‘How did they get the paint off?’ The 7 most asked questions about Adolescence

Netflix’s latest crime drama Adolescence has taken the nation by storm (Picture: Courtesy of Netflix)

It has been one week since Netflix’s latest crime drama Adolescence was first released, but its impact only seems to be growing.

After racking up more than 24million views in just a few days, it has topped the English TV list and was the most-streamed series of the week on Netflix in 71 countries.

On Wednesday, Prime Minister Keir Starmer also backed calls for the fictional four-part drama to be shown in schools to educate children about knife crime.

But amidst the engaging discussions the show has created, many viewers have been obsessed by the technical side of how each episode was shot in just one take. 

From digitally created windows to a special non-stick paint that was thrown on Stephen Graham’s van, here are the most asked questions about Netflix’s latest crime drama Adolescence.

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How many times did they film each episode? Fans have been keen to understand how the series was made (Picture: Courtesy of Netflix)

For each episode of the series, they were filmed exclusively as one-take shots.

At no point was there a secret edit or cut as the camera passed through a hall or doorway.

But to ensure that they had the best possible take to use, the production team initially planned to film each episode in full 10 times – once in the morning and once in the afternoon across five days.

In reality, a few attempts had to be abandoned and restarted, so some episodes had more than 10 takes.

In the end, the second take was used in the first episode, the 13th take was used in the second, the 11th take was used in the third and the 16th take was used for episode four.

What if someone messed up their lines? There were over 300 teenagers used as extras in Episode 2 (Picture: Courtesy of Netflix)

Due to the nature of filming each episode as a one-take shot, mistakes were bound to happen.

Because of this, the cast was encouraged to move on if they missed a line and to continue as best as they could.

But, if a major mistake was made during the filming process, takes were often completely abandoned.

At one point, Ashley Walters almost cried after accidentally calling an actor by the wrong name at the end of Episode 2.

For the second episode alone, 320 teenagers played school children and 50 adults played teachers, shoppers and parents, so there were plenty of opportunities for a mistake.

Did Stephen Graham throw paint on the van every take in Episode 4? Stephen Graham walks after discovering graffiti on his van (Picture: Courtesy of Netflix)

Towards the end of Episode 4, Stephen Graham throws paint over the side of his van to cover offensive graffiti, as the show reaches a devastating conclusion.

However, considering the fact that the 16th take was eventually used for the last episode, you might be wondering to yourselves – did Graham throw paint each time over his van?

The answer is, yes! In order for the paint to be thrown each take, a special paint was created that had the same consistency and would stick to the van, but after each take it could be jet washed off.

As the camera weaved in and out of houses and shops in Episode 4, the crew also devised a method to secretly put a camera rig on top of the van.

This meant that during the driving scenes the family could be filmed.

How did the cast prepare? To rehearse, the cast started small and continued adding lines (Picture: Courtesy of Netflix)

With there being so many masterful performances, it might seem like a mystery how an actor could prepare for something so challenging.

Considering how it was Owen Cooper’s first ever time on a set in that third episode as well, viewers have been keen to find out how the actors prepared.

To do so, segments of the script were rehearsed and after each day, slightly more was added.

On the first day of rehearsals, for example, only five minutes of the script was practiced and then more material was added as they went on. 

By the end of the week this meant everyone was able to perform a full run-through.

In Episode 2 how did the camera move through the window? Here is a look at the amazing work of two camera operators on the show (Picture: Netflix)

Everybody was gobsmacked by that infamous chase scene at the end of Episode 2 when Ashley Walters’ character, DI Luke Bascombe, charges for one of the students who makes a break for it outside of a window.

The camera appears to effortlessly glide through a window before the chase occurs.

However, it turns out that there was never any window there in the first place.

The genius production team digitally put a window there in post-production using VFX which meant a camera operator waiting outside was able to crouch down and pick up the camera as the chase progressed.

Moments after this chase scene, the crew wowed audiences again by creating a mechanism that allowed the camera to be attached to the drone as it flew 0.3 miles across the road to the murder scene where Stephen Graham is laying flowers.

Did they actually ram down the door during the police raid in Episode 1? The series begins with a thrilling home raid by police (Picture: Courtesy of Netflix)

The opening to Episode 1 instantly gripped audiences with that dawn home raid by the police.

Cooper’s character, Jamie Miller, is stunned by the police whilst he is still in his pyjamas in bed when they arrive.

But for the very first action by the officers who ram through his door – how many times did they have to do this?

In total, the cast had to ram through a whopping 12 doors for each take in the five days of shooting for the first episode.

A PVC door specialist was, amazingly, on set to fit a new door each time.

How did the crew stay out of the shot while the camera moved? Kaine Davis and Ashley Walters share a tense moment in Episode 2 (Picture: Netflix)

Eagle-eyed observers skeptical about the one-take style would have been keeping an eye out for any mistakes involving cast and crew.

With the amount of extras on set each day, blunders were bound to happen given the show’s format.

However, to avoid crew appearing in any of the shots, the cast would would rehearse alongside the DOP to plan the positions of the camera through the entrie take.

In some instances, however, the crew had to be on camera.

To get around this, they were dressed in costume so that they could serve as extras and blend into the shot.

Another cool piece of information in Episode 2 is that the girl who sings at the end of episode 2 is the actor who plays the victim, Katie Leonard.

Adolescence is available to stream on Netflix.

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