Watch Wakanda Rise in New Black Panther VFX Reel
Wakanda is the marvel of super advanced technology at the heart of Ryan Coogler’s game changing Black Panther. The fictional African nation is at the vanguard of just about everything—architecture, mass transportation, communication, flight, high-tech fashion design—all of which is powered by their most treasured resource, vibranium. This technology is harnessed by the teenage genius Shuri (Letitia Wright), the kid sister of the nation’s king, T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman). In order to make all of this believable, and beautiful, Coogler, his fellow filmmakers and cast relied on an assortment of crack visual effects experts like the folks at Rise Visual Effects Studios. In a brand new VFX reel, Rise reveals just how they helped build Wakanda, layer by layer, so that it became the mesmerizing place we all saw on the big screen.
The video reveals the creation of M’Baku (Winston Duke)’s mountain redoubt, the holographic technology that gives Shuri the ability to drive a car in Korea while still in her lab in Wakanda, and more. This is also the rare VFX reel you could actually dance to—the music is pretty fantastic.
The reel also highlights how for a film with so many onscreen wonders like Black Panther, the actors do a lot of work in front of green screens. Imagining they’re on a freezing mountain path, or sitting in a holographic car, the Black Panther cast were often conjuring the surroundings we’d all be unable to distinguish as digital effects later in their heads. This is something they’ve gotten good at over the years, as digital effects technology has given filmmakers the ability to create just about anything they can imagine. This doesn’t mean there weren’t a ton of practical effects, however—our interview with stunt coordinator Jonathan Eusebio proves that.
Check out the Black Panther VFX reel below. The film is available on digital HD and Blu-ray/dvd everywhere.
RISE REEL – Black Panther from RISE on Vimeo.
Featured image: Marvel Studios’ BLACK PANTHER. Talon Fighter over Wakanda. Ph: Film Frame. ©Marvel Studios 2018
