Netflix's Witcher Will Avoid CGI - Creators Bet on Authenticity
The Witcher series won't abuse CGI. Such a declaration was made by Netflix producers (including showrunner Lauren S. Hissrich), assuring that they tried to limit the use of images generated by the computer as much as possible.
The Witcher, which is undoubtedly one of the most highly anticipated productions of this year, is still a month away. In fact, we still know relatively little about Netflix's new work, despite subsequent reports. Also, the latest interview by the French magazine Premiere (via Reddit) does not reveal much. However, it does raise an urgent issue for some people. The show's designer Andrew Laws assured us that the during the Witcher's production the company tried to avoid the use of CGI as much as possible. As he explains, he did not want to reach for green screen too often, because he wanted the actors to have some real reference, even during the shooting of battle scenes. He also added that the viewers have already learned to recognize the elements added digitally, and there are those who are spoiled by the impressions from the screening.
Laws was accompanied by Lauren S. Hissrich. The showrunner wanted to keep the "authentic style" because, as she said, "there's already a great video game" with Geralt and the producer didn't want the upcoming adaptation to look similar. Thus, she once again emphasized that her Witcher is an adaptation of Andrzej Sapkowski's books, and not the best-selling video game series from CD Projekt RED. Tim Aslam, responsible for costumes, said the same thing, emphasizing that not only were they not willing to borrow anything from the virtual trilogy, but in some places it would be impossible (for example, some costumes wouldn't make the same impression as in the game).
The Witcher's producers' reluctance to computer images may come as a surprise until one sees how often various productions - films, series or even anime - are heavily criticised for using "poor CGI". However, will the artists' reluctance to digital creations not translate into a smaller scale of the project? Andrew Laws denied it, emphasizing that The Witcher will not be a "poor cousin" of Game of Thrones or Lord of the Rings. The show has no shortage of dynamic action, and the series will shun difficult topics no more than the screening of Song of Ice and Fire. However, the producer admitted that the success of those productions paved the way for further projects, bringing the fantasy motifs closer to wider audience:
They [previous fantasy productions - author's note] allowed the audience to understand the fantasy worlds, to imagine universes. It was not really the case before. Today, they know how to read between the lines, so we can insinuate, without necessarily showing everything... even if there wasn't a lack of budget at all!"
Finally, it is worth mentioning the material posted by Sci-Fi Talk Official on Twitter (thanks, Redanian Intelligence). This is an interview with Freya Allan, the actress playing Ciri, who revealed something about her role in the conversation (NOTE: the following includes light spoilers from the second volume of Geralt's adventures!). As she revealed, in the first season Ciri will first be seen as a spoiled and stubborn princess, who we were unlikely to see in the books (although we had a foretaste of it in the short story "The Sword of Destiny"). However, later the girl will have to face the brutal reality and learn to survive in an unfriendly world. Allan confirmed that in the first season of The Witcher we will see her wandering after the slaughter of Cintra (after the trailer we knew that we will see the battle on the screen). We can even guess that the culmination of the season will be Ciri's encounter with Geralt, i.e. the end of the second collection of short stories. To confirm or not these guesses we will have to wait a little longer. The first season of the series will probably debut in December, and a bit earlier we will receive the second trailer.
