Continental, John Wick series: How was the crazy staircase scene filmed?

Imagined from the world of John Wick, the series The Continental transports the audience to the gloomy New York of the seventies and explores the young years of Winston – played here by Colin Woodell. From the John Wick series, fans can expect only one thing: action scenes worthy of the name. The first episode sets the tone with an impressive sequence led by Ben Robson on a staircase.

Obviously, for this first scene that sets the tone, we couldn’t leave it out. AlloCiné went with Larnell Stovall, a stunt director, which in English is called an action director:

“There are always challenges with these scenes. Our actor Ben Robson, who plays Frank, is 1.93m tall. When a man is this big, you have to be very careful how you shoot him, because as soon as he’s in front of another man, the other man disappears. But the public needs to know who they are fighting against. So we have to be very precise in camera movements.”

There were 15 men above and 15 below were running and trying to attack him.

For this you need to find the perfect place. The series team compared several ladders before finding the right one. The actual choreography was then created to determine how many floors the stage would be and how long it could last.

“The space was too small, explains Larnell Stovall. There were 15 men above and 15 below were running and trying to attack him. So the timing and choreography were difficult.“What’s the secret to being okay? Rehearsals are essential.

True or false shots?

If the scene gives the impression that it was shot in sequence, it is only an illusion. “It doesn’t have to look like a sequence shotShows a master stuntman whose career spans over 20 years. We just took more time and added some clever edits here and there to give the impression of a sequential shot..”

But then how do you prepare for an action scene on screen? For Larnell Stovall, it’s all a matter of time. “For example, if the first episode is seven weeks long and the action scene is shot on the fourth week, you have plenty of time to rehearse with the actors. You do shooting tests, rehearsals.”

“We can practice in the gymnasium or on the sethe continues. We shoot in advance. Together with the stunt team, we give an example of how the scene will be shot. This then becomes the blueprint and template for the film crew. When you get to the fourth week and it’s time to shoot, you feel like you didn’t have much time. But once you see the scene come to life, you say enough is enough. It’s part of the process.“

Commentaries collected by Thomas Desroches, London, 20 September 2023.

Continental Series is available on Prime Video.