See How All The Trick Arrows in “Hawkeye” Were Created
Well, this is fun. Over the weekend, Marvel Studios released this video showing how the trick arrows in Hawkeye were created. Marvel’s most recent Disney+ series was arguably the lightest on its feet of all their series thus far, leaning into the comedic chemistry between Clint Barton (Jeremy Renner) and Kate Bishop (Hailee Steinfeld). Part of the fun was how much of a fangirl Kate was for Clint, the least beloved Avenger (she told him it’s a branding issue) insofar as he’s quiet, wears drab clothing and doesn’t have any superpowers. What Clint does have, along with incredibly good aim, is a slew of amazing trick arrows. Now we get to see how they’re created.
Greg Steele, Hawkeye‘s VFX Supervisor, spoke to Lorraine Cink about how they created all of Clint’s potent, sometimes hilarious arrows. One aspect that’s really cool is that the arrows are not just purely computer effects. In fact, Steele says right at the top that the props department plays a huge part in designing Clint’s arrows. “They’re like little pieces of artwork in terms of the complexity and design aesthetic,” he says.
It’s during a car chase in episode three when Clint and Kate are trying to escape the tracksuit mafia where we get to dip into the lion’s share of Clint’s quiver of trick arrows. In one fantastic moment, Clint has Kate shoot a regular arrow so that it’ll arc high in the sky and then come down on top of the Tracksuit mafia’s oncoming truck. Clint then uses one of his “Pym Arrows,” which, of course, come from the laboratory of Hank Pym (Michael Douglass), the brilliant scientist who can shrink or enlarge anything, and shoots it at Kate’s arrow. When it makes contact, it enlarges Kate’s arrow so that it comes down on the truck like a giant sledgehammer. (The folks at Screenrant believe that, while this moment was awesome, it created an MCU plot hole.)
The video gives you insight into just how much work, and how many people, it takes to pull off a single episode of Hawkeye, let alone an entire series or an MCU film. Needless to say, they hit the bullseye.
For more on Hawkeye, check out these stories:
“Hawkeye” Director & Executive Producer Rhys Thomas Hits His Mark
New “Hawkeye” Clip Shows Clint Barton Meeting the Parents
New “Hawkeye” Video Takes You Behind-the-Scenes of Marvel’s New Dynamic Duo
Featured image: Jeremy Renner as Clint Barton/Hawkeye. Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios.
