The latest British limited series from Netflix named Adolescence creates a strong impact through its compelling stories and remarkable visual presentation.
The show features Stephen Graham in a crime drama about a father whose teenage son Jamie faces m*rder charges.
After coming out Adolescence earned great reviews online and achieved high ratings on Rotten Tomatoes.
Though viewers are captivated by Adolescence’s emotional storytelling only a single aspect namely its uninterrupted one-take filming method remains unclear.
Single-take episodic production proves extremely hard to achieve because it needs perfect planning and practice.
The camera follows scenes smoothly without cuts allowing viewers an extraordinary experience with true real-world tension and realism.
As a Boiling Point director Philip Barantini broke new ground when he embarked on this film technique.
For Adolescence the director needed perfect performances throughout every part of each scene to match film conventions’ dependence on multiple shot variations to improve scenes.
In Adolescence Episode 2 viewers are stunned by a unique camera movement that stands out from all other features.
Ryan rushes through the classroom window as Detective Inspector Luke Bascombe chases him because Ashley Walters plays the role.
Ryan runs furiously from the school campus while the camera maintains a continuous view.
This scene stands out because the camera keeps running from a fast chase to a car trip and an emotional encounter at the de@th location without cutting to another angle.
TV public figure Jeremy Clarkson expressed his shock during his statement about this scene’s flawless handling.
“Adolescence. The camera at the end of show 2. How did they achieve that result? According to Clarkson his disbelief knew no bounds when he saw the scene.
The company Netflix UK & Ireland responded to his tweet to explain the tremendous production work needed to create the sequence.
The seamless shot result came from expertly blending camera movements done by hand and drone operation.
Director of Photography Matthew Lewis began filming by walking behind Ryan during his escape maneuvers across different school rooms.
The camera settled onto a drone and moved along with the vehicle while filming the suspect being chased.
The drone traveled about 0.3 miles from the school area to the m*rder site where Stephen Graham portrayed Eddie Miller placing flowers.
Upon reaching the spot the drone operator smoothly transferred the camera to a ground operator resulting in a smooth emotional close-up transition.
For two weeks rehearsals involved each step planned between 300 strong supporting group of teachers students and police personnel.
Despite the complexity of the execution, the production team managed to achieve what many have described as an “impossible shot,” setting a new standard for cinematography in television.
The international success of Adolescence shows that its unique filming approach makes the drama more than just engaging content while also creating a visual marvel.
Feature Image Credit: (Netflix)