The triquetra and things coming in three is one of them. She also doesnt want viewers to expect to learn everything when the show ends. So basically now everything thats left just falls into Season 3.. "It's definitely an association that a lot of people have," Friese says. There are actually two things. What were the biggest challenges in establishing the parallel world? You can never give a satisfying answer. Dark creators Baran bo Odar and Jantje Friese's highly-anticipated latest Netflix series 1899 has dropped an extended trailer, gifting more clues. All this we sort of incorporated into our story. "Because in their arc, the narrative is straightforward. We added a glitch to it. In German, its so negative. Friese credits casting director Simone Br for the series uncanny casting coups. We really want it to be a great experience for them and not make it too easy. bo OdarI think we learned a lot to be honest, because it is a new tool. "We prepped a year to get there, because it is a beast that you have to understand. Well send you our daily roundup of all our favorite stories from across the site, from travel to food to shopping to entertainment. Odar promises another "very interesting, weird theme" to 1899, but can't reveal what it is. When it came time for Martha (Lisa Vicari) to take on some of the some iconography that in previous seasons was associated with Jonas (Louis Hofmann), that exchange between the two main characters made for a moment that forced them and series co-creators Jantje Friese and Baran bo Odar to recalibrate a little. How difficult was it to interact with the actors when youre performing in a language you dont understand? "I would say culturally, there's a lot of difference between German Europe and India. Odar revealed on his Instagram in a behind-the-scenes featurette that filming for the series took place in a newly custom built virtual production stage known as the Volume. If you turn that around, it's the infinity symbol. When you see them in life and flesh, they dont look that much alike. You're crossing into a new century, stepping from something that feels old school to something new the future. And then you try to find ways to incorporate it throughout the story.". Sign Up: Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! Related See how the filmmakers used 'Volume' to create a story at sea. But I honestly believe that the contrary is true, Friese said. I think 95 percent of the shots are handheld to make it feel alive and wild. "And then after the third season of Dark, there was this huge pressure on our shoulders, because everyone has expectations, and everyone kind of either wants to go on the same ride or kind of the same ride. Was that deliberate? And if you ever tried that for one day, it is really weird and awkward.. "And obviously, this will only happen if enough people watch, but the way that we approached development and how season 1 is ending, you kind of want to have another one. Just even her wearing the yellow raincoat in the costume test was really weird. You can change anything. Says Jeff Wise from The Plane That Disappeared: The entire aviation industry has an asterisk next to it.. Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! Were hinting at that in the first season all the time that its a circle. Hopefully it feels like something really fresh and new, while still [being] exactly what Dark fans would like to watch." One of the most challenging roles to cast was the nurse Ines who actually adopts Mikkel when he travels back to 1986. We thought that was would be easier. Just opening Final Draft took like five minutes because of all those script notes. We love symbolism and we believe you have to be true to the symbols you lay out. Wrapping up the Dark story next season hasnt been an easy process, even though filming is already underway. So its really that in going through the makeup process and trying to find out what you do with the hair and face. ', John Mulaney's New Netflix Special Is a Critical Reminder About Celebrity, 2023 Emmys Predictions: Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or a Movie. Its not the kind of story that can be reworked and improvised on the fly with each passing group of episodes, as Friese can attest. And as we go through the process, the ideas can shift and move into a different position. There are all of these images, and even in dialogue, hints that give it away. If youre in that core group, and youve figured it out, you should be proud of yourself, its an awesome experience. Robot, earned critical acclaim and three German movie awards, Netflix approached the duo to adapt the film into a series. Friese: I dont know. Odar: Its really up to the audience to answer it. We said from the start that1899should not look likeTitanic. "When we. 'Dark' final season: here's what happens at the end of the Netflix time travel thriller. This is one of the first TV shows, afterThe Mandalorian, to use new LED Volume technology to create virtual sets. Literally, it's bad. Dark is a show that certainly invites a certain kind of theorizing. When the crew decides to board the Prometheus, things take a horrific, and decidedly weird, turn. I love that theres so much fan fiction out there. You just trying to be flexible, to really allow the process to surprise you while youre going through it, but still kind of knowing where youre sailing to. That, for us, is a metaphor. But in the end, it turned out to be way easier than we thought, because theres a sort of universal language, without words, going on while youre communicating with someone. In the Eliott Sumner version we use in the title sequence, the line that features so prominently is feed your head. That was such an important phrase for the entire show that it felt like the absolute right fit. But the mid-ground, the thing in between, thats what actually glues these two layers together, and its the most important part of the whole process. It was originally a photo that we found. So where does the show go in Season 3? What do all the triangles and pyramids mean? So, as I said, we learned a lot. No, I didn't,'" he said. To be honest, we had them all in these pods; they couldnt move. America So She Could Breastfeed Privately, Michael J. Thats where we basically put the groundwork, going for deterministic time travel rules. It's a lot to keep track of, and a feat of brilliance that Odar and Friese have made it work so seamlessly, especially since the show never shies away from introducing the actual quantum theory behind parallel universes and God particles. What was the original spark? 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. Did the worldwide success and fan response toDarkchange how you went about making1899? But you can only read it once you see how it ends. Thats how we appreciatedLost, and completely got lost in that mythology, Googling everything about these numbers and trying to find out what does it mean?. And though he believes it's the way of the future of filmmaking, Odar stresses that it was still a ton of work. IndieWire is a part of Penske Media Corporation. We always like to have an ending before we start. 1899just has a different structure. "We always work with symbols and objects, and we always have usually one specific object that is tied to one character. 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. Jantje Friese: What we really liked about 1899, not 1898 or 1897, is that it's on a threshold. But those limitations are actually amazing, because its still a tool to create illusion. The passengers of the Kerberos encounter the biggest mystery of their lives. One is theme, the other is character and the other is plot. Get a behind-the-scenes look at the new mystery-thriller series. "We're always very, very interested in why people do the things they do, and how they came to be the person they are," Friese explained. 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. And also why would they like weird German-language things? 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. The setting is a migrant steamship bound from Europe to New York, filled with immigrants all running away from something, none of whom, we quickly realize, are quite what they seem. I think thats really interesting. This, this Volume technology, is the beginning of a new era of visual effects. But also hard because you have to rethink how youre used to shooting stuff. And they love that show! Then you have the world of origin in the middle. I think the two concepts needed two different kinds of storytelling. Still, there are enough locations that do exist, exteriors that even when dismantled were the site of many memories for those who worked on Dark. Its understandable that even Odar didnt want to give up the show right away. Friese: There was supposed to be a scene in season two that got cut out. Sign up for THR news straight to your inbox every day. Interview edited and condensed for clarity. Sign up here for our weekly Streamail newsletter to get streaming recommendations delivered straight to your inbox. Finally we could do whatever we wanted with them. So, a very simple example: In French, you can address someone in a formal or an informal way. Is it because it was a time of confrontation between technology and tradition? Jantje Friese and Baran bo Odar discuss what they kept from set and the difficulty of letting go once filming on the series ended. Interviews with leading film and TV creators about their process and craft. It should feel different, because you have this image of a big steamship going from Europe to America and immediately you think this must be the cube version ofTitanic. It was really challenging for us in the third season to establish another world with maybe even other timelines, too. Even 24 frames per second, creating motion from still frames, thats the first illusion you create as a filmmaker. Note: This article contains major spoilers up through Dark's Season 2 finale, and some mild spoilers for Season 3. (Seriously, if someone can please step in and explain the Elisabeth / Charlotte Doppler effect, slide in right here.). You were really, like, lovesick after filming was done. How did the actors react to working in this new virtual space? We spoke to Dark co-creators Baran bo Odar and Jantje Friese about saying farewell to the series, the spiritual and mythological influences they crammed into the third season's eight episodes,. Come along for the ride! It's really a long, long process. Its not every word but you learn how a language sounds and, especially if you do a lot of takes, you get really used to it. Ten minutes later, you're like, 'No, shit. The past shapes you and everything that happens.. Its just a nice nuance with which to end. It's just the camera trick. Having watched the first six episodes [of1899], it appears to be a bit less complicated thanDark. Friese: It was absolutely the perfect amount. ", Odar mentioned that it was a children's book on quantum physics that finally made it all make sense to him sort of. Poguelandia is not quite the paradise the Pogues hoped. So, yeah, that was my personal gift that I wanted to give, but obviously still trying to be entertaining while giving it.. I mean, we're always mixing genres, but the DNA is not per se a horror show.". And even though the culture is different all around the world, there are certain things that are everywhere. I just felt that was such a multilayered story. Creators Baran bo Odar Jantje Friese Stars Emily Beecham Aneurin Barnard Andreas Pietschmann See production, box office & company info Watch on Netflix S1 with subscription Add to Watchlist With1899, because were on a ship, and its constantly moving, the camera is too. One must watch it. bo Odar: We always think any piece of pop culture should be a reference to some other element of pop culture. "I think I personally read probably one hundred books or so over the course of the three seasons, and not only on the science stuff behind it, but also philosophical pieces, a lot of spiritual writing," Friese said. When Netflix was looking for the first German show, there were two things happening. Thats why theres a viewer learning curve at the beginning, trying to tell one German person apart from another. In Season 3, the seventh episode is where we basically fill in all those last puzzle pieces. Lets look at them as music instruments. No, we just forget them immediately. It was so easy for them to just react. I cant tell you exactly at what point; it wasnt in the first rough concept, but I think it was during the writers room on the first draft in Season 1, said Friese.