Chernobyl Show vs Reality - Footage Comparison

"Every lie that is told incurs a debt with the truth. Sooner or later that debt is paid." The central theme of HBO's dramatic miniseries Chernobyl revolves around how lies can lead to disaster. How the way we craft stories about what really happened can cause harm. However, this presents an ironic challenge when creating a dramatization of real events. Dramatic narrative by its nature requires modification and simplification of what really happened. So how do you tell a story like this in a way that isn't hypocritical? The step the series takes to avoid hypocrisy is the creator's attention to visual detail.

The small details about how things appeared can sometimes seem inconsequential. But the series is exceptionally dedicated to portraying these details accurately, and I think that's important. "Due to the nature of the work area, each of you will have no more than 90 seconds. Some of them are on blocks weighing approximately 40 to 50 kilograms. They must all be thrown over the edge here. Watch your comrades move quickly from this opening, then turn left and enter the workspace here. Be careful not to trip. Do you understand your mission as I have described it? These are the most important 90 seconds of your lives." The documentary

footage

I

show

here for

comparison

was often used as reference in the design of costumes, buildings, sets, etc.

Most of what changes in the story is changing things in the timeline or condensing information or characters in a way that is necessary to tell the story in just five episodes. "Above all, while you're on the roof, throw debris over the railing. Don't look over the railing. Is that clear? Alright. On my signal. Ready. Go." Watching the

show

and

reality

side by side makes it obvious how low-key the show's approach to the story is. There would have been plenty of opportunities to try to make the events look and feel more dramatic, but it wasn't necessary and I think it's worth it.

The importance of getting visual details like this rail is that every moment of the show is true to the experience of those who were there. Even when those moments can change in time or context for the sake of the narrative. "One of the atomic reactors at the Chernobyl atomic power plant in the city of..." "I was always aware that I was telling a story that meant a lot to the people who lived it. There are people alive today, thousands, dozens Of thousands of people alive today who have lost loved ones because of Chernobyl, whose lives have been shortened because of Chernobyl, there are people walking around, a lot of people walking around without thyroids because of Chernobyl.

And it was important to "It's up to me to tell you that story accurately. Our production designer, Luke Hull, worked very closely with our costume designer Odile Dicks-Meraux. We became obsessed with showing things as they were." Most docudramas leave it up to the viewer to discover what events and characters changed. HBO's interesting Chernobyl link gives you the tools to learn these things. The companion podcast covers much of what was changed and why. "Of those many wonderful reasons for doing this, the one that was most important to me from the beginning was the opportunity to set the record straight about what we do that is very faithful to the story, what we do that is a little lateral, and what do we do to compress or change." It's an interesting acknowledgment by the show's creators of how meta-discussion and the experience of watching a show about real events is important to the story.

And being transparent and talking about these things and the process of adapting

reality

to the narrative is laudable. It sets an interesting new standard for films and television of this genre. "The real danger is that if we hear enough lies, we will no longer recognize the truth at all." "What can we do then?" "What else is left but to abandon even the hope of truth and be content with stories?" A while ago I made a video similar to this one. Comparing Oliver Stone's film, Snowden, with real

footage

from the documentary Citizenfour. Right now on Mubi you can watch Citizenfour and it is a great documentary that I highly recommend.

Go to "Mubi.com/thomasflight" to get access to a free trial of Mubi's excellent, carefully curated library. They have 30 movies at a time every day one is added and another is removed and I love that on the site you can see reviews from other users, reviews from critics and Mubi's justification of why they chose this movie. It's a great way to find new and interesting things to see. Go check out Citizen 4 if you haven't already for free when you sign up for your 30-day free trial at Mubi.com/thomasflight Mubi.com/thomasflight Thank you so much for watching.

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