Both gripping and disturbing, Netflix's Adolescence has definitely got the nation talking. The one shot nature of filming has also left viewers wondering how the crew pulled off such a feat.
The indomitable Stephen Graham delivers yet another incredible performance in Netflix's Adolescence, as Eddie Miller, a family man whose world is shaken when his 13-year-old son Jamie (Owen Cooper) is arrested for the murder of a teenage girl who goes to his school. Graham co-wrote the show with Jack Thorne (The Swimmers) and reunited with Boiling Point director Philip Barantini for the outstanding show.
Those tuning in were immediately left wondering if the series was based on a true story, and whether Jamie really had taken the life of a classmate - something Erin Doherty as Briony Ariston, the clinical psychologist assigned to Jamie’s case, is also trying to get to the bottom of. Viewers have also been fascinated by the 'one shot' nature of filming, asking how this was pulled off so spectacularly.
How was Adolescence filmed?
In a very similar method to Stephen Graham’s 2021 hit film Boiling Point, every episode of Adolescence is filmed in one continuous shot. If you've watched Boiling Point, you'll know just how unabating and claustrophobic this filming method can make viewers feel.
If you're wondering whether one shot really is what is sounds like, you're correct - it does mean that each episode was filmed in one long, continuous shot. "Basically that means we press record on the camera, and we don’t press stop until the very end of the hour," director Philip Barantini told Netflix.
However, he did explain that although that's an explanation of the filming method in a nutshell, "it’s much more complicated than it sounds." He continued, "It takes months of preparation and weeks of rehearsals and an incredible team of people to pull it off at every stage, from the script to the locations to the production design to where exactly the camera is going to be able to shoot and from what angle."
According to Deadline, Netflix originally suggested the plan was to film each episode in full 10 times before selecting the one to make the final cut. However, when a few attempts had to be abandoned, some episodes ended up being more than 10 takes.
To build up to filming in one continuous take, rehearsals were built up slowly, starting with a segment of the script and before adding five-minute increments until the actors could perform an entire episode without needing to stop.
During rehearsals, as the cast walked through their places on the set, the director of photography was able to plan camera positions and crew movements - some crew members even appear on screen in some scenes, wearing costumes to allow them to blend in with extras.
The shot that made the final cut for episode one, taking place mostly in a police station, was the second take filmed - this was captured on day one of a five-day shoot for the episode.
Episode two, set in a busy school environment, took several takes to get right and the one viewers see on screen is the thirteenth take. Adding to the frenetic nature of a school coming to terms to such a horrendous crime, 370 extras were also used during this single take.
Episode three was filmed 11 times before Barantini was happy with the final product. This episode includes difficult interactions between Jamie Miller and clinical psychologist Briony.
The fourth and final episode viewers see is actually take 16. This portrays Jamie's parents dealing with the devastation of what their son has done. Every episode apart from the first, used the final take as the finished product, whereas Barantini selected the second take to air as the opening episode.
Speaking to The Standard, actress Erin Doherty broke down in more depth what it took to film episode three, in which she predominantly appears. "We rehearsed for longer than we shot," she revealed.
She added, "We rehearsed for two weeks, getting our choreography down. And then for the last week, we shot it twice a day. We'd come in the morning, shoot it once. Have lunch, shoot it again, and then you're done for the day. Because it was that mentally draining that we genuinely couldn't do anything more."
