The Saw Works Its Wizardry for Fox’s Reality Series “Extracted”
The Saw, Hollywood, has provided post-production services for some of television’s most popular reality series, but none was quite like the new Fox competition series Extracted. The show’s unique format and the unusual way it was produced required the facility, which provided editorial conforming, color grading and visual effects services, to bring its A game, technically and creatively.
Extracted presents a unique social experiment as 12 strangers are dropped into the Canadian wilderness where they face a series of daunting challenges with minimal resources. Family members monitor their competitors live via monitors in a headquarters location and have the ability to send survival gear to their loved ones or have them “extracted” if they think they’ve had enough. The last remaining contestant receives a prize of $250,000.
The series’ producers captured video of the competition via 176 cameras placed strategically in the woods and connected via eight miles of fiber.
Post-production finishing at The Saw, overseen by the production’s post-production supervisor Ben Waldorf, proved incredibly challenging due to the diversity of the source media and the intricacies of achieving visual and narrative consistency. “The show needed to look raw and gritty but without seeming jarring to the viewer,” explains online editor Randy Magalski. “We wanted people at home to think ‘that was rough!’ without noticing the technology or the craft that was used to pull it off.”
He adds that the distinction between the wilderness and headquarters environments had to be clear. “We established a dichotomy between the harsh conditions of the survivalists and the comforts of HQ so viewers know immediately where they are,” Magalski observes.
The need to finish the show efficiently was paramount, especially as The Saw had to deliver the first episode in time to air immediately after the Super Bowl telecast. Magalski says he didn’t mind the pressure as he was caught up in his part of telling the story. “Extracted has a unique premise,” he states. “On the one hand, it tells the story of the survivalists and all that they’re going through in the wilderness, and on the other, it involves you in the emotions of the family members who are experiencing a different kind of turmoil. The way those two worlds come together makes this show special.”
Magalski is proud of the way The Saw got behind the project and helped the producers achieve their vision. “We specialize in making the impossible, possible,” he says. “We’re used to confronting difficult challenges and tight turnarounds. We always find a way to make it happen and when it does, it feels great.”
Extracted airs on Mondays at 8/7c on FOX and the next day on Hulu.
