The Queens Gambit 10 BehindTheScenes Details About Production & Filming

The Queen’s Gambit: 10 Behind-The-Scenes Details About Production & Filming

Netflix’s new chess-based period drama The Queen’s Gambit has made quite a splash. Here’s what went on behind the scenes to make it such a success.

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The seven-episode Netflix series The Queen’s Gambit follows chess prodigy Beth Harmon (Anya Taylor-Joy) as she works her way up in an effort to become the greatest chess player of all time. As Netflix’s hottest new limited series, it’s earned an overabundance of critical praise (and a 100% Rotten Tomatoes rating), which stems from a bevy of positives within the series, ranging from its gripping drama to the incredible set design.

And as with every Netflix series, a lot of work went into making sure everything — from the chess to the fashion — was executed perfectly, something that can be very definitely proven by taking a look at what was going on behind the scenes.

10 It Was Almost Made By Heath Ledger

The Queen’s Gambit adaptation went through development hell before it was eventually picked up by Godless creator Scott Frank. Scottish screenwriter Allan Scott purchased the rights to the book from Tevis’ widow in 1992.

In 2008, Scott and Heath Ledger were in the middle of pre-production on a film adaptation of the book that would be directed by and would star Ledger himself, alongside Elliot Page. Of course, then came Ledger’s untimely death, and the project lingered for another decade.

9 It Was Filmed In Berlin And Ontario

Despite canonically taking place in a slew of locations across the globe from New York to Moscow, The Queen’s Gambit was actually filmed entirely in Berlin and Ontario.

Production designer Uli Hanisch deserves all the credit for making the locations seem so believable, as — like many of the talented people who made the series a success — he has an impeccable eye for detail.

8 The VFX Team Purposely Kept The Ceiling Chess Pieces The Same Throughout The Series

The Queen’s Gambit’s VFX team had a tough task on their hands figuring out how to portray the animated chess sequences throughout the series, especially the ones that take place in Beth’s head, visualized on her darkened ceiling.

But VFX supervisor John Mangia made sure one thing stayed the same throughout the series: the shapes of the pieces on the ceiling. These are tied back to Beth’s first match against Shaibel, and while she’s seen many chess sets since her encounter with him, she still has a special fondness for their games in particular.

7 The Outfits Follow Beth’s Character Development

The Queen’s Gambit has turned Taylor-Joy into a fashion icon with its 60s-inspired outfits. But aside from just being stylish, Beth’s clothing choices clearly had a lot of thought put into them.

Gabrielle Binder, the fashion designer for the series, used the ostensibly simple clothes to tell a story about Beth’s progression through the chess world. In an interview with the New York Times, she noted “Beth tiptoed into the chess world with a simple checkered sleeveless dress over a fitted white button-down that doesn’t veer far from the style at the time. She was trying desperately to find her own way in the fashion and chess scene — and her outfit reflects this.” But “by the time the series finishes, Beth steps out in a white wool coat paired with a white hat totally on point for a chess queen.”

6 Beth’s Hair Has A Hidden Meaning

One minor change the limited series made to the original novel is that Beth has red hair rather than brown. Hair and makeup stylist Daniel Parker, known for his incredible work on the HBO docu-drama Chernobyl, said in an interview with Vogue that this wasn’t an accident: “To me, she was always a feisty redhead.”

Beth’s multiple hairstyles throughout the series, he argues, are there to wordlessly tell her story: for instance, the haircut she has at the orphanage is “about growing up, about a poor little girl who loses her mother and the first thing that happens to her is that she’s defrocked and her hair is chopped off.”

5 Scott Frank Played Daily Chess Games Against The Show’s Cinematographer

Cinematographer Steven Meizler (who had previously collaborated with Scott Frank on Godless) was one of the biggest reasons that the chess in The Queen’s Gambit looked so interesting; it’s no coincidence he’s been internationally recognized for his beautifully-composed shots.

Apparently, he also has some knowledge of the game itself, as he and Frank were known to play daily games on set and continue to play over the internet.

4 Anya Taylor-Joy And Harry Melling Had A Special Connection On-Set

Growing up, Anya Taylor-Joy learned how to speak English by reading the Harry Potter series with her uncle. So it’s only natural that she would be drawn to her co-star Harry Melling, who played Dudley Dursley in five of the Harry Potter films (including the one based on her favorite book, Order of the Phoenix).

According to an interview with Marie Claire, Melling “graciously entertained” her enthusiasm about their shared connection to the Wizarding World.

3 Anya Taylor-Joy Learned Her Moves Five Minutes Before Filming

Since the ties between her passion for acting and Beth’s passion for chess were what endeared Taylor-Joy to the project in the first place, it makes sense that she’d understand what kind of player Beth is.

Indeed, she handles the pieces with the confidence and grace of an esteemed chess master, but on each scene, she actually only learned the specific sequence of chess moves five minutes before filming started — otherwise there was “no way [she] was going to be able to play… from memory.”

2 A Chess Expert Who Consulted On The Book Also Worked On The Series

Bruce Pandolfini is a chess teacher and puzzle-writer best known for his commentary on the infamous 1972 Chess World Championship, but also notable for being played by Ben Kingsley in the classic drama film Searching for Bobby Fischer.

When he gave Walter Tevis a few pieces of advice for his forthcoming novel all the way back in 1982, he had no idea his brief meetings would lead to a role on one of Netflix’s most popular limited series ever. But yes, many of the chess positions shown throughout the series were composed by Pandolfini, taken from a “Bible” of his own ideas.

1 Scott Frank Wanted A Real Chess World Champion To Play Borgov

Having a revered chess teacher consulting on the series wasn’t enough for Frank; he wanted former world champion Garry Kasparov, a player who was just entering the chess scene when Tevis published his book in 1983, to play the role of Borgov.

Kasparov refused, but like Pandolfini, he did act as a consultant for the series, creating several new games out of already-existing ones. These include Beth’s game against World Champion Borgov and her game against former World Champion Luchenko.

Link Source : https://screenrant.com/queens-gambit-behind-the-scenes-details-facts-info-production-filming/

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