Did you know the novel before that?
No, and I didn’t want to read it before the scripts either. That way you’re not overwhelmed and you can easily check how the story affects someone who doesn’t know the book. Later I read the novel and of course many things are different. For example, we turned people who are men in the book into women. We made it more contemporary, but in the spirit of Frank Schätzing and in the spirit of the book.
Did you meet him?
No, he came to the set, I was already done. We kind of missed each other. But I hope I’ll get to know him at the premiere at the latest. I think it must be difficult for an author who has written such a successful book. He had a certain vision and I’ll bet no one can live up to it. I think it’s great what he wrote and that he allowed you to change your “baby” a little bit and into one great series makes.
How was The Swarm implemented?
We have a lot with us Visual Effects and computer graphics animation worked. We shot everything in Italy except for the underwater scenes.
Why exactly Italy?
It was originally supposed to be South Africa, but Corona thwarted our plans. Then it became Italy because of the coast, the production-friendly tax credits and the top people. At first I was a bit skeptical. I knew Rimini (laughs). But it is phenomenal how many different coastal landscapes there are in Italy. For example, we shot Shetlands in Puglia, in the very south. You don’t believe that at first, but when you stand there, you think to yourself: Exactly, now only the sheep are missing (laughs). We were also able to represent Peru, Norway and Canada in Italy. It was really nice to shoot by the sea and travel the country.
You mentioned the underwater scenes. What was it like shooting underwater?
Great and terrible! We shot in Belgium in an underwater studio. Cameras, actors, safety divers are in a pool underwater. I’m outside and look at the monitors to see what the cameras are doing. It’s 30 degrees, it’s unbelievably humid in the hall, you sweat and communication is a real challenge. In order to communicate, one must speak into an underwater speaker. However, this can only be heard when the diver stops breathing briefly because the breathing is so loud. That means you don’t know if you’re catching the moment he’s holding his breath. Of course, an underwater shoot also pushes the actors to their limits, because it’s very physically demanding. But the results are beautiful: You can adjust the light, dawn, afternoon sun, sunset – it’s just magical with the water.