Digital Spy have a fun and substantial interview with the lovely Katie McGrath about Merlin, which is currently filming its fourth series. She drops a few hints about what fans can expect to see, but what caught my eye was hearing they're filming the series on 35mm film...
Using celluloid is common practice in the US, but its expense means it's rarely done in the UK, and the rise of HD cameras means 35mm film isn't such a necessity. In fact, it's arguably easier for TV shows with lots of special-effects to shoot directly onto a digital format. I'd love to know why Merlin's suddenly decided to shoot series 4 on film, and if that's increased costs. Is McGrath mistaken? Is it only being partly shot on film?
On the off-chance that any Merlin technical experts are reading this (you never know), please leave a comment to explain all!
Katie McGrath:
I think I'm bound to silence! I'm not sure what I can say. Well, Morgana has entirely changed in the year away. She's been out of Camelot, and she's probably been hunted and had to hide who she is. So to go from being such a privileged woman to being a hunted fugitive is going to change her. It's going to make her harder, stronger and more committed. A year has also passed with everyone knowing that she is magical, so that's also going to have changed how everybody else views her and how she views herself. I'm quite lucky. I'm probably completely biased, but I always say that I have the best character in the show. From season to season, I think she's changed the most, and this season is no different. I know that everybody will be shocked by what she does in the first two episodes, and how she looks. It's a complete new image for her. Very cool! Continue reading...
