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DIRECTOR'S CHAIR www.postmagazine.com 10 POST NOV/DEC 2020 n the time of the COVID-19 pandemic it's hard to think of a more timely, relevant — and entertain- ing — show than AMC's The Walking Dead. The third series, The Walking Dead: World Beyond, expands the universe of The Walking Dead, delving into a new mythology and story that follows the first generation raised in a surviving civiliza- tion of the post-apocalyptic world. Two sisters, along with two friends, leave a place of safety and comfort to brave dangers, known and unknown, liv- ing and undead, on an important quest. Pursued by those who wish to protect them and those who wish to harm them, a tale of growing up and transformation unfurls across dangerous terrain, chal- lenging everything they know about the world, themselves and each other. Some will become heroes. Some will become villains. But all of them will find the truths they seek. Co-created by showrunner Matt Negrete and Scott M. Gimple, The Walking Dead: World Beyond stars Aliyah Royale, Alexa Mansour, Annet Mahendru, Nicolas Cantu, Hal Cumpston, Nico Tortorella and Julia Ormond. Produced and distributed by AMC Studios, the series is executive produced by Gimple, Negrete, Robert Kirkman, Gale Anne Hurd, David Alpert and Brian Bockrath. Here, in an exclusive interview with Post, Negrete talks about making the series and his love of post. Ten years after it first aired, this seems more timely than ever. What sort of show did you set out to make, and talk about creating the new mythology for this series. How challenging was it? "From the onset, our goal was to create a series that explored the world through the eyes of the first generation to come of age in the zombie apocalypse. In doing so, it allowed us to expand The Walking Dead universe and deep-dive into a new corner of it (a corner that was first hinted at in the original series, as well as Fear The Walking Dead) and tell brand new stories through a whole new lens. One of the challenges of creating the new series was making it different enough from the other series so it could stand out and stand on its own, while still honoring the universe and the two series that came before it." Talk about what it takes to prep and plan, and how much did the COVID crisis affect it? "We have an amazing and incredibly hard- working crew, with many departments that all need to work together seamlessly for things to go off without a hitch on any given shoot day. This includes everyone staying in constant communication with each other during prep. That way, when everyone shows up to shoot a complex scene, everyone comes in prepared and knows exactly what the other depart- ments are doing. It only takes the slightest miscommunication between, for example, costumes, VFX, practical effects, makeup effects, stunts and the art department to throw a wrench in the works, leading to a shooting delay while the director and assistant director problem-solve and try to find a workaround. It's cliche to say, but on a film or TV set, time is money. It's real- ly about thinking ahead, trying to predict what can go wrong, and being prepared for any eventuality, no matter how far- fetched it might seem. "I'm incredibly proud of what the crew was able to accomplish Season 1. We were fortunate in that we finished shoot- ing the first season last December, before the pandemic hit. That said, we were still in post, putting the finishing touches on the final two episodes when everything shut down in March. We were able to complete Episode 9 remotely, as well as most of Episode 10. While there's no substitute for face-to-face interaction, I found it truly amazing what can be accomplished remotely, with most of the team working from home." What are the big challenges of showrunning, and do you like being a showrunner? "To me, the biggest challenge of being a showrunner is time management. 'Showrunner' is really a job for two or three people. There's just not enough time in the day to get everything done you need to get done, and there's no way to be in three places at once — as much as I wish I could be. It ultimately comes down to hiring people you trust — my producer Amy Beth Barnes and assistant Anna Snedden were instrumental — and delegating when you can, as much as you can, in order to get it all done in the time you have." The show looks so great. Talk about the look you and DP Ross Riege went for. "Unlike Fear, and The Walking Dead to a certain degree, we use a lot of handheld camera to give the show a bit of a rawer feel. And because Season 1 is about our characters seeing and experiencing the post-apocalyptic world for the first time in all its beauty and all its horror, there's a great mix of darkness and light, color and monochrome, depending on the mood. Ross has also done a great job showing the expanse of the world, really capturing a lot of scope and depth. We're the only one of the three shows in The Walking Dead universe that shoots using an anamorphic lens, which gives off some really fantastic lens flares. I'm a sucker for a good lens flare." Tell us about post. Where did you do it? "I'm fortunate to have a terrific post producer in Brennan Parks. For Season 1, he assembled an amazing team, which included Cory Hubbard, our post produc- tion supervisor, who came over from The Walking Dead. Our offline edit team worked out of the World Beyond writers/ post production office in Burbank, one THE WALKING DEAD: WORLD BEYOND SHOWRUNNER/EP MATT NEGRETE BY IAIN BLAIR I AMC EXTENDS THE ZOMBIE UNIVERSE Negrete