They say it takes a village to raise a child, but it takes a cross-country network of visual and sound engineers to finish a season of the hit show on the life of Christ, The Chosen. As the theatrical premiere of the fourth season approaches, the showrunners have shared a behind-the-scenes look at all the technical aspects of bringing the biblical world to life.
Starting at their sound stage in Dallas, Texas, the camera crew flies out to Burbank, California, in order to meet with the editing team at Kappa Studios. There the audience is introduced to the two editors, named John Quinn and Adam Lutge, in charge of cutting and arranging scenes so the episodes flow smoothly. The two explained that they divvy up the workload with one taking the even episodes and the other taking the odds.
The pair also showed that each scene is filmed by multiple cameras, in order to give different angles of the same performance. If Jonathan Roumie (Jesus) had a particularly good take on one scene, but the angle just wasn’t right, this lets them switch to a different camera, while maintaining continuity.
Striving for accuracy
Next the cameras head back to Dallas, where they meet with the visual effects editor, Will Nicholson. Will explains that The Chosen strives for accuracy, using photos of landscapes and historical paintings of cities to recreate the world of 2,000 years ago.
Focusing on the scene in which Christ establishes his church at the “gates of hell,” the set includes two large Roman-style temples, one to Zeus and the other to Caesar, with an altar between them where pagans made sacrifices. In the finished show the high-pillared buildings will be topped by roofs, but the editors reveal that at the time of the filming, there were no roofs at all.
On the set, the upper parts of the structures are colored green, sort of like a green screen. It not only allows the editors to know just where they can start their work, but it allows the effects to more easily blend in with the scenery. Nicholson completely adds the tops of the buildings through digital editing, but it’s hard to tell when watching the finished scene.
Finally in Nashville, Tennessee, they add the icing on the cake: the audio effects and music. Composers Dan Haseltine and Matt Nelson explain how they make all the music and sound effects for the show, using everything from old world instruments to makeshift shakers made from bottle caps.
The first three episodes of The Chosen Season 4 will reach theaters on February 1, with two more installments to hit theaters every two weeks. Visit Fathom Events to learn more and secure your tickets today.
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