This Hawkeye VFX breakdown from Weta Digital pulls back the curtain on one of the Disney+ series’ most memorable sequences. Hawkeye starred Jeremy Renner and Hailee Steinfeld across six episodes released in November and December 2021, following retired Avenger Clint Barton as he mentors young archer Kate Bishop through a Christmastime heist gone wrong in New York City.
The breakdown’s real focus is the Manhattan Bridge sequence, where Weta built CG set extensions, a digital bridge model, and matte paintings to create the New York skyline behind the actors. That combination let the crew shoot on a controlled set or partial location build while the finished shot reads as a real bridge at a real height, over real traffic below.
It’s the same trick used throughout the series for scenes that would have been too expensive, too dangerous, or simply impossible to shoot for real on location: build what the camera actually needs practically, then extend the rest digitally. Weta has built far bigger beasts too. Smaug and Elliot both made our list of the best CGI dragons in movies.
