Are you feeling good about Heartstopper? That’s okay, filming a Netflix series is like family life

With a rating of 4.3 out of 5, this is one of Netflix’s most popular series for its good looks and its themes that approach education and kindness. The young adult feature film Heartstopper, adapted from Alice Oseman’s graphic novels, tells the love story of two teenagers and their story of emancipation within their group of friends and their family circle.

AlloCiné was able to go to the filming of Season 3 of the series to meet the writer, cast and technical teams of Heartstopper, whose public life is a reflection of the goodwill of the fiction.

Heartstopper, a real community

Go back to November 2023 and travel to E-ACT Burnham Park Academy in Burnham, Buckinghamshire, England. It is a former co-educational school which closed in 2019 due to declining student numbers and which now serves as a filming location and is rented annually by the Hearstopper teams.

“It’s like our version of college life.”William Gao (Tao) explained. This “school” and group life has created many bonds between the young Heartstopper cast, giving them the impression of having experiences like university life, which they don’t, but what they experience, for some of them, builds and issues in Season 3.

With very autumnal decorations around the school, we very quickly feel the Heartstopper atmosphere in these areas and a very relaxed atmosphere in the choirs. Everyone has known each other for a few years now, and despite the busy schedule, everything is going well for all the teams who have set up camp as a community studio area.

In addition to this unusual filming location, the entire gang also lives in shared housing during production. Which is very helpful for the group dynamic and also nice for Keith Connor (Nicky):

“It makes life a lot easier and a lot more enjoyable because we all sit in the car in the morning half asleep and work together all day. And then we come home, have dinner and eat together. Feel like family.”

Already after two seasons, the actor has his reference points, his habits and his daily life on the set with several routines, his “private jokes”, his iconic duets or trios and the necessary sense of belonging of an open, caring and caring person. listening.

But the time marker has already reared its ugly head and the actors are no longer the “babies” they were in the first season.

Yasmin Finn (she) “It feels like everyone has grown so much in their personal lives and on the show”. For the entire cast, the third season will be a period of maturity as it explores new, rather complex themes, far from the childlike innocence of the first episodes.

“When I see pictures of me from the first season, I look like I’m five years old. I’m very different now, I look very mature. It shows in the show and how we all act now, but also our costumes.”

Collaboration with the costume department is very open and each actor can express themselves and discuss with Adam Dee, Heartstopper’s lead costume designer, who takes over one of E-ACT Burnham Park Academy’s old classes.

Because the thing about shooting Heartstopper in this old facility is that all the teams (costumes, sets, production, etc.) took over classrooms, gymnasiums, meeting rooms, left as is and updated for every shoot and are there every day. With all the necessary elements, it works day after day. Which makes direct collaboration and proximity much easier and more intuitive.

“Everything is much more collaborative”According to Yasmin Finn, “You have a collaborative, trusting relationship not only with the cast, but with the crew, the writers, the costume team, the producers and the directors, so it’s really nice to create that family.”

The experience is new and surprising, but very enjoyable for Adam Dee, Hearstopper’s lead costume designer, who has taken over several classrooms with dozens of shelves and hundreds of costumes. “School uniforms, PE kits and all clothing for the first, second and third seasons”.

“It’s a bit like a second home, even though it seems like we go back to school every season. We have a great space with mood boards, white boards and kids’ graffiti everywhere. And it’s really nice to have the art department next door. In the other rooms, because we can easily cross paths and We cooperate faster.”

By Alisa Osman on all fronts

In order for the adaptation to be faithful and quality, Alice Oseman, the author herself, is responsible and has a key position for all teams. A nightlight for actors who need to light it up in case of questions.

“Having Alice is like having a Bible”says Joe Locke (Charlie), “There’s always an answer to every question you might have, which I think a lot of us feel comfortable thinking about that we can’t find an answer to. Answer it. You can just ask Alice..

The same applies to artistic departments that benefit from his valuable directives and sound advice. It’s even a necessity for them, as Adam Dee, the series’ lead costume designer, explains:

“Alice has spent many years drawing all these characters, so she definitely has a say in how they look. Since she’s on set a lot, it’s really easy to talk together. I think that includes everyone’s ideas.”

This joint work is only possible because Alice is very invested and is on set every day. He admits that he finds it difficult to stay away from filming because Heartstopper is his baby and that book adaptations don’t always go smoothly:

“It’s always a risk for the author. I really feel like I have the best experience because I have the opportunity to be involved like this. I can express my thoughts and ideas in all aspects of the series and I am very grateful and very proud of that..

But the author knew how to keep things in perspective, from the plot to the aesthetics of the characters and their environment. “From the first day, our goal was to preserve the aesthetics of books”he assures us. “Everyone was able to take comic book elements and make them come true. That desire carried over into the whole show, and especially into the school, because we get so much of that environment.”.

Having a fixed location allows you to save time each year, have reference points, and be at ease in interpersonal and professional relationships, giving the impression of visiting real community discovery sites, in your own bubble, on your own. own functionality.

Even if you have to start the process over every year because you have to leave the locations as they were found when filming is over. Which means, a splotch of white paint on the walls that fit, especially the famous school corridor, which was personally painted by Alice Osman.

“It’s kind of part of our job.”provides an artistic team and a decoration team, “We’re used to dressing up a space and the next day it’s all gone. This is our third time here and we paint everything every year. Once color pops into that decor, magic happens. Especially when the cabinets are repainted, that’s when it all starts.”.

Each start of the season brings its own color and warmth to the entire Heartstopper team, despite the chilly British weather that reverberates throughout the films. It is not for nothing that the feeling of the team working well together is so felt on the screen and that we feel good watching episodes of the Netflix series.

“Heartstopper” season 3 will be available on Netflix on October 4.