Odar adds, "But is it the right one? 2023 Emmys Predictions: Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or a Movie, We actually mirrored all the images that take place in a mirrored world, which means you mirror the sets. bo OdarBut lets not forget thatDarkwas three seasons. Was that deliberate? Sign up for our Email Newsletters here. this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines. I think its an individual experience. We could create a huge dining room only with the volume tech. Thats where plot structure goes. Its nice that this is built upon something that we created and someone else will come up with a new idea and so on. How did the actors react to working in this new virtual space? Its both hopeful and ominous at the same time. The 25 Saddest TV Character Deaths of This Century, According to Variety, about 90 percent of Darks audience comes from outside of Germany, and after the release of Season 1 in December 2017, Parrot Analytics noted that the show actually increased its viewership in its second week, mimicking the word-of-mouth viewership success of Stranger Things and Maniac., Its something you hope for, but it actually hit us really hard, said Friese. What kind of trigger words do you use? Through three seasons of Dark very little made. 1899 also has a unique sound because, fitting with the theme of Europe you were talking about, you decided to have all your actors speak in their native languages. And yes, Martha and Jonas, thats the big centerpiece of it all.. And he's not just talking major landscapes, but also more intimate set pieces, too. Jonas and Martha sacrifice themselves and their own worlds in order to stop the loop and save the origin world. You have to change the titles on them and mirror them. I think we we focused on the stuff where we just personally felt it adds to the overall mystery and we need to deliver the ending. Odar: The question about Wollers eye is the question about, is there a god or not? ", It's kind of funny, given that it's basically a quantum theory lesson told entirely in German, that the show has become so popular. Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! Dark Season 1 and 2 are currently streaming on Netflix. We said from the start that1899should not look likeTitanic. "If you don't look at the narrative chronologically, but you pick out single characters and just look at their character arcs, it becomes a lot easier," Friese said. The one where EW follows up with the cast. Honestly, the most difficult people to find were women [older than middle age]. Thats the beauty of storytelling. Then they were: No, no, we love it.. Published Jan 26, 2023 There was much more to untangled in the criminally cancelled show. We put a lot of effort into getting things right. We have three age groups, and once you find one, then everything needs to relate to that person. They will never be able to overcome their inner longings, their ego. 'Dark' Co-Creator Talks Season 3 Plans, Casting - IndieWire And then, looking at expression and body language, and all these things, you get an understanding of the performance. What stylistically are you going for with this show? "When we. "It's definitely an association that a lot of people have," Friese says. When we arrive at the start of Season 3, the big twist of Season 1 that main character Jonas Kahnwald is actually the son of Mikkel, the young boy who mysteriously vanished from 2019 and somehow ended up 33 years in the past seem quaint by comparison. What we did is construct a turntable so that we can spin the set around in a few minutes. Everything happens constantly in loops. Some will in Episode 1 understand its a simulation. The quote in the song from Emily Dickinsons poem, in the beginning, is really about experiencing all this weird shit going through your brain. It was such an interesting challenge. Another part of the series that was touted when it was first announced was that 1899 would not be entirely in German, like Dark, nor would it be in any one language. And I think, especially as a filmmaker, you love creating illusion. If you turn that around, it's the infinity symbol. How Ben Afflecks Air Makes the Case for Movie Theaters to Build Buzz, How Succession Trapped the Roy Family in a VIP Room of Grief in Episode 3, Movies Shot on Film 2023 Preview: From Oppenheimer to Killers of the Flower Moon and Maestro, How Gene Kelly and Singin in the Rain Taught John Wick to Fight, The 50 Best Movies of 2022, According to 165 Critics from Around the World, All 81 Titles Unceremoniously Removed from HBO Max (So Far), 10 Shows Canceled but Not Forgotten in 2022. "I think we created a very small world, to be honest, on Dark. Because Dark travels back and forth in time, dropping in on the same Winden residents at different ages in 33-year cycles, casting children, adults, and older versions of those characters is essential to sell the outlandish storytelling. Dark creators tease the mysteries behind their new Netflix series 1899 That was the biggest structural issue: when do we reveal what? Here are all these hints who will figure out [what] at what moment? In the next phase I actually put it in pen. Now I can spoil it: There is already a hint in Episode 1 when everyone is raising their teacup at the same moment. More scientific-oriented thinking started [influencing society] while you still had very religious beliefs [also prevalent], and those two things pulled on each other, old and new. Watchers of the show can lean on some helpful online resources while they watch, such as the extensive official companion website that recaps important plot points organized by character, time period, place, and important object. 'Dark' Co-Creator Talks Season 3 Plans, Casting - IndieWire Baran bo Odar:We told them from the get-go; it was already in the script. But also hard because you have to rethink how youre used to shooting stuff. What were the biggest challenges in establishing the parallel world? You know it by the emotional state, how they are addressing you, their body language and everything. Also for [Lisa] because it was so iconic for Jonas as his character. In the development process we never thought of it as [just] a German show. "[It's] definitely not easier, really," he says. "To create worlds you need to create patterns, and the best way to create patterns is by using symbols," he said. Describing the premise of the series feels almost impossible. What other Easter eggs did you plant throughout the season? the prospect of diving into another twisty metaverse from the minds of Dark creators Jantje Friese and Baran bo Odar likely comes with equal measures of excitement and trepidation. Where to Watch This Week's New Movies, from 'Are You There God? What it's like to film a show in multiple-languages. I personally feel that a lot of very great philosophers came out of from German history. It's a highly rewarding if not particularly easy viewing experience, being at times hilariously confusing, especially if you're not a German speaker and are busy reading subtitles while new faces appear on screen. We always approached it as a global show, but we never, never, never expected that kind of success.. And they love that show! Chris Emil Janssen/Action Press/Shutterstock, Bo and I met in film school and since Day One, we were convinced that it was possible to tell local stories coming out of Germany that could hit an audience anywhere, Friese said. So hopefully, ultimately, that is happening. Movies. Friese says she was bothered by this for the first few months actively working on the scripts for 1899, but, "At some point, we just said, 'Let's shake it off.' That's what we tried to do. Just even her wearing the yellow raincoat in the costume test was really weird. But I dont want to fill those gaps. You can follow the Back to the Future kind of way where you can actually change stuff in the past that will affect the future which with my very personal more deterministic view of the world is nonsense, said Friese. 1899 Cast: Set Sail for Multilingual Mystery, 1899 Poster Hints at Series Big Mystery, All Aboard: The Mysterious 1899 Trailer Is Here, The 1899 Teaser Will Rock the Boat and Your World, 1899 Star Andreas Pietschmann Reveals the Series Visionary Stage Tech, How Emily Beecham Untangled the Mystery of 1899, How Composer Ben Frost Conjured the 1899 Score in the Belly of an Actual Ship, The Opening Sequence of 1899 Charts a Course for Mystery, New Thriller 1899 Sets Sail in November, So, What *Did* Tully Do to Kate? It was a really awkward feeling that day, Odar said. Its really weird and interesting technology, but its very helpful for the actors. I need 360 degrees. Thats when the idea came to use a turntable so you can swap things in easily. That relates to everything. Its just a nice nuance with which to end. The international cast includes Darkalum Andreas Pietschmann, Emily Beecham, Aneurin Barnard, Fflyn Edwards, Miguel Bernardeau, Maciej Musial, Lucas Lynggaard Tnnesen, Rosalie Craig, Clara Rosager, Maria Erwolter, Yann Gael, Mathilde Ollivier, Jos Pimento, Isabella Wei, Gabby Wong, Jonas Bloquet, Alexandre Willaume, and Anton Lesser, among others. It isnt just a big green screen where you have to imagine a ship in your head, but you actually see the waves, you actually see the ship. Its the same with Blade Runner, and how there are still people thinking Harrison Ford is not a replicant; where Im thinking, How can you think hes not a replicant? Thats the beauty of that story, that theres a question amrk. It's all rooted in one core idea. Writing is really about going back and forth between all three of them. One may be desperate to see the world the duo has created for 1899, the teams new Netflix series, but could also be slightly worried their brain might not be able to handle it. So that is like five pages of conversation between the writer, the translator, the language expert: Here should they say tu or vous? It became a really complicated process. The passengers of the Kerberos encounter the biggest mystery of their lives. Do you wish there were more than three seasons to explore the story? Thats where character development goes. Its been quite a process getting to here. We always like to have an ending before we start. Friese:Our scripts look like Frankenstein monsters. So it was obviously challenging and not possible to do it in a traditional way. See how the filmmakers used Volume to create a story at sea. The triquetra and things coming in three is one of them. At first, you think everything is possible, but its not. "We always think we have. 2023 The Hollywood Reporter, LLC. Friese: When we started to research games, simulations, constructing virtual realities, [we learned] the way that content is created is that you use tetrahedron structures to basically build everything. Whats the space in which youre telling your story? And though he believes it's the way of the future of filmmaking, Odar stresses that it was still a ton of work. What were some of the bad ideas that got tossed out? Thats the fun of it. We had to get cars from England for some shots where the steering wheel had to be on the other side. He almost reveals what happens before hes interrupted. To create an illusion that the virtual space is a three-dimensional space its fascinating. But were not going to solve every riddle because sometimes its funnier [that way]. And then you try to find ways to incorporate it throughout the story.". Its a very long and also very complicated process. "In every season there is what I always call a bridge. "We've dedicated our past years to deciphering human behavior and trying to find out why people also do very bad things. What did you learn using the new tech? Netflix was even kind enough to share a 10-minute catch-up video in the week ahead of the final season's release. We were doing research for something completely different, I actually dont even remember what the research was for. For instance, the ship's dining room, which is a pivotal set piece on the show, was not an actual physical room that they built. Odar: We always wanted to plant computer wording. I think what was the most surprising thing was that there are actually some words that you cannot translate into certain languages, or they have a different feeling or nuance to it. Could bruiseless avocados, sugarcane plastic and carbon-capturing concrete actually exist in real life? Baran bo Odar Definitely. Its over, Odar said. Jock Zonfrillo, Chef and MasterChef Australia Judge, Dies at 46, Succession Star Reacts to That Kill List, Talks Golden Parachutes and Kendall Roys Ascension. "I don't know if that's a German thing. This is one of the first TV shows, afterThe Mandalorian, to use new LED Volume technology to create virtual sets. The entire script was in English, but everything was dual dialogue. Naturally, that's by design, and is something fans should look out for as they watch. Stuff like that always happens. It never happened.'" This time travel paradox of creating a closed causal loop, where the origins of something cannot be determined such as the chicken and the egg, is introduced in Season 2 to set the groundwork for such mind-blowing revelations. Jantje Friese: What we really liked about 1899, not 1898 or 1897, is that it's on a threshold. Netflix took over that idea and build another Volume set in Mexico using a turntable tool. How do people cope with situations when theyre not able to speak the same language? There are different sections in there in the beginning, I just put Post-its in so I can still rip them out again. It just gets complicated when you try to figure out what comes first.". When we got to the second season, we changed it again. bo Odar: We dont have bad ideas. Wrapping up the Dark story next season hasnt been an easy process, even though filming is already underway. Netflix has yet to address the viewership for Season 2 since it was only released recently on June 21, but the show is already in production for its third and final season, which will air sometime in 2020. No one is just evil because they want to be; everyone is reacting to their own hurts and wounds. On set, Odar had phonetic scripts to reference as he directed scenes, and language assistants would be standing by to make sure nothing got lost in translation. I always liked the idea that there are two components who are opponents, fighting each other all of the time, actually having to realize that they are not important. Once you rewatch it, its obviously great fun to find all of those little things. Dark couldnt cast people who were too distinct though, in the interests of the mystery. But that simple trick, listening to the music rather than trying to follow the words, that helped me a lot. Get The Latest IndieWire Alerts And Newsletters Delivered Directly To Your Inbox. Is this a hopeful note in your mind? We're way closer to America than we are actually to India. One bad idea weve definitely said is not going to happen is that1899is related toDark. We were actually really afraid of what was going on. I put a lot of thought into it: What kind of information and when do you explain certain rules? Its like it was with the dinosaurs inJurassic Park. You can never give a satisfying answer. We didnt try to make it easier. You were really, like, lovesick after filming was done. Interview edited and condensed for clarity. It's Me, Margaret' to 'R.M.N. "I would say it's a drama mystery show, or maybe a mystery thriller. If seeing an entire reality flipped in the last season of Dark seemed jarring, know that it felt just as dissonant to the people helping to bring it to life. Sign Up: Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! In talking about a mirror world, though, we wanted to use that trick and actually mirror the images. Doubtlessly, you have questions on your mind, about the two new worlds introduced in the final season, how the Dark production team put the parallel universe into reality, what Jonas and Marthas final sacrifice meant, the logic behind the final dinner scene, and most importantly this: is there more to the story? Jantje Friese was born in 1977 in Marburg, Germany. Stairs that go from left to right, they now go from right to left. That was the beauty of it. But I honestly believe that the contrary is true, Friese said. Im in there with a recording of violins theres also some guy using an arc welder in the next cabin.. Then one day, I told myself: Lets forget about what theyre saying and listen to how theyre saying it. Others will take more time because they might think its about the Bermuda Triangle or whatever. Friese:Oh, absolutely. The ending, knowing where youre going is one thing, but then finding the ways to get there is really a whole different challenge, said Friese.