Spider-Man: Across The Spider Verse Worked On By a Staggering “1,000 artists”

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is leading the race for a VFX Oscar, and a recent interview with its visual effects supervisor reveals why.

The work that went into it required “a lot of development,” according to Michael Lasker. And that’s putting it mildly.

“It’s like 3,000 paintings with 1,000 artists, all different types of work, whether they’re animators or texture painters, or artists or developers,” Lasker tells The Hollywood Reporter.

So challenging was the work that Lasker and co. had to develop new tools to help them. With them, Lasker says, “we could dial how sketchy, how architecturally crisp [the worlds] were. We had to develop new tools to make brushstrokes and watercolor, and we had to light every shot like it was a different painting.”

As you can imagine, it was a formidable task. “We couldn’t rely on tried and true lighting principles where you make a light rig and you light the whole sequence,” Lasker continues. “So every shot was different. Then we had to have characters move and perform and cameras moving. First, we paint the painting. Then we move through the painting.”

After Lasker’s comments it’s no surprise to see Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse’s Oscar nomination. It’s currently on the shortlist, alongside films including Guardians of the Galaxy: Volume 3, but if successful, it will be only the fourth animated film to be up for the award.

To date, only 1993’s The Nightmare Before Christmas, 2016’s Kubo and the Two Strings, and 2019 The Lion King have been Oscar-nominated for their VFX work.

But what about the BAFTAs? David Tennant will host this year’s EE BAFTA film awards.