Joss Whedon Discusses THE AVENGERS' Visual Style And Meeting Expectations!

Hit the jump and check out a lengthy chat with Marvel's The Avengers writer-director Joss Whedon, discussing his visual style for the movie as well meeting the expectations of eager fans!

By DCMarvelFreshman - Mar 07, 2012 05:03 PM EST

Filed Under: Avengers

Apparently talking with the press, via PhilSTAR, the writer and director of this summer's long-awaited superhero spectacle Marvel's The Avengers, Joss Whedon, discussed his visual style for the movie among other things. Additionally weighing on meeting fans' expectation, and his overall direction, check out what he says below!

“As much as anything, my visual style as a director comes from comic books,” he says. “My understanding of visual storytelling comes from panel art, which I was reading more voraciously than I was watching movies for most of my childhood. In that sense, I had sort of a head start when I started visualizing this film. I hired Seamus McGarvey to be my Director of Photography because of ‘Atonement.’ It’s a gorgeous film. Seamus’ understanding of light as romantic and naturalistic is dazzling.

“Visually, the movie is similar to a lot of things that I do because it’s supposed to be casually iconic. In other words, I want to hit iconic moments without hitting people over the head with them. I want it to feel like a comic book without trying to look like one. I’m trying to ride that line between bigger-than-life characters and their bigger-than-life moments and the very human aspects of them.”

“I feel respect for the fans, but you can’t let yourself feel the weight of how much they want or need from the project,” Whedon explains. “I really believe that you can die from fan expectations. There are two things that I can’t stand when I go to see a movie based on a comic book: being ignored and being pandered to. Fans are well aware when movies are doing either one. Ultimately, they’re going to see everything they ever hoped to see in ‘Marvel’s The Avengers,’ from every single one of these characters. There won’t be a hint of, ‘Well, we thought we ought to put this in to make the fans happy.’

“Honestly, if I felt the weight of how famous the actors in this movie are, or how big the budget is, or how high the fans’ expectations are, I’d be in my bed right now with the covers pulled up over my head. I did have one little minor freak out and my wife just said, ‘Honey, it’s just the next story.’ That helped.”

Whedon concludes, “I want to make a great Super Hero movie. I want to make a movie that has to have Super Heroes in it and makes it very clear that the world needs Super Heroes—especially this ridiculously motley, mismatched crew of Super Heroes. I want to make the kind of movie that inspires people to say, ‘There should be more movies with Super Heroes in them.’”

Marvel Studios presents in association with Paramount Pictures “Marvel’s The Avengers”--the super hero team up of a lifetime, featuring iconic Marvel super heroes Iron Man, the Incredible Hulk, Thor, Captain America, Hawkeye and Black Widow. When an unexpected enemy emerges that threatens global safety and security, Nick Fury, Director of the international peacekeeping agency known as S.H.I.E.L.D., finds himself in need of a team to pull the world back from the brink of disaster. Spanning the globe, a daring recruitment effort begins.

Starring Robert Downey, Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner and Samuel L. Jackson, & directed by Joss Whedon from a screenplay by Joss Whedon, “Marvel’s The Avengers” is based on the ever-popular Marvel comic book series “The Avengers,” first published in 1963 and a comics institution ever since. Prepare yourself for an exciting event movie, packed with action and spectacular special effects, when “Marvel’s The Avengers” assemble on May 4, 2012. The film is distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. In addition to "Marvel's The Avengers," Marvel Studios will release a slate of films based on the Marvel characters including "Iron Man 3" on May 3, 2013!; and “Thor 2” on November 15, 2013.

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