The creator of Ark: Stargate SG-1 returns with a new SF series, we take you behind the scenes!

This Tuesday, May 9 at 9 p.m., Syfy begins airing The Ark, an ambitious sci-fi series created by Dean Devlin, the creator of Independence Day who also serves as showrunner alongside Jonathan Glassner (Stargate SG-1).

Starring Christy Burke (The Maid), Tiana Upcheva (The Outpost), Christina Wolff (The Royals) and Richard Fleishman (Sandman), the series takes us 100 years into the future. Planetary colonization missions were launched to ensure the survival of the human species. But when Ark One, the project’s first ship, is badly damaged after a disaster, the crew members must adapt and help each other stay on track and survive.

In June 2022, during the filming of Season 1 of The Ark, Allocine traveled to Belgrade, Serbia to discover the behind-the-scenes and filming of the channel’s new sci-fi series. .

An ambitious science fiction series

Science fiction series remain a distinct genre on American television. And who better than the screenwriter of Independence Day and the creator of Stargate SG-1 to come up with an ambitious new original creation.

So, at the huge PFI studios in Belgrade, the American teams decided to pack their suitcases to shoot The Ark, the new sci-fi series for SYFY. More than 1,080 square meters were set aside to bring the Ark One spacecraft to life.

The interior of the building is as realistic as possible, the creators and technical teams took inspiration from the spaceships created by Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos to draw their plans. “We wanted the ship to look real, more real than the USS Enterprise“- explained Jonathan English, the producer of the TV series, during the visit.

“Everything in the series has a foot in reality. We wanted to create a world that people could relate to.” The result: masterful decorations, very little green background and, above all, 130-meter corridors that give the ship an impression of this grandeur and undeniable realism.

“What makes the series different from other works of the same genre is that it has a foot in reality.” added the producer. “Everything is based on technologies, ideas, concepts, but also the problems that people face today. And the problems that the characters face are very realistic. Even if the setting is a spaceship, the story mainly revolves around people trying to survive..”

As for the costumes and accessories, they were all made in Serbia for the needs of the series to meet the demands of the showrunner. Dean Devlin and the costume designer, for example, decided to create spacesuits after researching the subject at MIT.

In terms of design, the goal was to make costumes that are normal, but still different from other series in the genre, while remaining recognizable. A real challenge for the costume designer who managed to overcome the challenge in less than 3 months.

Serbia, the new Eldorado of the playoffs

Putting Serbia and the country’s film industry at the center of Ark was important to producer Jonathan English. Because yes, contrary to what we might have thought, this small country has a big love story with movies and TV series.

The new SYFY production is not the first to be shot at these studios on the outskirts of Belgrade. “We started working with the studio in 2018, while filming the second season The Outpost”, explained the producer, who has been living in the country for several years.

“We also shot a TV series SEAL-Team here. The film industry has a long history in Serbia and many international productions have been filmed in the country over the past 15 years.”

And it was very important for the producer to call the locals to work on the ark and bring their know-how to it. “100% of the series technicians are from Serbia and all department heads are also from the country.”

The production also called on local industries to make costumes or set elements. Another noteworthy fact, the two main actors of the Ark, Pavle Yerinik and Tiana Upcheva are of Serbian origin. A first for an American series.

Because while the two actors were part of the cast of The Outpost, another SYFY series shot at PFI studios, they only had very minor roles for a few episodes.

Serbia’s long history with the film industry is, of course, not the only reason American producers decided to film Ark there. Because, as in any production, be it cinema or television, the economic issue is of great importance.

And Serbia offers us many advantages in this area, as the producer explained to us without using wooden language: “The government offers a 30% tax credit to foreign products.

“The combination of this discount with the cost of production in Serbia means that the country offers one of the best deals in Europe. And when you combine that with a lot of talent and studios like PFI, it’s hard to beat.”.”

Launched in the US in February last year, The Ark quickly found its audience with no less than 6.5 million viewers across all platforms (the series was available on the Peacock platform the day after it was broadcast). So it’s no surprise that last April, the sci-fi series was renewed for a second season.

Find Season 1 of The Ark this Tuesday, May 9 at 9pm on SYFY.