With Werewolf by Night nearing a week from its official release on Disney+, anticipation for Marvel Studios’ first Special Presentation has certainly been on the rise. Ever since the official announcement of the project paired with the first trailer, many fans were pleasantly taken aback by how much this creative team went all in on the 1930s horror genre pastiche.
This was followed by the social media embargo lifting and critics giving overall positive responses to the 50-minute short film for its ability to honor classic filmmaking in the streaming landscape. A large heap of that praise should then land at the feet of director Michael Giacchino for creating this vintage aesthetic.
While sitting down with Collider for an interview, Giacchino discussed how some of these implementations came into place. Namely, the usage of cigarette burn cue marks throughout the special.
As we were editing and stuff, my editor Jeff and I are such nerds for this kind of thing, and we were just like, ‘Oh, we got to put in those things too. We got to put in the reel changes.’ Because we always approached this as something that was being done in the 30s. What would they have done and what would they have had at their disposal? How would they have done it? So, we did as many practical effects as we could.
Michael Giacchino
While being such a distinct element that could very well go unnoticed to most casual viewers, it’s emblematic of Giacchino’s care for matching the form of classic horror movies in the golden age of film. As well, the reliance on practical effects will likely stand out distinctly in relation to the heavy reliance on digital effects in film (especially in the superhero genre). The director went on to elaborate on his desire to have fully built sets for the actors to interact with in Werewolf by Night.
I wanted the actors to feel like they were in a true environment as opposed to having not only the work of creating these characters for us to experience on film, but then they would have to also imagine what was around them.
Michael Giacchino
Ultimately, these types of quotes from Michael Giacchino continue to build high amounts of promise for Marvel Studios’ upcoming project. If nothing else, Werewolf by Night is shaping to be one of the most visually unique projects to release in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Werewolf by Night stars Gael Garcia Bernal and Laura Donnelly and is set to release on Friday, October 7 on Disney+.
Source: Collider
