ADOLESCENCE is a groundbreaking Netflix show which examines the dangers of knife crime in the UK.
The show took a unique approach to filming which made choosing the right location extremely important. So where did they film Adolescence?
Filming in one take
As each episode of Adolescence was filmed in one take, production was limited to one location.
The show’s creators chose to film each episode in one take as it forces a “perspective” on the audience, making it hard for viewers to look away from uncomfortable scenes.
However, filming the show in one take made creating the show difficult.
Director Philip Barantini said: “It’s much more complicated than it sounds.
“It takes months of preparation and weeks of rehearsals and an incredible team of people to pull it off at every stage, from the script to the locations to the production design to where exactly the camera is going to be able to shoot and from what angle.’
The cast practised in five minute scenes, gradually extending each take as they became more familiar with the script.
Adolescence’s filming locations
The show was filmed in Pontefract in West Yorkshire as the crew wanted to set the show in the North of England.
Much of the reasoning behind this was because of the show’s lead actor Owen Cooper, who plays the 13-year-old Jaime.
As Owen is from Warrington, his character’s accent would already be close to his own voice.
Misthorpe Community College in West Yorkshire became Jaime’s character’s school, while the nearby leisure centre was used for the show’s iconic drone shot in episode two.
Production Park in South Kirkby was transformed into the police station, allowing the camera crew to seamlessly transition between the two locations.
The 10-000 foot filming location is a filming space for artists including Elton John, Coldplay and Sam Smith.
Much of the filming of the show was based at the centre and, according to the show’s director, it became the “nerve centre of the entire production”.
The house used as the Millers’ family home was close to the Production Park in South Kirkby.
An iconic shot in episode two
Fans were blown away by an incredible shot at the end of episode two which followed Fatima Bojang’s character Jade as she left school.
However, in order to catch Jade’s journey from school, the crew secretly attached a drone to the camera while filming.
This allowed the camera to fly 0.3 miles to the next scene, where a second team was present.
The original plan was extremely different, though, as the writers had originally planned to use a chase scene in order to get the camera to the second location.
They changed their minds when they realised it would look too much like a “video game”.
The dangers of the internet
Adolescence follows a schoolboy named Jaime who has been arrested for the murder of his classmate.
Much of the show focuses on how extreme online forums can radicalise young people.
One of the show’s creators Stephen Graham, who also starred in the show, said that the danger of online spaces was a big inspiration.
He said: “We think he’s safe in his room… that home is the microcosm, and that’s where you should be safe.
“That’s where he’s raised and that’s where your security is.
“But through the telephone, through the internet, there’s a whole macrocosm out there of stuff that we have no control over as parents.”
