Avengers: Endgame was filled with reveals, surprises and shocks. Between the aftermath of Thanos’ snap and catching up with the remaining Avengers, there was plenty to process.
And it all looked beautiful! Endgame cinematographer Trent Opaloch recently discussed two of his favorite scenes from the film while speaking with Variety for their “Framing the Scene” series. Before Endgame, Opaloch worked on Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Avengers: Infinity War. So it’s safe to say the movie was in safe hands.
The first of Opaloch’s picks is the scene where we learn that Tony Stark/Ironman is lost in space. Personally, seeing Tony Stark stuck up there with zero prospects of survival or rescue was heartbreaking. “We see Tony sending a goodbye message to Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow),” Opaloch said. “The lighting is contrasting and dark, and we played it really down. There’s a cyan light coming in from the ship’s window. It’s a light that was meant to be generated by deep space and the Starscape. The lighting shows you where he is emotionally and physically. […] Robert Downey Jr. really brings a lot to the staging of a scene. He will always make it his own. As soon as we figured out where he was lying and how he was going to be silhouetted against the Starscape in the background, you get this beautiful lonely image.”
I love the way Opaloch breaks down the Tony Stark “up in space” scene because there was so much emphasis on the colors and positioning of the lights. As viewers, we can take things like color and light for granted, but I’m glad people like Opaloch are there behind the scenes making sure everything is top notch. There was definitely something haunting and extremely lonely about this scene.
Another one of Opaloch’s favorite scenes was the “Fat Thor” reveal, which has proven to be quite controversial since the movie came out. The fact that Thor fell into a deep depression and gained weight following Thanos’ snap became problematic for viewers as they accused Marvel of being fatphobic, according to IndieWire.
How did Chris Hemsworth feel about the scrutiny behind “Fat Thor”? While talking to Variety, Hemsworth claimed that he “enjoyed that version of Thor…It was so different than any other way I played the character. And then it took on a life of its own.” I have to say I agree. Perhaps the humor was misguided, but there was a deeper level to it all.
As the cinematographer, Opaloch naturally likes the scene for aesthetic reasons:
"For this scene, we shot the establishing footage in St Abbs, Scotland. It’s a small fishing village that we found. We shot the interiors of Thor’s cabin in Pinewood. What I loved was that we used natural lighting in contrast to the rest of the film because they’re in otherworldly environments. This was super simple and basic. It was a nice palette cleanser in terms of lighting and worlds. It’s a funny mix of elements in the scene.[…] It was a great performance from Hemsworth after his failure to correct what Thanos had done. It was an eccentric collection of characters, and there was an emotional heartbeat to his performance."
I absolutely did not see that moment coming, and to see Thor so out of his element and without any hope or happiness really hit home.
Opaloch doesn’t look to have any projects on the horizon, but if he were to stick around the Marvel Cinematic Universe, we wouldn’t be complaining.
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