Behind the Scenes of Fallout, Gaming’s Most Surprising Small Screen Triumph
The post-apocalyptic TV series has come back to Prime Video, and it's fair to say that fans were pleasantly surprised by the caliber of its debut season. By portraying the atomic-age, post-apocalyptic United States through the lenses of three different characters, it effectively portrayed various facets of the gamer's experience.
We followed vault-dweller Lucy, striving to uphold her morals and learning that the barren landscape made that exceptionally challenging; Max, the Brotherhood of Steel initiate, who begins to question his organization's dogma and causes plenty of trouble in mechanized battle suit; and the Ghoul, a standout performance who has completely shed any moral compass out in the radioactive wastes.
Setting the Stage for a New Chapter
The show's first season finale revealed a major secret about those responsible for the nuclear war that condemned a group of people in subterranean shelters for hundreds of years. It also posed plenty of questions unresolved for the next installment – and, now, expectations are considerably elevated.
“We'd gladly accept ‘pretty good’ – let’s get that on a poster,” quips Jonah Nolan.
“Going into the first season, everyone’s like, ‘Just get it right’,” comments a key figure from the games. “We’re over the moon with the reception to the show, so this time people are coming in with more excitement and altered expectations.”
The Mojave Beckons for the Next Installment
The second season is located in New Vegas, the location of the beloved game Fallout: New Vegas, which is widely regarded for having the most compelling narratives and characters in the series, even if it was technically flawed at launch.
“It’s more of a desert vibe, a Mojave vibe, that’s so essential to that game,” explains the co-creator. “That dusty, blasted-out Route 66 aesthetic of the game is so much fun to incorporate into the show.”
In the series narrative, a long time has passed since the events of the New Vegas game by the time the characters arrive there. Nevertheless, the creators suggest that it does reference the fan's adventure.
The Importance of Physical Sets
The Fallout TV series is distinguished by its tactile feel – its production team ensured physical models and locations were fabricated, reflecting the improvised nature of the outposts in the games.
“Being a genre enthusiast, so many productions I watch, I’m conscious that they’re all standing in front of a blue screen,” observes co-creator Geneva Robertson-Dworet. “The primary goal of an translation, especially of a video game, is to appear as if it’s authentic.”
In fact, pretty much each creature you see on-screen is practical, including the notoriously frightening mutated beasts known as Deathclaws. In the show, they are portrayed by practical effects, and were by all accounts pretty frightening up close.
Made by Fans, for Fans
The Fallout series resonates because it is made by skilled directors who are also dedicated players, in collaboration with the visionaries behind the franchise. This common understanding for the world is clear in the finished show.
The new batch of episodes is launching on a weekly basis rather than as a full-season drop, representing a shift from the first season. This approach will allow for a different viewing experience, a dynamic the team themselves are eager to observe.
“It's richer, it’s more expansive, it’s more humorous, it has a lot of twists,” says Howard. “I am excited to seeing what people think.”