SQUID GAME’S challenges were all constructed in rather obscure and scenic locations, with some stunts thrown in for good measure – but how were these scenes filmed?
Squid Game has quickly become one of Netflix‘s biggest shows of all time, with millions of households across the world watching the nine-part South Korean drama. In the thrilling and horrifying gory programme, 456 players have to fight for survival to win an astonishing amount of money but they have to complete six deadly games. Here is everything you need to know about how these challenges were filmed and how intricate the film crews had to be to capture every angle.
How were the Squid Game challenges filmed?
A lot of Computer Generated Imagery was used to provide the backdrops to some of the tasks, including the game of Tug of War.
However, some of the sets were built purposely for the show to allow the actors to become part of the giant-scale games.
One, in particular, was the fifth challenge in the series in which the contestants were seen having to guess whether the pathway they were walking across was made of real or tempered glass.
On-screen viewers watched as the participants were suspended metres high above the ground and if they failed to guess correctly, they would fall to their deaths.
The actress who took on the role of player 067, or Kang Sae-byeok, Jung Ho-yeon, has provided some details from behind the scenes.
“Filming [the show’s fifth game] Glass Stepping Stones was actually terrifying,” Ho-yeon explained in an interview.
“The set was about one metre above the ground. We put real tempered glass there and ran around on it,” she added, meaning sometimes the actor’s reactions were real.
Director Hwang Dong-hyuk reiterated the actresses sentiments, adding how suspending the game off the floor and using real glass whilst filming allowed for the cast to “express the unnoticed rigidity and fear of the body.”
He continued: “It felt like really jumping off a high bridge. The game was real and they felt real fear. Their bodies showed that fear.”