Some amazing behind-the-scenes details about Agatha all the time were recently revealed and it makes me very hopeful about the future of MCU productions. Marvel Entertainment posted Assembled from Marvel Studios: The Making of Agatha All Along which offered fans insight into the actors’ perspectives and the actual production of the series. One of the most interesting revelations from the video was that most sets and effects used in Agatha all the time were practicalwhich is a breath of fresh air for the MCU.
While the MCU’s constant evolution calls for more large-scale action sequences and fantasy worlds, it hasn’t gone without criticism. Fans are tired of the studio’s reliance on CGI and green screensand it’s getting easier to tell when Marvel relaxes on some effects. The fact that Agatha all the time building a fully scaled version of Witches’ Road was already a good sign of how the series would turn out, and a practical effect from episode 3 really changes the way we watch the scene.
The flooding of Agatha’s house was much more real than you think
The effect of the flood was entirely practical
In episode 3 of Ágatha all the time, the clan faces its first trial. After being poisoned by the wine they drank, they had to gather the ingredients to make the proper antidote before time ran out. The witches passed the test successfully, and it ended with the flooding of their dream beach house as a way of pushing them to the next trial. There’s a lot of water coming in through the windows, and it’s even more impressive to discover that the flooding was actually happening in real time.
The production team built a house that would be capable of completely flooding by placing tanks holding thousands of gallons of water around the set. The set was essentially a swimming pool decorated to look like a beach house kitchen. so that when the time came, they could safely flood the water. The foot of water that the actors waded through in the scene was actually present, as were the chaotic streams of running water.
Seeing Agatha’s behind-the-scenes revelations all the time makes the show’s house flooding sequence that much more interesting
The characters’ reactions are genuine
It’s extremely impressive that the show went to such lengths to achieve a practical effect of this scale, especially since it was essentially only used for a few minutes of one episode. Knowing that the flood was happening in real time makes the scene much more interesting to watch. The actors were experiencing the flood like us, so the characters’ reactions to getting soaked were completely genuine. Their panicked attempts to escape the flood are much more realistic, knowing that the actors probably wanted to get out of the water.
Episode 3 ends with the clan climbing into a furnace to escape judgment, sliding down a ravine. This transition was also practical, as the actors were filmed sliding down a real waterslide. This knowledge adds a spark to an already comical situation, as now even we at home feel immersed in the whimsy of Witch Road. Having the actors play their roles was a treat for viewers and was probably the best way for the actors to really connect to the scene as well.
I hope the MCU repeats Agatha’s practical effects successes in the future
Agatha has always achieved this on a smaller budget
Agatha all the timeThe practical effects were a big hit with viewers, and I hope Marvel takes note of the success. While digital effects can be cool, the impressive feat of a set or practical effect intrigues fans even more. Having a true witch path 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 overcome some of the previous criticisms of CGI.
Marvel went to great lengths to film the flooded house scene, and this is clear proof to me that they are capable of producing such effects. Especially considering that Agatha all the time was a TV series with a much more limited budget than the main MCU films, I don’t see why upcoming franchises from big names like the Avengers or Spider-Man films could not do the same. Marvel needs to take note of how well-received Agatha all the timeThe practical effects were for their own good if they want to keep viewers invested.