeping a natural and realistic flight path. The comp team took this flight information from anim and reprojected each witch onto animated cards, rephotographing them with the camera lens that matched what we identified as the hero witch in each shot.

©MARVEL, Courtesy of Digital Domain

The lighting team rendered full 3D versions of our forest assets that were used to extend and enhance specific areas of the practical photography. This resulted in seamless composites that were often constructed from as many as eight to ten individual plates. In a nod to “E.T.,” as the coven tries to escape the forest road, they fly high above the treetops across a blood moon. This effect initially began as a traditional painted backdrop on glass. On set, individual puppets dressed as each character were photographed on miniature brooms against a blue screen. To enhance the scene, compositors augmented each character to ensure their hair and clothes moved naturally.

Once we are high above the witches road, this is where we relied heavily on our full digital recreation of the forest environment to capture angles that were impossible to achieve on set. Detailed down to the smallest rocks and built to hold up at any distance. The lighting team had complete freedom and confidence in our forest to create any vista we could conceive.

DP: Were there any unexpected technical hurdles that arose during production, and how did your team overcome them?
Michael Melchiorre: The biggest hurdle we had to overcome was also what made this show so interesting and unique: the artistic directive from Marvel. We were embracing old school techniques and methodologies and updating them using our current toolset. This is something many newer compositors have not had the chance to experience. We knew the comp team was going to be carrying a very heavy load, so we were very specific about the kind of artists we brought onboard for this show.

©MARVEL, Courtesy of Digital Domain

DP: Agatha’s character is at the heart of the show’s visuals. How much of the VFX work was influenced by Kathryn Hahn’s performance and how did you use digital effects to enhance her performance?
Michael Melchiorre: When we have an actress that is as expressive as Kathryn Hahn, we are always careful not to distract from or hide the performance. This was particularly important in the scenes where Agatha is a ghost. We had to create her otherworldly ghostlike appearance, but not lose the essence of her character. We were very particular about the amount of transparency that we allowed in and around her facial features. After all, she is the star of the show.

DP: Looking back on the project, is there a particular scene or effect that you’re particularly proud of and why?
Michael Melchiorre: I don’t know if I have a favorite shot or sequence. Each one presented its own challenges and rewards. I’m really proud of what the entire team, across every department, was able to achieve. Everyone involved in this show gave it their all and that effort shines in the final frames. I really feel like we created something that was exciting and fresh, but at the same time very familiar.