The swarm director about parallels to Avatar 2 and when the complex shooting became “hell”.

The German sci-fi thriller series Der Schwarm is a mammoth project on several levels. On the one hand, it is an international co-production that was not only filmed in different countries, but also has an international cast. On the other hand, the bestseller of the same name by Frank Schätzing, which sold more than 4.5 million copies worldwide, was filmed here.

In The Swarm, catastrophes such as whale attacks that have their origin in the sea are suddenly piling up around the world. Several scientists try to get behind the cause of these phenomena and discover something disturbing: Could it really be that nature has found a way to fight back?

The swarm: In an interview, director Barbara Eder talks about shooting the series, sci-fi role models and Avatar 2

The series starts on February 22, 2023 in the ZDF media library and will also be broadcast on TV from March 6, 2023. Moviepilot met director Barbara Eder (Barbaren), who directed 4 of the 8 episodes (Episode 3 to 6) and talked to her about underwater shooting à la Avatar and narrative challenges.

Moviepilot: The original book is 20 years old. Did something have to be changed for the current film adaptation?

Barbara Eder: A lot had to be adjusted. It was made by consultants Facts checked from the bookthen yes [mit neuem Forschungsstand] were different. At the same time, scientific topics were simplified. You have to somehow make it so that everyone understands. Also, we only had limited time, so storylines from two people were merged into one, for example.

It was also important not to adopt anything culturally or to fall into clichés. We wanted an ensemble that is multinational. We also have more women scientists than maybe ten years ago. We asked ourselves: who are the heroes? Do scientists always have to be white men? What would a modern ensemble that saves the world look like? That’s exciting to think about. Accordingly, many things have changed.

The swarm is produced by ZDF and in Germany, but 2/3 is also a large European or international co-production. How do you coordinate something like that?

There’s a lot of politics involved, it’s a huge effort. For us directors, that means a lot of talks with a wide variety of broadcasters and financiers all your own desires have. Frank Doelger has [als Showrunner von Der Schwarm] Luckily mediated between us artists, the authors, the sponsors etc. That went as far as casting decisions: Which role comes from which country? Which nations did we represent? Frank Schätzing was of course also involved as an author. Logically, with so many participants, it was never possible to get all the suggestions and wishes through.

Do you have an example? Where did you have to bend when you once had other ideas?

I wanted more scenes with the character of Samantha Crowe, played by Sharon Duncan-Brewster. This is such an amazing actress! In Dune, I kneel before her! There would have been more ideas about her, but the question in such a large ensemble cast is always: How much space does a character get? That Crowe didn’t appear that often as a character was difficult for me to accept. But in the end it was okay. The story works fine now.

A lot of The Swarm was filmed underwater. How did that work for you as a director?

We have one in Brussels underwater studio turned. In a giant indoor tank that was insanely hot and muggy, like an indoor pool. Then you have actors in the water, with safety divers taking turns and cameramen diving under.

On Click you can say: now it’s sunset, now it’s morning or glaring sun, now there’s a bit of fog or a stronger swell. I press a button and suddenly there is a storm. You can set how cloudy the water is and we have sometimes built wrecks or reefs into the pool. It’s funny, but also hell. When you’re stuck in that kind of climate every week, it’s very physically demanding. Sometimes I just wanted to jump into the water. But as a director, I was a role model, so that wasn’t possible.

So I myself was in shorts, outside at the edge of the pool and tried to communicate on monitors. There were speakers underwater. The only tricky thing is the divers’ breathing: if you want to tell them something, the inhaling and exhaling through the oxygen apparatus is insanely loud. That means your instructions have to be very short, otherwise they won’t hear it or part of the announcement will be lost.

In Avatar 2, the actors had to learn to hold their breath for a long time. Was it like that for you, too?

Yes, they also had to learn proper diving and safety swimming. There was months of training. It was important that you feel safe to open your eyes underwater. Or to do something when instructed. It was essential that you become one with the water.

Also, there were a lot of visual special effects in The Swarm that came later. To what extent did that play a role in your filming?

That was before precisely planned over months. Even years before, certain key scenes were already in sight: Here the whales attack and here come the killer crabs. Then you will know later at which angle you have to set up the camera.

I had a scene with a couple approached by some sea monsters. You show that to the actors with storyboard sketches and then you have to imagine that. Sometimes one of the team had to jump in: Our VFX supervisor Jan Stoltz was a stand-in for a crab and simulated the monster’s touch with a stick with a green dot.

Did you have sci-fi role models or other deep-sea films that you looked to while shooting?

Yes, I’ve pulled in everything there is. From Jaws to Abyss I looked everything. Also a lot of documentaries. Anything underwater. Big Hollywood blockbusters and small Norwegian films, plus real underwater footage from scientists to see what works. Which film language do you use? What draws me in?

There are some parallels between Avatar 2, which just came out, and The Swarm, like the collective unity of nature or prominent whales…

Really? I have to see that immediately. But it stands to reason that everything connected is. That’s so fascinating even in a swarm. Everything you do as a human has an impact. Anything you do to the environment, you do to yourself. A strong theme.

I don’t think it’s a coincidence that these formats, including avatar, are working so well right now. This is a trend and has to do with us asking more environmental questions. And if it’s also built into an exciting fictional context, then of course that’s fantastic. You are dealing with primal fears you have and at the same time you are being entertained as well. Movies make you think.

Series replenishment after The Swarm: The 20 best series starts in March on Netflix, Disney + and more

Need more fresh streaming tips? You can find the most exciting series that you can stream on Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+ and more in March here in the monthly preview:

We have checked the long starting lists of the streaming services and present you the 20 big highlights of the month in the Moviepilot podcast stream trawl. Also included are new seasons of The Mandalorian and Netflix’s fantasy hit Shadow & Bone, as well as a highly anticipated sci-fi series with a mega cast.

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