PRODUCTION ADOLESCENCE
I WAS SO HAPPY TO jump back into the one-shot format BECAUSE IT’S JUST REALLY EXCITING – when it’s not really stressful that is... ”
like the security office in episode 3. “We changed the blocking so many times until it felt super smooth,” he says. “It was really important to have the camera movements be motivated by the actors. The second I started panning around or walking off by myself, it was in danger of looking like a documentary. It had to feel floaty and blend in – you were never supposed to think about the camera as actually being there.” Rehearsals were equally rigorous. Each episode was allotted two weeks of rehearsals followed by a week of shooting. The first week was dedicated mainly to blocking without much camera work, instead focusing on mapping out the performances. “We had lots of beat sheets and I was constantly rejigging the way people moved,” Lewis explains. The second week became more technical, incorporating the camera and refining the flow. “By the end of that week, you want to be able to get full takes in, even if you have to stop and start.” Once they began filming, they aimed for two full takes a day, allowing time for resets and review. “We were relentlessly working stuff out during rehearsals but, weirdly, once we got into the week of shooting things slowed down a bit. There was time for reviewing and refinement.” The question on every filmmaker’s mind: is Adolescence truly a oner? Is each episode genuinely a seamless, uninterrupted shot from start to finish, or are there any subtle stitches or sneaky transitions tucked discreetly into the slick choreography? According to Lewis, the answer is a firm no. “There were moments I wished we had!” he admits – especially during the gruelling episode 3 shoot. “I was thinking, surely we should just split this into two sections and wipe
past a wall for a nice little transition!” But everyone on-set had bought into the goal of getting what they needed in a single, uninterrupted take. Though he had certain backup plans in his head – moments where the camera’s speed, angle or a convenient vertical line might have allowed for a seamless cut – he never voiced them. “Once you start to say these things out loud, everyone’s like, ‘maybe we should do that to make it easier’ – and then you’ve sort of lost.”
THE BIG SWITCH Mounting the camera onto a drone while it was still recording was one of the crew’s most impressive manoeuvres
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