Bringing Shōgun’s most breathtaking scene to life was tricky

Hiroyuki Sanada’s Shōgun has earned itself the reputation of being a great TV series, especially for bringing a fresher perspective to the current age, where remakes and adaptations are gaining a detested reputation. The show is an adaptation of James Clavell’s novel from 1975 of the same name. The series’ dedication to being true to the source material garnered it a massive fan following.

Hiroyuki Sanada as Lord Yoshii Toranaga. Credits: FX
Needless to say, as soon as the series hit the screens, it surpassed all expectations, becoming one of the biggest conversation topics and a sensation overnight. Even though the original miniseries was breathtaking in every sense, shooting some of those scenes was not easy. The show’s cinematographer opens up how one of the initial scenes of Shōgun was the most tricky to shoot in the series.

Shōgun’s Most Breathtaking Scene Made The Creators Walk on a Tightrope

Shōgun, the new historical epic has become the flagbearer of everything that a modern TV drama should. The fresh take on the series has made the show receive overwhelmingly positive responses not only from the fans but also from the critics because it was breathtakingly unique, and hooked the viewers’ attention.

Hiroyuki Sanada and Anna Sawai in Shōgun. Credits: FX
The show is set in the 1600s, in feudal Japan and it focuses on different aspects of the show, that is the cast, pace, storyline, and the breathtaking scenes featured in the show. One such scene took place at the beginning of the show when Cosmo Jarvis’ John Blackthorne’s life was at the mercy of the Katana.

The whole scene looked as if it were a single sequence scene, but in reality, it was divided into four elements, though it looked like it was a part of a single shot. During a chat with The Hollywood Reporter, Christopher Ross, the show’s cinematographer opened up about the difficulties and the trickeries involved in the initial scene. He said,

The shot was divided into four executable elements while still retaining that visceral first-person perspective.

However, that was not the most difficult part of the film because the entire crew came together to recreate the violent sea storm. They had to construct a rear upper deck of the gallery as well as a staircase to the rowers on the lower deck.
A still from the show Shōgun. Credits: FX
To make the scene more complicated the entire third of the real ship was placed on a gimbal so the whole set could move. Ross explained,

The camera could go down and look out of the windows to see real actors that were doing the rowing.

The effect of the sea storm was achieved with 60-foot tall containers with inflatable blue screens that assisted them in creating the effect of the open ocean. The tanks would dump “1,000 gallons of water over us every 20 seconds,” with Ross adding that this was the kind of filmmaking one would dream of as an “11-year-old.”

That’s the sort of filmmaking, when you’re 11 years old and you dream of working in cinema, that you fantasize about doing.

Needless to say, the scene was absolutely perfect and it just explains why Shōgun has gained all the buzz, and even called everything that HBO’s Game of Thrones should have been.

Shōgun’s Creators Praise Hiroyuki Sanada’s Massive Contribution to The Show

Set in Feudal Japan, Shōgun is deep-rooted in reality, yet it is set in an expansive fictional world showcasing the historical accuracies from the 1600s in Japan. The culturally appropriate cast and the dialogues just add to the show’s popularity.
Hiroyuki Sanada in Shōgun. Credits: FX

Hiroyuki Sanada, the producer of the show did his best to give the most authentic experience to its viewers by showcasing the Japanese culture to its Western audience. Moreover, the producer also handpicked the cast members of the series.

As a result, Rachel Kondo and Justin Marks reflected that the show’s success is solely credited to Sanada-San’s effort. During an exclusive interview with Rolling Stone, Rachel Kondo reflects on how Hiroyuki Sanada spent time working on the series. She said,

[He] poured himself into the role in a way that that truly feels unprecedented. To say he was merely ‘hands-on’ would be an understatement.

Nevertheless, the success of the show has not only been greenlit for a second season but also for a third season as well. Expectations are high from the series because Hiroyuki Sanada will seemingly be returning to the upcoming seasons as well.

Shōgun can be streamed on Hulu.