Exclusive: The Witcher director breaks down season 2 fight scenes

The Witcher season 2 delivered some unforgettable fight scenes. Louise Hooper, who directed two of the episodes this season, shot two of them: the attack on Geralt in the library in Episode 6, “Dear Friend…,” and the scene where Nilfagrdian guards attack Ciri and Yennefer in Episode 7, “Voleth Meir.”

Both scenes involve intricate choreography, which is discussed with the actors in advance and brought to life in cooperation with the stunt team. We spoke to the director about how those scenes are filmed and the surprising ways some effects are achieved.

Olivia Gacka: The fights scenes are very atmospheric, offering various perspectives even on what is happening in the background. What is the starting point for setting the scene and does the original vision ever change when you’re on set? 

Louise Hooper: Well, the thing is, it’s quite a long process. So when you read the script, you imagine the characters and you kind of get a feeling. You think about what are the emotional beats in the scene that I want to express? You then go and find out what the sets are going to look like. Then I’m [saying to the set designer], Oh, I love that. But could we add on this? Or could we put a window here? It means that from when you read the script until when you’re actually filming, it could be weeks, it could be months of preparation. So there’s no surprise when you get to the final day when you’re filming. By the time you get there, it’s as you expected.

OG: There are many stunt elements and props like furniture and weapons used during the fights. How are they integrated into the choreography before filming?

LH: You first look at the script and visualize it. And again, you have to think about where the location is because it everything affects everything. Adam Horton, the stunt supervisor, who is incredibly talented and really lovely to work with, then workshops the fight in the studio with all the different characters and all the different weapons. He and his team make a previs [a visual sequence of the proposed choreography] and shows it to us. We’ll then look at it and say, can we have it longer or shorter or more action or less action.

We’ll then talk to the set designers and say, Ok, look at this point, it’d be great if he could smash through a table. Let’s make the table out of whatever material, that means we can actually see it break. We then show it to Henry Cavill and he’ll say ‘I love it or can I do another bit of action here’, and we’ll keep revising it until the previs is signed off.

OG: Do you follow the whole previs sequence exactly?

LH: On the filming day, you take that previs and you basically shoot it like a storyboard. So rather than shooting the whole fight nonstop, which is quite long, you’ll break it up into different pieces. So it might be a punch or a kick or a fall or something, and you’ll just film that, get that perfect, and then move on to the next bit. Like a jigsaw puzzle, and then you put it all together.

OG: In Episode 6, when Geralt is attacked in Melitele as Ciri and Yennefer escape, the viewer feels very immersed in the fight. The shots follow the character movements, with slow-motion close-ups pinpointing crucial maneuvers. It’s almost like a performance. What does the team have to consider when setting up the shots?

LH: You first decide what the shot is. So you think, Ok, this guy’s going to fall forward. Where do you want the camera? Do you want the camera behind him as he falls or in front of him or to the side? And we’ll do that with Adam as well, in terms of what’s the best way to shoot that fight. But then obviously, on the day, there might be little bits of variation, which are exciting. The guy who did the camerawork James [Frater], was really brilliant. He’s on steadicam. He’s moving with the actors so nothing is static – giving the action flow and energy.

OG: Those creative decisions really elevated the scenes, the shots are dramatic and pair perfectly with the setting. Is there anything that you feel stands out in the fight scenes alongside the camerawork? 

LH: Nick Jeffries, the armourer, is a genius. He lovingly creates all the weapons bespoke for the show. I particularly loved the metal foot that was used as a weapon by Yarpen’s men, Nick said ‘They could give someone a good ‘kicking’ with that!’

The weapons are indeed the star of the show in the Episode 7 fight; if you look closely, each is distinct from the next. They look rustic and tell a story all their own.

Thank you, to Louise Hooper, for this mini masterclass on filming The Witcher; it’s such a treat to unpack things and see how many hours of work goes on behind the scenes for every few minutes of footage that we see.

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