We wanted to have this beautiful mix of voices and languages." 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, and how in the world they managed to keep everything straight. That was actually very difficult to have a big enough pool of women to choose from, which I thought was quite sad.. So its really that in going through the makeup process and trying to find out what you do with the hair and face. But in English, it means something positive. Wheres he going? Especially working on Cantonese was interesting, because they structure the language completely differently. Says Jeff Wise from The Plane That Disappeared: The entire aviation industry has an asterisk next to it.. Its like it was with the dinosaurs inJurassic Park. That relates to everything. So where does the show go in Season 3? 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. Friese:There are always three key elements. 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. Do you already have the world of 1899 built out in your mind for the potential next two seasons? Jantje Friese (born 1977) is a German film producer and screenwriter known for co-creating the Netflix series Dark (2017-2020) and 1899 (2022) with her creative and romantic partner Baran bo Odar. Is one powerful family to blame for the deaths of five people in the wilds of South Carolinas Lowcountry? Like letting go of some love affair.. That's how we laid it out as a plan, and let's see if the world agrees.". That, for us, is a metaphor. 101K views 5 years ago HeyUGuys interviews Director / Writer and creators Baran bo Odar & Jantje Friese for their brand new Netflix TV show Dark - the first original show to come out of Germany. Its over, Odar said. bo Odar:Thats a message to Final Draft: Work on that script notes function. And if you ever tried that for one day, it is really weird and awkward.. Read on to find out what the pyramids and triangles mean, and which Easter eggs you mightve missed. Originally there had been considerations to convert the material into a film. All Rights Reserved. But you can create huge worlds with it." Narratives or stories are always about human behavior and human connection. In the end, the whole language thing was much easier than we all thought it would be in the beginning. I makes it very difficult.. How much room do you give for people trying to figure it out and when do you push them into the right direction? If you leave enough open for people to pour their own creativity into it in that way, it lives. The one where EW follows up with the cast. And every dialogue portion had a script note. this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines. That's what we tried to do. How can I get over always reacting in the same patterns to certain situations? But we stumbled upon a picture of a man in a white shirt covered in blood, with a hammer in his hand and a really weird look on his face, standing on top of what looked like an old boat. Is this a hopeful note in your mind? When the crew decides to board the Prometheus, things take a horrific, and decidedly weird, turn. 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. But that simple trick, listening to the music rather than trying to follow the words, that helped me a lot. If you turn that upside down, its 666, the number of the beast, so its magical too. One of the most challenging roles to cast was the nurse Ines who actually adopts Mikkel when he travels back to 1986. Im still not sure about the percentage, but its probably 10 percent [of the mysteries] we are not goiong to answer just for the fun of it, but they will be smaller. But if you know where you want to end, it is even harder to then lay out the structure for the episodes to get there. And that's the same here again, now with the pattern pyramid and the triangles. So, as I said, we learned a lot. The series ends with a dinner party in the origin world. Jock Zonfrillo, Chef and MasterChef Australia Judge, Dies at 46, Succession Star Reacts to That Kill List, Talks Golden Parachutes and Kendall Roys Ascension. "We've dedicated our past years to deciphering human behavior and trying to find out why people also do very bad things. 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Fox Says Battle With Parkinsons Disease Keeps Getting Tougher: Im Not Going to Be 80, Channel Your Inner Queen Charlotte with This Star-Loved British Brands Exclusive Skincare Kit, Naomi Watts Just Wore These Under-$100 PJs from Two Star-Loved Brands And Theyre the Perfect Mothers Day Gift for Stylish Travelers, The Best Signet Rings for Adding a Red Carpet-Ready Touch to Your Jewelry Stack, The Best Gifts New Moms Really Want, From Cozy Robes to Virtual Escapes, James Gunns Guardians: How Chris Pratt and His Marvel Castmates Rescued Their Directors Career, The Whispers Behind NBCUniversals Jeff Shell Firing, Diane Keaton: Youre Gonna Pray to Get Off This Call, The Definitive Voice of Entertainment News. Its what we love about this thing. Then you start putting characters into that idea, but they might feel a bit one-dimensional, so you get some ideas for the plot and you work it in. So basically now everything thats left just falls into Season 3.. Everything happens constantly in loops. I stick to a very weird process, which is that everything needs to fit into a book of [a certain] size. To create an illusion that the virtual space is a three-dimensional space its fascinating. But everyone now has seen all three seasons, and it gets really complicated. "And it helped us see that we can trust our instincts, and there are people out there that are actually interested in our voice and what we have to say and how [we] tell stories.". Friese compared it to the Season 1 episode that first travels to the 1950s and the Season 2 episode that revisits the day of Michael's death. Whats the space in which youre telling your story? Ten minutes later, you're like, 'No, shit. We have three age groups, and once you find one, then everything needs to relate to that person. The song White Rabbit plays over the opening credits. As with every character in Dark, when youre sure you know who the villain is or whos doing the bad thing, you should be open for what made them that way because. "It's structured again as a three-season mystery puzzle just like Dark," Friese explains. "I don't know if that's a German thing. We asked creators Jantje Friese and Baran bo Odar as many of those questions as we could. Jantje Friese: They think they know how this works but they don't. They are still human. 1899s full eight-episode first season streams on Netflix starting Thursday. FrieseThat was the whole point of the show. Hannah reveals shes thinking about Jonas as a name for her unborn child. The casting director did a fantastic job. And he's not just talking major landscapes, but also more intimate set pieces, too. From Barbie to The Flash, Here Are the Movies That Made the Biggest Impact at CinemaCon. In the first season ofDark we still had stuff on the walls, but no one ever looked at it. Movies. We have to do this? But then they loved it, too. I think thats awesome. Theres just an underrepresentation of the different European cultures, the different narratives from around the world. "To create worlds you need to create patterns, and the best way to create patterns is by using symbols," he said. Entertainment Weekly is a registered trademark of Meredith Corporation All Rights Reserved. Offers may be subject to change without notice. One doesnt need to actually understand how or why something happens on Dark although thats a bonus but just learning the end result of some of these time travel hijinks is entertainment in itself. 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. Release Calendar Top 250 Movies Most Popular Movies Browse Movies by Genre Top Box Office Showtimes & Tickets Movie News India Movie Spotlight. Speaking how we think French people would speak. Did you learn anything surprising working across so many different languages? "I would say culturally, there's a lot of difference between German Europe and India. Literally, it's bad. But those limitations are actually amazing, because its still a tool to create illusion. It gives this other world a huge chance. We said, this is a determined world, or it's based on determinism. Is the final season truly the final season, or will the cycle continue, as it does ad infinitum within the context of the story? The international cast worked on one of the biggest virtual stages in the world. "I think we created a very small world, to be honest, on Dark. Others were like: This has so many more complicated puzzle pieces, what are you guys doing? 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. What were some of the bad ideas that got tossed out? Some will in Episode 1 understand its a simulation. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. All Rights Reserved. Now I can spoil it: There is already a hint in Episode 1 when everyone is raising their teacup at the same moment. "We worked on a database where every scene is broken down under certain circumstances. Sorry Dark fans, no time-travel wormholes here. It always sounds to people like its easier to do a last season when you know where you going. Odar adds, "But is it the right one? In German, its so negative. There are a lot of symbols throughout, a lot of referencing systems in terms of religion, mythology.. I put a lot of thought into it: What kind of information and when do you explain certain rules? Thats why we decided against showing it. But also hard because you have to rethink how youre used to shooting stuff. If they are right-handed, they had to act with their left-hand, though it would appear as though they are right-handed. The two resulting timelines are more than just metaphorical reflections of each other. It felt like unified Europe was slowly breaking apart, like every country was doing its own thing. ", The poster for 1899 (below) shows a ship perched on the edge of a triangle in the middle of the ocean, leading some fans to speculate that the mysterious Bermuda Triangle myth could play a part in the story. Influencers: Profiles of a Partnership 2022, How to Pitch Stories and Articles to IndieWire, Where to Watch This Week's New Movies, from 'Are You There God? 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. Go Behind the Cutting-Edge Technology of 1899. You will have to see. But the people creating the show needed more elaborate tracking methods. It's Me, Margaret' to 'R.M.N. That was very fun. "We hate green screen, always did. We wanted to be fair and just to each of the characters, but obviously some of the endings needed to be cut out or just arranged in a different way, Friese said. I need 360 degrees. Thats when the idea came to use a turntable so you can swap things in easily. You can do a lot of things with it. There are so many ideas and concepts out in the world, said Friese. We wanted to make sure we got there. Your past is always pushing you into the direction you're going, while at the same time the future is pulling you. 2023 The Hollywood Reporter, LLC. 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. Just opening Final Draft took like five minutes because of all those script notes. The Hollywood Reporter is a part of Penske Media Corporation. Ahead, EW sat down with the creators to pick their brains about all of that and solve the mysteries of what viewers can ultimately expect when 1899 drops on Netflix on Nov. 17. We really try to be very true to our core audience, which just loves puzzles but also knows every code and every cultural reference. Was that deliberate? Dozens of questions swirling around your brain about what actually happened? Friese: Its a good thing because it helps you see who you are yourself. What happens when you have all these different cultural backgrounds, that are put into a space like this? By making this choice and what you read into it, youre learning something about yourself. 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. It was really challenging for us in the third season to establish another world with maybe even other timelines, too. Need help finding something to watch? It's really bad. 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. Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! One bad idea weve definitely said is not going to happen is that1899is related toDark. ", "We're really bad at celebrating ourselves," he added. This, this Volume technology, is the beginning of a new era of visual effects. Per the official synopsis, what they will find on board will turn their passage to the promised land into a horrifying nightmare. They are very good at putting pieces together. We wanted to end on something that looks normal. It could be a crying smiley face, or it could be a winking smiley face. I think its a very individual thing. And they love that show! The show is the first from Netflix shot entirely in a virtual studio, using cutting-edge LED-Volume technology with a video game engine that creates virtual sets and locations, allowing complex visual-effects shots to be done in-camera. If you turn that around, it's the infinity symbol. It would have felt like selling our souls and not delivering on what we wanted to do [if we had more seasons]. En route, they encounter a mysterious second ship, the Prometheus, which has been missing for months, adrift on the open sea. How composer Ben Frost creates dream-like sound design. I love her! said Friese. And we're just waiting for the moment where someone shows up and says, 'April Fool's! From Barbie to The Flash, Here Are the Movies That Made the Biggest Impact at CinemaCon. Copyright 2023 Meredith Corporation. 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. So I think its really fascinating because this is just the start. Stuff like that always happens. It evokes images of the 19th century but combines them with almost science fiction technology and pop tunes on the soundtrack. They always knew where it would go, but they recently watched the last episode in the cinema and they were like, oh my God!, Odar: We dont play with the audience and treat them as fools and idiots; rather, the opposite. It's all rooted in one core idea. Jantje Friese was born in 1977 in Marburg, Germany. Fox Says Battle With Parkinsons Disease Keeps Getting Tougher: Im Not Going to Be 80, TV Premiere Dates 2022: The Complete Guide, Broadcast TV Unscripted Scorecard 2022: Whats New, Renewed and Canceled, TV Pilots 2022: The Complete Broadcast Guide, The Definitive Voice of Entertainment News. We always like to have an ending before we start. Were going to see a bit more about grown Ulrich, she said. Making a splash: A deep dive into the live-action, A strange mystery sets sail in beguiling sneak peek at, showrunner discusses the Netflix adaptation's story changes, The best crime movies on Netflix right now. Old Ines (Angela Winkler) in actual life has a mole, so you put that on younger Ines when you tried to make them match.. Jantje Friese and Baran bo Odar, who also created the streamer's hit 'Dark,' are back with another meta mystery, this time set on a migrant steamer at the turn of 19th century. Friese: I think there is a lot to tell. Sign up for our Email Newsletters here. Some of it, we knew. It was such an interesting challenge. When women turn 40, their career dies down unfortunately. "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. So you have 999. And, in 1899, even spouses would have addressed each other in a formal way when in a public place. . And we love to play with tools, because I think as a filmmaker, especially, you are like a child. Multinational immigrants traveling from the old continent to the new encounter a nightmarish riddle aboard a second ship adrift on the open sea. I still think that young Katharina is related to Old Katharina now because they just look the same. So, in moving forward, lets assume you have watched all of Dark. The basic idea of Season 3 was something that we already had when we started. Robot, earned critical acclaim and three German movie awards, Netflix approached the duo to adapt the film into a series. So I felt thats something to give.. Then, of course, just like in Dark, we have a big philosophical theme at the center of it all about perception and reality. So, yeah, that was my personal gift that I wanted to give, but obviously still trying to be entertaining while giving it.. Like if one stone starts to roll, and hits another and that ends up leading to the First World War. It was originally a photo that we found. This is mine! 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. Do you first have the themes and then drop in characters and develop the mystery out of that or do you have the puzzle first and then see how the characters and themes fit into that? And Prometheus, obviously, is also a little wink to the ending of Season 1. Also, we actually thought about putting some of the stuff thats now in Season 3 into Season 2, but then decided to move it backwards. 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. 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. Here are all these hints who will figure out [what] at what moment? If youre in that core group, and youve figured it out, you should be proud of yourself, its an awesome experience. Do you have a huge board on the wall with red yarn linking up various elements? Jantje Friese and Baran bo Odar's latest mindbender 1899 has recently dropped on Netflix, and with it has come a swathe of comparisons to their previous endeavor, Dark.Even putting aside the duo . A lot went down between the lifelong friends like, a lot. You're crossing into a new century, stepping from something that feels old school to something new the future. Thats what triggered the process. The former show, after all, spawned a worldwide cult following of fans eager to untangle Dark's knots, and the idea for 1899 first sprung up after Dark's first season. It just gets complicated when you try to figure out what comes first.". 2023 IndieWire Media, LLC. The season weaves together not only five or six different time periods, but also a second version of those time periods, and goes back even further in time and more years along the way. There were a lot of [directions] we knew we wanted to go, but didnt necessarily know at which points in the narration we would address them. But I dont want to fill those gaps. There was something fascinating about exactly that moment in time. You can never give a satisfying answer. Friese knows the reason for his injury and eye patch, but wouldn't reveal what happened. The treasure hunt is just getting started. And then while we were working on it, we decided to move it to the third season. ", Her partner feels differently though. In the present, hes now Jonas father, who coexists in the same time period with young Mikkel. Were moving through a story, and we want to know how it will be resolved in the end. This Article is related to: Television and tagged Baran bo Odar, Dark, Jantje Friese, Netflix. Fans of Netflix's twisty time travel series Dark will be happy (although perhaps not surprised) to hear that creators Baran bo Odar and Jantje Friese's followup, 1899, is a real mind-bender.