It is very hard to have both these things happening at the same time.
There is a technical dexterity there that is really, really challenging.
Read the entire interview below.
Moten and Adam Shippey, taken on Aaron’s camera by JoJo Whilden, the on-set photographer.
DEADLINE: Jonathan, youve spoken about how important it was forFalloutsets to be largely practical.
Why was that a priority?
And Aaron, how did that enhance your experience as an actor?
JONATHAN NOLAN:I dont really know any other way to do it.
We have the best vis-effects team in the business.
Jay Worth is our VFX supervisor, [and hes] incredible.
So what are you offering in exchange?
But were also offering reality.
Aaron, did that also impact your performance, to have those things in front of you?
AARON MOTEN:[Production designer] Howard Cummings and his team are jumping out to me right now.
It felt like…this is just the playground that you get to play on today.
It became the thing often that was launching us into the material.
The springboard, if you will.
We did it on the Universal backlot, the old New York stages, before they burned down.
And then at the end, I was like, Oh, Im working with this dude.
I think the sets that we made forFalloutare the most beautiful sets Ive ever seen.
Id shot in New York before on my first show.
Its acting, right?
When Ella walks out of that vault, I kind of kept her in the van.
The shot is almost entirely practical.
Its one of the most stunning, beautiful, weird places Ive ever been in my life.
So that all on her face is real.
It feels almost like a childish way to do it, right?
It certainly feels like the long way around.
Its like one person cant think theres a mirror there, and the other person thinks theres a wall.
NOLAN:Ive never thought of that with the stage.
MOTEN:Its extremely important.
We dont have to make something real that is real.
So we get to imagine where it came from, how long weve had it, etc.
The Volume was a tool that we had tried to build for the first season ofWestworld.
That was a difficult season to pull together, so we sort of stopped, pressed pause.
There wasnt a big enough one.
They built it to our exact specifications.
Thats where Aaron and I worked for the first time together.
Our concern with the volume was that, in certain productions, it becomes the tail wagging the dog.
So now you have to shoot everything to amortize the cost of it.
Amazon was supportive of our approach.
Wed use it for what it was good for, which for me, is replacing blue screen.
You showed up on set.
I was like, Okay, here you go.
Its like, Okay, welcome to our set.
I dont know if we have a harness on.
it’s crucial that you jump into this thing.
It was pretty rad, but it was definitely it at the deep end.
But did The Volume help you in terms, or is that a distraction?
double-check you keep doing that with your voice.
It was because, instantly, I realized, Oh, its loud.
You instantly kind of go there in your imagination.
It influences the performance, even though its not really happening to you.
NOLAN:For that scene, we benchmarked all photography onFull Metal Jacket.
Theres a terrific scene where theyre inside of a Huey.
If we could have built a Vertibird, we would have a working Vertibird.
MOTEN:I have a weird question for Jonah.
Its a nerdy one.
Im thinking specifically about the entrance of Waltons character into the wasteland.
What do you do?
NOLAN:The final scene in the first one?
Thats a good example.
We should talk about you acting more than this stuff [Laughs].
One of the few advantages of the digital cameras is that they do have very good low light sensitivity.
Its the scene in the second episode in which Ellas character interacts with Michael Emerson.
We always joke about how we never shoot night stuff on location.
Its such a waste of everyones time.
Its also very difficult to get a Condor and the requisite light package to shoot properly at night.
You could do that with VFX after the fact.
Its kind of a silly waste of everyones time, and you want to maximize your daylight shooting hours.
You never want to put the crew into a split so youre losing your daylight hours.
But we did the last night we were in Utah.
Were shooting a window on this old Air Force Base, which is mostly Aarons scenes there.
Howard did some tasteful touches to it, but its largely as we found it.
Be careful what you wish for.
So then, we actually shot that out of sequence.
We went and shot the introduction of the ghoul later.
And at that point, both Stuart and I were like, Lets have some lights on this one.
So its a different approach.
Its all one location.
But again, you turn the lights out and it kind of disappears a little bit.
I think largely you want to shoot those locations during the day, where you’re able to.
Its a little wimpy.
DEADLINE: How much do you take into account how people are watching your show?
Because certain TVs also just cant handle those really dark shots.
Last nights episode was a little dark.
And I was like, Let me guess, do you have DirectTV?
Do you have an edge lit LED television?
Shes like, Howd you know?
DEADLINE: I want to shift gears a bit to ask about casting, specifically for Ella and Aaron.
In the games, you design your own character.
Youre gonna spend, like, an hour creating your own character.
Does it look like you?
Look like someone else?
Theres so much fun to be had there.
But the point is, there is no protagonist.
The protagonist is a literal every person.
it’s possible for you to make that person whatever you want them to be.
It was hard for us, because everyones experience of anyFalloutgame is totally different.
You might play it as a really good person.
I might play as a really bad person.
NOLAN:The point of the game is that everyones experiences is totally different.
You decide to join them or not, and that shapes your experience.
You have the ghoul, who is fully living the nihilistic bad guy choices.
MOTEN:Theyve already put in like 400 hours of gameplay.
NOLAN:[Laughs].
Fully 100 level on every characteristic, all the best weapons.
Then, youve got Aarons character.
All three of these roles were hugely important for me.
Aaron has this enormously difficult challenge.
Looking at the early drafts of the character and saying, Do we like this character?
Knowing, as were saying that, it’s possible for you to tilt it whichever way you want.
Who we cast is going to largely dictate your emotional response to this person and that is important.
Its obviously all important.
Its on the page, but its even more important to be cast.
I wasnt familiar with Aarons work before.
It is very hard to have both these things happening at the same time.
There is a technical dexterity there that is really, really challenging.
I think you make it look effortless in the show.
We have to make decisions.
Graham and Geneva have made decisions about where this character is going.
If that makes sense.
I mean, 250 of us on set to sacrifice and make the thing good.
We have to get it.
I felt always surrounded by incredible collaborators in this show.
He knows how to talk to each department.
NOLAN:Or, pretends hes played.
Thats the key part.
MOTEN:Especially this show, the tone shifts.
Its part of a horrible logic.
I understand actors showing up knowing, This is my big, dramatic scene.
Its kind of the logic of it.
Its just always going to ring to me as real and exciting to watch.
NOLAN:We shot all over the world with this, which was a delight.
I do like a little bit of that.
For some reason the Conair plane is stored at Wendover Airport.
It was perfect, sitting in that Conair plane.
It was a really well written scene.
Just create calm, and still listen and allow you to play it.
DEADLINE:Fallouthas been renewed, and of course the finale very much sets up for another season.
But, how early in the process do you start thinking about another season?
And do those ideas change when you see Aaron and Ella fully embody their roles?
NOLAN:Yeah, I think this is one of the fun things about television.
I think one of the things thats important with film [is] you could chart the path.
Youd have to pivot if things didnt go the way that you hoped.
I think with television, theres a wonderful feedback loop of Graham and Geneva.
Graham will try something, well see whats coming back to us.
In television, youd be foolish to think thats how its going to work out.
Companies get bought and sold.
All kinds of things.
Tectonic shifts happen in the industry.
You have to be ready to pivot.
So, you have to have a certain amount of flexibility.
You have to have some ambitions.
You have to have some plans.
You have to go into it with something to a plan.
MOTEN:Anytime I come with a suggestion, its a joke.
How are they writing this?
Learning later that this is the tone ofFallout.
But it really felt like they have their fingers on the pulse of this thing.
Hes just as brave as he is afraid of the thing.
Hes going to walk into the cave, even though the suit is forcing him to.
It always just feels real.
DEADLINE: Aaron, you also took some BTS photos on set, right?
MOTEN:I have this great photo of Govey in Namibia, its when we were leaving.
I believe it became part of our Vault 4 set in Namibia.
NOLAN:Oh yeah, that odd building.
Govey is Chris Haarhoff, our long-time Steadicam operator, one of the best Steadicam operators in the world.
MOTEN:When did you guys meet?
He worked with Paul before.
So Paul and Govey came as a pack.
I dont know if you met Paul.
I am very reliant on our Steadicam operator.
Its a tool that I love.
We shoot very quickly.
Were moving as quickly as we can.
It wasnt until I asked him, he was like, Oh no.
NOLAN:Hes wearing 90 pounds of film equipment.
Hes just trying not to have a stress headache.
Oh, thats amazing.
Have you ever worn that rig?
NOLAN:I put it on at the end of the second season ofWestworld.
I dont know how that guy does what he does.
The slightest movement you make, and the camera just starts getting away from you.
It is very heavy…Its a workout.
DEADLINE: Aaron, what inspired you to take these BTS photos?
I really enjoyed how they made the project feel very down to earth, despite its scope and scale.
MOTEN:Its so many moving pieces.
One of my favorites is [to Nolan], youre with Steve [Battaglia].
You guys are trying to set a shot up.
Its not really important that you come away being friends with everyone.
Thats not really the job.
But we did have a great time making this thing.
We did come away friends.
Its just kind of hard not to, I think with the tone of the show.
