For over a decade, in an age before CGI, the makers of the Incredible Hulk TV show and its subsequent TV movies created the green giant the only way they could: by hiring a bodybuilder, Lou Ferrigno, and painting him green. Technology has evolved considerably since then, but not all computerized imagery is of the same quality. One of the complaints about She-Hulk: Attorney at Law involves the rushed-looking design of its title character. But the show’s team, including its star, are now on the defensive.
As per Variety, Tatiana Maslany — who plays the cousin of Mark Ruffalo’s Bruce Banner, who, too, has the ability to turn into a hulking green menace when angry — stood up for the CGI team, who she suggests are a bit over-worked.
“I feel incredibly, like, deferential to how talented these artists are and how quickly they have to work, obviously, like much quicker than probably should be given to them, in terms of like churning these things out,” Maslany said during a virtual panel at the Television Critics Association’s summer press tour.
The show’s head writer, Jessica Gao, agreed. “It’s terrible that a lot of artists feel rushed and feel that the the workload is too massive,” she said. “I mean, I think everybody on this panel stands in solidarity with all workers and is very pro-good working conditions.”
Marvel, who produced the series (which will air on Disney+), has come under fire for alleged mistreatment of the CGI houses they employ. Anonymous posts on Reddit claim the studio has a habit of demanding overwhelming last-minute changes and paying poorly for them as well. One artist complained about Marvel on Twitter, claiming that they’re “what pushed me to leave the VFX industry,” calling them “a horrible client” and that colleagues sometimes “break down after being over worked, while Marvel tightens the purse strings.”
Whatever the case, Maslany doesn’t think the CGI on her show is bad. “I watch it and it doesn’t look like a cutscene from a video game. I can see the character’s thoughts,” she said. “I feel very in awe of what they do.”
Anyway, at least the She-Hulk CGI has nothing on Cats.
She-Hulk: Attorney at Law premieres on Disney+ on August 18.
(Via Variety)
