Marvel Studios has done an impressive job of raising the bar for cinematic universes with its big-screen projects and television spinoffs, and a big part of that evolution has occurred behind the camera, too. According to Marvel Studios executive producer Victoria Alonso, the upcoming Avengers: Age Of Ultron will likely be the studio’s most ambitious project to date as far as visual effects and the post-production process.
While making the keynote speech at the Visual Effects Society Production Summit over the weekend, Alonso said the 2015 sequel to The Avengers will feature more than 3,000 VFX shots. This would give the film around 500 more VFX shots than Captain America: The Winter Soldier, the studio’s previous record-holder in the visual effects department.
Speaking with The Hollywood Reporter, Alonso said that in order to produce all of the VFX shots necessary for the film, Marvel will likely need to work with 7-12 VFX studios in at least five different countries. However, working with multiple countries is seen as a benefit to the process, as other countries’ studios “sometimes have ideas that we don’t have.”
Related: Here’s the official plot breakdown for Avengers: Age of Ultron
“That’s what we gain by being global,” she explained.
Alonso also campaigned for better gender balance behind the camera, adding that she’s among the people eagerly anticipating a Marvel movie featuring a female superhero.
“You’ve got to get the girls in here, boys,” said Alonso. “I have been with you beautiful, handsome, talented, creative men in dark rooms for two decades and I can tell you those rooms are better when there are a few of us in them. So as you take this with you, please remember that it’s okay to allow the ladies in. They’re smart, they’re talented. They bring a balance that you need.”
Avengers: Age of Ultron hits theaters May 1, 2015.