S01.E06: Process

[formerlyfreedom]

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The team from The Mandalorian discuss the process they used to make the show.

Dropping online on Friday, June 5.

[TVFan17]

Another interesting installment!  

The previs process is really fascinating, because it's almost like the scenes or episodes are shot before they're actually shot.  The directors have the good fortune of using animation and/or working with the stunt actors or other stand-ins to flesh out their ideas in advance, and capture their movements.  It's sort of like a test run to see what works and what doesn't before eventually going to camera with the actors in costumes and full sets or backdrops in The Volume or whatever.

 

So this means that each director really puts in a lot of work and time.  (I think that Deborah Chow said she was working on Chapter 3 in previs for 2 months before going to camera on it.)  They don't just breeze onto the sets to yell "Action" or "Cut" and tell Carl Weathers or Gina Carano where to stand.  They have essentially already shot the episode or certain scenes before, during previs, and then they have to do it again with the main actors, putting them in place of the stunt actors and what not.  By the time principal photography begins, the directors have a very clear idea of how the scenes will look, and exactly what they want from the actors.

 

There are so many moving parts to getting this series made, and so many different people involved in bringing the scenes and characters to life, and so many different phases of putting it all together, that I can understand how certain people working on it never crossed paths, or never actually worked together. For example, I'm still not clear on whether or not Rick Famuyiwa and Deborah Chow ever actually worked with Nick Nolte, or if they only worked with the Kuiil motion capture actress/double, with Nick going into the studio to record his dialogue for his 3 episodes under the guidance of Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni instead of Rick and Deborah.

 

When I watched the episode this morning, I was wondering why the title had appeared to change from what it was originally going to be.   It was not originally called "Process," but somehow changed.

Also, I was annoyed that this episode was only about 19 or 20 minutes long -- way too short.  I almost wondered if the segments used in it had been part of a larger episode but were then pulled and edited into their own episode just to make the season a bit longer.

Unless I am forgetting someone, it was curious to me that this was the first Gallery episode in which we didn't see any segments with the cast talking -- no short Pedro Pascal comments, no Gina Carano comments, no cast-at-the-round-table segments, etc.   I guess there was no point in them being part of it.

 

I watched this just a few minutes after it appeared on Disney+, so I was tired and had to watch it again to be sure I was not imagining this -- at one point Rick Famuyiwa referred to Chapter 6 (the prison ship episode) as the one where Mando had to break Xi'an out.   (However... it was actually Qin who needed to be broken out.)

Could the original plan for the episode have been to have Xi'an in prison, needing to be rescued?   Maybe she was the one who was supposed to be there, and then Jon Favreau/Dave Filoni changed it to Qin needing to be rescued?  Maybe they filmed two versions -- one with Xi'an needing to be broken out, and one with Qin, and Rick was thinking of the version with Xi'an?   Either that, or Rick accidentally mixed up the names.

 

Only 2 more episodes to go, and then Gallery is sadly over. 

Edited June 9, 2020 by TVFan17

[Ms.Moon]

I am consumed with this honestly.  I have rewatched The Mandolorian several times and these Gallery insights into the episodes are amazing.