RUSSIAN DOLL PRODUCTION.
THINGS GET WEIRD As a show that surprises on all fronts, atypical lighting moments were thrown in among stylised historical accuracy. “The subway sections required a huge LED wall,” Pontikos recalls. “Filming on the New York subway is uncontrollable. We could have rented sections of trains, but wanted to do more than that would allow. There are shots outside the carriages, trains going through the tunnels, characters walking on tracks and a lot of important story beats – all with different looks. We split the shoot over a few days on a stage, building a massive lighting set-up and placing trains on pneumatic suspensions. “The DMT sequence was one of my favourites,” she continues. “We went four storeys underground, to shoot in a bunker nobody had ever filmed in before. Getting lights down was challenging, so you had to know exactly what you wanted to do ahead of time. We synced a lot of Asteras
RETURNING FACES Alan (top) is plunged into yet more strangeness, while Nadia’s mother Lenora (above) has deeper focus
and Arri Skypanels into a flashing sequence. Our Steadicam operator was excellent, and really added to the sense of wooziness. “In another sequence, we had to emulate trains crashing, with Nadia and Alan flying from the impact. We rigged
lights on dollies, so we could dim them up as they moved. There were many shots like that, which hopefully look effortless, but required a lot of pre-planning. These very precise tricks got finessed in VFX, but it all started with physical elements,” Pontikos concludes. While another season of Russian Doll is yet to receive the green light, fans will be hopeful. If and when it comes, we’re sure to be taken in an altogether new direction. With any luck, Pontikos will remain one of a few beloved constants. Watch Russian Doll on Netflix now
“Filming on the New York subway is uncontrollable. We could have rented sections of trains, but wanted to do more than that would allow”
13. JUNE 2022
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