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What is mankind without science? The thought-provoking question is one of the themes in “3 Body Problem,” an eight-episode Netflix series from “Game of Thrones” creators D.B. Weiss and David Benioff and “True Blood” scribe Alexander Woo. Adapted from author Cixin Liu’s “Remembrance of Earth’s Past” trilogy, the material follows a group of scientists who attempt to save humanity from a technologically advanced alien race known as the San-Ti. What it meant for the creative team was developing a distinct visual aesthetic capable of reaching the far ends of the galaxy, yet one delicate enough to support the emotional dilemmas each character faced.
“I remember when the guys first wrote to me about this series, and they promised, I quote, ‘A journey from China during the darkest hours of the cultural revolution all the way to the farthest fringes of the universe, both in time and space.’ And I thought, ‘OK wow, we are not in Westeros anymore,’” production designer Deborah Riley told IndieWire, who previously worked on “GoT.”
The challenge for filmmakers was navigating an expansive storyline that moves through different decades and drifts across continents. Shot on location and in the studio, it was paramount to create a sense of realism, building practical sets whenever possible, and sonically avoid cluttering a dialogue track rife with philosophical and scientific discussion. “Visually, it was very reality-based,” visual effects supervisor Stefen Fangmeier told IndieWire. “There was quite a wide range of effects we did and various other things that made it interesting.” The hurdles each department head faced included creating dream-like virtual reality environments, explaining mind-boggling alien technology, launching a rocket off Cape Canaveral, and splitting a tanker-like loaf of bread — all while navigating the vulnerabilities of the characters.