The filmography of director Kari Skogland includes stints on some of the biggest television series in recent memory. The Walking Dead. House of Cards. Boardwalk Empire. And, of course, The Handmaid’s Tale for which she received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Direction for a Drama Series. But it’s her involvement in Disney+’s second Marvel Cinematic Universe series The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, created by Malcolm Spellman, that marries several personal passions.
First and foremost, Falcon‘s evolution of Sam Wilson, The Falcon, into the first Black Captain America drew her attention to Spellman’s screenplay. That the series coupled that event with a complex and intricate exploration of heroes in the modern era proved an irresistible combination.
“I felt it was the most important story of the century, frankly, and long overdue, of course. But it meant that we got to explore what it means to be a hero. In today’s world, the original iconic symbol of both the shield and the Captain America character was born of the comic books of the 30s and 40s,” Skogland explained over Zoom. “And that was really a character who fought fascism, and it was sort of a warrior/soldier paradigm. Since then, I think we’ve evolved that idea to be, particularly after 911, first responder and even more so now frontline workers. That whole construct needed to be looked at, and sort of rebooted I suppose.”
Even though the Black Lives Matter movement happened during production on the series, Spellman, Skogland, and team were already exploring similar themes through the series. The evolution of that culture-changing movement amazed the creative team in the way it underscored the events of the series. When production halted for the COVID-19 pandemic, they found they only needed to sharpen certain plot points or characters, Skogland said, thrilled that she was able to tell this story at this moment in time.
Aside from the key thematic elements of Falcon, Kari Skogland found great release in being able to explore characters over an entire 6-hour series. As with many recent series, Skogland directed all episodes, allowing her to invest time in character development and marry that with her love of cinematic visuals.
The fact that The Falcon and the Winter Soldier was to debut on Disney+ hardly factored into Skogland’s filmmaking process.
“From the beginning, I’m kind of screen agnostic, so I always tend to shoot as if it’s big screen. I’ve never bought into any rules of small screen. Plus, people have expectations that are cinematic, no matter what they’re watching it on, even if it’s on a laptop,” Skogland remarked. “We shot with anamorphic lenses. We had a whole very specific package of the nature of lenses that we were shooting with which were quite wide angle. My sweet spot was 27mm which gave us lots of background. So in a close up, the background was quite in focus, and we had a real big depth of field.”
Additionally, Kari Skogland relied on what she refers to as “experiential techniques” where she guides the audience’s reaction to the scene based the character’s perspective. For example, Bucky Barnes’ (Sebastian Stan) first therapy scene was a rather long sequence. Skogland needed to use her experiential techniques to visually convey not only his mental state at the time but also make it interesting for the viewer. That resulted in the usage of off-kilter camera angles, off-side framing, and playing with focus.
In contrast, Sam Wilson’s (Anthony Mackie) world required very different camera techniques. Given his lifestyle and ties to the ocean, Skogland’s camera moved frequently and filmed sequences in wide shots. That allowed for some of those gorgeous shots of Sam’s family boat rocking in the ocean. The series’ focus on character ended up dictating how Skogland needed to capture the performances.
Most compellingly, Skogland’s framing of John Walker (Wyatt Russell) highlighted the wildly diverging definitions of heroics that applied to the character.
“His character went through a different series of events, but I also tried to give him some heroic angles. So we were always a little bit lower and always giving him that hero space because that’s who he was representing,” Skogland explained. “So in that case, I was very conscious of his costume and how it sat on him. Also, even where he stood in the room was very carefully planned out.”
That all changed once Walker is proved less successful than his predecessor, the original Captain America. Skogland’s camera viewed Walker in diminished angles, mirroring his diminished stature in his own mind. When Walker finally breaks and takes the Super Soldier Serum, his angles and filming style changed yet again, reflecting his increased abilities if not necessarily an increase in heroism.
Given her success with The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, would Kari Skogland return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe for future storytelling?
“I would be honored. There’s not a character that I wouldn’t be honored work with and to tell the story of. I think it comes down to the fact that Marvel always has some real soul in their stories. They’re never just love. They take on really interesting themes and topics. They really don’t pull any punches. They love having deeper conversations and pushing the envelope.”
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier streams exclusively on Disney+.
