3 days ago
Why ‘Adolescence' director Philip Barantini says, ‘I love it when people mess up'
'It was important to let the audience feel what's happening,' reveals Philip Barantini about directing Adolescence. He adds that, 'I never wanted the camera to feel like a gimmick. I wanted to capture the realism as much as possible in real time, because we only had real time.' Watch our full interview above with Barantini joining our Gold Derby "Meet the Experts" directors panel.
The Netflix limited series follows a young teenager accused of murdering a classmate. It is notable that each of the four hour-long episodes is a single take tracking different aspects of the legal process. To achieve this ambitious feat, Barantini says, 'We would rehearse the camera moves just with an iPad and phone to begin with. And then, as it went on, we got the location and would go down and map out the route. We also built this police station in the studio which has to be a three-minute drive from the house. So we found the studio, then we found the house. And the timing of walking up the stairs in the police station needed to be a specific amount of time, so we put that exact amount of steps in so that it would all flow naturally.'
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Barantini received an Emmy nomination for Best Limited/Movie Directing. This honor is one of 13 nods received by 'Adolescence,' which also includes bids for breakout turns from actors Stephen Graham (also the series co-creator) and Owen Cooper, who plays the 13-year-old accused Jamie.
The director recalls his instructions for the cast, 'I said, 'look, if anything goes wrong, do not stop because we might be getting absolute gold.' Giving the actors that freedom was helpful for them. I love it when people mess up. In life I stumble my words. I'll stutter a word or something. I'm so used to watching things where everything has to be perfect. But it doesn't, because perfection doesn't really exist. It's got to feel real, and that's what I really strive for.'
The show's story is able to explore issues masculinity and the impact of social media on young people today. Barantini reflects, 'it did open my eyes a lot. I have an eight-year-old daughter, and I'm terrified for her future. When I was growing up, we were able to just play out on the streets and come in for your dinner, but now kids don't do that. You think kids are safe in their rooms with the door closed and your parents are like, 'they're fine.''
This article and video are presented by Netflix.
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