Severance Season 2s Disorienting Opening Scene Took Months to Create
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Severance is back, and though season two is just one episode in, fans are already formulating theories about whats really going on as Apple TV+s sci-fi thriller enters its next chapter. Well have to be patient as the puzzle pieces drop in the weekly release, but the season premieres opening scene sets up the breathless, disorienting path that the charactersespecially Adam Scotts Mark S.will be traveling as they seek to unravel the mysteries behind Lumon Industries. In a new video from Vanity Fair, executive producer Ben Stiller, who also directed season premiere Hello, Ms. Cobel, and star Scott go behind the scenes of that frantic sequence. It took four to five months to complete and involved more special effects and logistical maneuvering than Severance usually requires. As the pair explains, Mark takes off running as soon as he steps off the elevatorback in his innie mindspace for the first time since realizing his Lumon co-worker Ms. Casey is actually Gemma, the wife his outie believes was killed in a car crashbecause his first impulse is to find Ms. Casey and share this incredible discovery with her. But the route to the wellness room proves far more of a journey than the viewer has ever realized. Lumons severed floor feels like a miles-long maze of stark white corridors and right-angle turns. While Marks so confident he knows the way hes able to sprint there, capturing his mad dash was far more technically challenging than simply following Scott around with a Steadicam. It involved a bulky piece of camera equipment called a bolt arm, as well as a patchwork of shots of the hallway set whenever it was set up to support the sequenceand a treadmill for Scott in certain places.We dont like to use visual effects too much in the show in terms of creating backgrounds and environments, Stiller says. But we needed to for this shot because of the bolt arm taking up all the space. The video goes on to explain why Stiller didnt use a Steadicam (it would have been too cumbersome for the operator to use while keeping up with Marks escalating pace), as well as how Scott knew whenever hed be filming a portion of the high-intensity scene when he was asked which flavor of Gatorade he preferred. We always felt that we really wanted to kick off the season in a way that would be exciting and fun, and kind of give an indication of where we were going for season two, Stiller says. [The shot] felt like, All right, were gonna indicate to the audience that this is some new stuff happening. Oh, and that dude who pops up behind Mark once he reaches the former wellness room? Scott and Stiller point him out in the video, but dont reveal anything more about his identity. Add that to your ever-growing list of theories! New episodes of Severance arrive Fridays on Apple TV+. Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, whats next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
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