Netflix series Adolescence has been a massive hit and the final drone shot of episode two has been a big talking point – but director Philip Barantini has revealed it wasn’t even meant to be in the show

Netflix’s Adolescence director had an emotional moment when he saw they could nail the stunning drone shot finale in the show’s second episode.

Chatting with Marina Hyde and Richard Osman on The Rest Is Entertainment, director Philip Barantini and director of photography Matthew Lewis reminisced about that breathtaking scene.

The shot starts at eye level outside a school, soars over a street, and descends back down to another eye-level view, just as a murder is revealed, all while a haunting tune sets the tone.

Philip spilt the beans on the twist: the epic ending wasn’t in the original script but conceived mid-production. But the real magic, according to the director, came from Matthew Lewis, who dreamed up the concept and proved its feasibility for the Netflix hit.

He recounted the eureka moment: “I remember Matt coming back and showing me the footage, and I was like, ‘Oh my God, we can actually do this.'”

Philip shared the intense pressure of capturing the shot, saying, “But the whole thing came down to the very last take on the very last day. The morning take was our ‘safety’ take – no landing, just the drone taking off. Then in the afternoon, we went for the full shot. That’s when we landed the drone and nailed it. That’s when I cried.”

The director of photography disclosed his creative choice for incorporating an innovative drone shot, explaining the genesis of the idea stemmed from a particular moment in the script which described the camera gliding down a street at a pedestrian’s perspective, , reports the Liverpool Echo.

He elaborated on his reservations: “I was concerned that would look like a person walking, and I didn’t want to break the show’s rule that the camera always follows a person.”

Two camermen holding a drone in a behind the scenes look at Adolescence ( 
Image:
YouTube/StillWatchingNetflix)Desiring to maintain the stylistic consistency of the show, he proposed a unique solution: “So I suggested we float the camera away at the end of the episode – like a signifier that this story was ending, that something had shifted.

“I honestly didn’t know if we could do it, but I thought it would be amazing if we could take off and fly away.”

Reflecting on the logistical challenge, he quipped: “At the time, I was like, ‘That’s a problem for someone else to solve.’ Turns out that someone was me.”

With the buzz around Adolescence growing beyond expectations, creatives like Barantini are delving into the poignant subjects addressed by the mini-series, particularly its exploration of incel culture’s impact on young men and boys—a topic resonating in both the UK and the USA.

In a conversation with British GQ, Barantini recognized the timeliness of their work, he said: “I think we’ve really just hit on something on the right time.

“The themes – knife crime, the manosphere, incel culture, all of this stuff – it’s a global thing. But we’ve made a show set in North Yorkshire, which is very British. But across the globe, people are getting it. I’ve seen the show dubbed in loads of different languages, and I’ve watched it, and it still works, even though I can’t understand the other languages.”