Movies - TV
Firefly's Trickiest Shot Was One Of Nathan Fillion’s Very First
By WITNEY SEIBOLD
Despite its short run and setbacks, Joss Whedon’s and Tim Minear’s series “Firefly” managed to build a devoted fanbase, leading to the creation of the follow-up film, “Serenity.”
The series follows Malcolm Reynolds (Nathan Fillion), the captain of the Serenity and leader of the ship’s colorful team, as they travel across the galaxy smuggling goods.
With the Serenity being a small ship, the crew had to find ways to film the action in these crowded spaces, with Whedon revealing, “The most difficult shot we did is in the pilot.”
Whedon continued, “It’s Mal coming out of his quarters on the ladder. The camera is in his quarters and then goes up the ladder above him and into the hall.”
The crew needed to build a set of the hallway above his room for the shot and create tracks on the ceiling for the camera to follow as Mal made his way up to the ladder.
Whedon felt the shot didn’t work, so the cinematographers changed to pulling the camera up by a rope, which Whedon praised the inventiveness of and the low-budget, scrappy feel.