Breakup is back, and yet season two East just one episode infans are already theorizing about what is this Really in progress as Apple TV+’s sci-fi thriller enters its next chapter. We’ll have to be patient as the pieces of the puzzle fall into the weekly release, but the opening scene of the season premiere sets up the breathless and disorienting path that the characters – particularly Adam Scott’s Mark S. – will journey as they seek to unravel the mysteries behind Lumon Industries.
In a new video from Vanity Fair, executive producer Ben Stiller, who also directed the season premiere “Hello, Ms. Cobel,” and star Scott go behind the scenes of the frenetic sequence. It took four to five months to complete and involved more special effects and logistical maneuvers than Breakup usually requires.
As the two men explain, Mark starts running as soon as he gets off the elevator – back in his “innie” mental space for the first time since he realized that his Lumon colleague, Ms. Casey , is actually Gemma, the woman his “outie” believes him to be. was killed in a car accident, because his first instinct is to find Mrs. Casey and share this incredible discovery with her.
But the path to the wellness room turns out to be much more of a journey than the viewer ever imagined. The cut floor of Lumon resembles a miles-long maze of stark white corridors and right-angled turns.
Although Mark is so confident that he knows how he is capable of sprinting there, capturing his wild run was much more technically difficult than simply following Scott with a Steadicam. This involved bulky camera equipment called a “bolt arm,” as well as a patchwork of shots of the hallway set up each time it was set up to support the sequence – and a treadmill for Scott in certain locations.
“We don’t like to use visual effects too much on the show in terms of creating backgrounds and environments,” says Stiller. “But we needed it for this shot because the bolt arm took up all the space.”
The video goes on to explain why Stiller didn’t use a Steadicam (it would have been “too cumbersome” for the operator to use it while keeping up with Mark’s increasing pace), as well as how Scott knew each time that he would film a movie. part of the high-intensity scene when asked which flavor of Gatorade he preferred.
“We always felt like we really wanted to kick off the season in a way that would be exciting and fun, and kind of give an indication of where we were going for season two,” Stiller said. “(The plan) felt like, ‘All right, we’re going to signal to the audience that there’s something new happening.’
Oh, and that guy who pops up behind Mark once he reaches the old wellness room? Scott and Stiller point him out in the video, but reveal nothing more about his identity. Add this to your ever-growing list of theories! New episodes of Breakup arrive Friday on Apple TV+.
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