“The Blacklist” is the latest show to explore a creative solution to the coronavirus production shutdown. We decided we could try and get it finished, despite the time crunch. What was the NBC drama to do? Keep up with your favorite shows... delivered to your inbox! “The Blacklist” – Season 7 – Episode 719 – Animated Graphic Sony Pictures Television And it was quite a process involving round the clock animation by 35 artists working out of their homes. You can imagine our cast hiding in linen closets and pantries trying to record their lines on their iPhones. Producers decided “to do something out of the box” to close out the season, adding “graphic novel-style animation” to complement scenes that were already filmed, according to a press release. Thanks for contacting us. Did you consider any other ideas before you landed on animation? We hired  a company called Proof [which animated the non-live action scenes]. The look and feel of the show has a pulpiness to it that lends itself to comics, so the concept of animation felt organic for our universe. Later in the day, we’d do the same thing with an animation team in Atlanta. Sony and NBC took a leap of faith on this concept without knowing how the final product would look. Presented in a unique hybrid of live-action and graphic novel-style animation.”. There’s a pretty seismic shift on the horizon. Any kind that we could get done in time! NBC's The Blacklist has opted for a unique approach: the show has completed its season finale, "The Kazanjian Brothers," with the help of animation. (PHOTOS). “The Blacklist” is getting more animated for its Season 7 finale. Copyright © 2020 NTVB Media, Inc., All Rights Reserved, 'The Blacklist' Star Diego Klattenhoff on 'Emotional' Ressler-Centric Episode, Worth Watching: Netflix Says 'Death to 2020,' Fox's 'Masked Dancer,' 'Shameless' Hall of Shame, Restaurants 'Hustle' to Survive, 'How I Met Your Mother,' 'Frasier' & More New Year's TV Episodes to Watch on Hulu, Is It Business as Usual in the 'Prodigal Son' Season 2 Premiere? Slightly. Terms of Use Privacy Notice The Blacklist has a lot of graphic novel-like elements. But … They released the last episode of this series in the form of animation. The Task Force investigates an accountant who works for lucrative criminals in order to find the violent and thuggish brothers hired for his protection. Animators and editors finished the work remotely. The Blacklist, Season 7 Finale, Friday, May 15, 8/7c, NBC. Liz must make a momentous decision. They do these great big sequences for tentpole movies. The Blacklist season 7 finale will air on NBC on Friday, May 15. Get an exclusive sneak peek at The Blacklist's Season 7 finale, which will blend comic book style animation with live-action after filming was halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. They both need Liz. Can we expect a somewhat changed Blacklist next season? What develops in this last episode, and how it propels us going forward, is something we’ve been working toward for years now. Will Liz have to choose between trusting Katarina and her protector Reddington (James Spader)? Anything that you simply couldn’t make work or … To close out its seventh season, the NBC crime … The Blacklist bosses Jon Bokenkamp and John Eisendrath told TV Guide about how the unexpected and unprecedented half-animated Season 7 finale came together, from idea to execution. So we accelerated the story a bit, giving us a bigger push going into Season 8. This story has been shared 141,265 times. The actors all found a quiet place in their homes to record their lines. The episode’s official synopsis states: “The Task Force investigates an accountant who works for lucrative criminals in order to find the violent and thuggish brothers hired for his protection. TVLINE | As you were putting this finale together remotely, did you hit any big production roadblocks? 'If you're reading this, I'm gone': Woman's scheduled suicide note posts days after her... James Spader as Raymond "Red" Reddington in the Season 7 animated finale of "The Blacklist. After the COVID-19 pandemic shut down production mid-episode, 'The Blacklist' crafted a Season 7 finale by combining live-action and animated scenes. A number of television shows have had to either cut their seasons short or postpone go on hiatus. The Blacklist was so close — just five days short — to finishing up Season 7 before production was shut down due to COVID-19. 50 best on Hulu 100 Black novelists 📚 … They both hope they can trust her. The Kazanjian Brothers (Sony Pictures Television). Then I wondered if we could animate what we didn’t shoot. So we did a gut check. A reflection of James Spader, as seen in the season finale of “The Blacklist.” After the pandemic stopped production, the show used animation … The actors were all great sports. The Blacklist was just five days short of wrapping Season 7, episode 19 when production was shut down due to COVID-19, so the decision was made to … Our editors in LA would very quickly assemble the shots. What appealed to you about animating part of the episode? One of our former writers, Nicole Phillips, had written over a dozen comics for The Blacklist. We really worked around the clock. By giving the fans a proper ending like this will satisfy them as well. Do Not Sell My Personal Information, Your California Privacy Rights 'Bridgerton' Couples: Who's Together at the End of the Netflix Series? We really did have people in all sorts of time zones working simultaneously. We kicked around the idea of shooting those comics, using the images and likeness of the characters to fill out the scenes we hadn’t shot. If you have checked out the videos documenting how it … Jon Bokenkamp: Oh, yeah. 'Sabrina' Cast Teases the Tumultuous Final Season (VIDEO). Originally, we thought we could play the episode like an old radio show — put the image of a radio up on the screen, and people at home could gather around and listen to the episode. First thing in the morning, [fellow executive producer] John Eisendrath and myself would watch that scene and give our notes so London could make the changes overnight. Yes. Raymond "Red" Reddington, Elizabeth Keen (Sony Pictures Television). They typically have months to work on a single scene or sequence. How about complete the finale with animation. NBC’s The Blacklist is another show whose producers and writers are finding intuitive ways to end the season while on-set production has come to a … The hybrid episode aired on May 15 and acted as the season finale for "The Blacklist." The Blacklist went out with an animated bang with its Season 7 finale, and the journey to getting it on screen was an eventful one. 162,171, This story has been shared 141,265 times. I think it’s probably more accurate to say we embark on an entirely new one. The hybrid episode resulted after production was shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic. This story has been shared 133,474 times. Katarina and Reddington are hellbent on destroying each other. Directed by Michael Caracciolo. Your Ad Choices ", Animated James Spader and Elizabeth Keen in “The Blacklist.”. The Blacklist Season Finale Will Be Part Animated Due to Coronavirus Shutdown. Check out the new The Blacklist S07E19 exclusive sneak peek starring Megan Boone! Your California Privacy Rights Those audio tracks were then sent to L.A. where the performances were stitched together. Sitemap This story has been shared 318,338 times. More than ever, Liz now finds herself stuck exactly where she did not want to be — between these two parental figures. Watch the latest episodes of The Blacklist or get episode details on NBC.com. Did you have to rewrite the story to fit into the animation mode? Executive producer Jon Bokenkamp tells TV Insider all about it. The choice before her is not an easy one. Season 7 of The Blacklist ended with a creative live-action/cartoon hybrid episode due to the coronavirus lockdown, but it didn't quite work. The Blacklist goes animated for season 7 finale amid production shutdown Katarina Rostova's presence will have a 'deep impact' on everything Liz believes in season 7 of The Blacklist Episode … Liz’s [Megan Boone] mother Katarina Rostova [Laila Robins] has re-emerged with some very real information about Reddington and why he entered Liz’s life in the first place. What was the NBC drama to do? “The Kazanjin Brothers” drew a ton of reaction on social media when … May 6, 2020 | 10:43am | Updated May 6, 2020 | 10:55am. Mayhem in the streets: Illegal vendors are overtaking NYC. A motel shootout, a car chase through the city, an action sequence with a helicopter — those are a few scenes that we goosed up a bit simply because we knew they were going to be animated. Terrible idea. The Blacklist Season 7 Episode 19: Season Finale Release Date. © 2020 NYP Holdings, Inc. All Rights Reserved, Brooklyn clinics face criminal probe over unauthorized COVID-19 vaccines, Times Square wishing wall filled with pleas for end of COVID, Bronx Science HS parents say bus company stiffed them on COVID shutdown refunds, Trump gets Graham on board with $2K COVID-19 stimulus checks, Jessica Simpson shows 100-pound weight loss in Christmas pic, Nashville bombing aftermath captured in dramatic photos, videos. The Blacklist Season 7 Episode 19 will release as the season finale on 15 May 2020 on NBC. A rogues’ gallery of bad guys. 141,265, This story has been shared 133,474 times. Stream these 6 shows on HBO Max launch day, This story has been shared 318,338 times. The Blacklist Animated Episode. Let us know what you think in the comments below. When “The Blacklist” airs its season seven finale on May 15, it’s going to look a little different. What can you tell us about the season finale story? We've received your submission. The Blacklist is getting crafty in response to the coronavirus pandemic shutting down production. Post was not sent - check your email addresses! Due to the coronavirus-related production shutdown on the New York-filmed thriller, the series has pulled together a hybrid live-action and animated season-ender, which will air at 8 p.m. Friday, May 15, on NBC. Since we all know that many anime lovers will support them. Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email. I know nothing about animation, I had no idea what we were getting into. The Blacklist Season 7 Finale Recap: A Very Animated Liz Chooses A Side The Blacklist rarely gets credit for its weirdness, but maybe this episode, the Season 7 … ‘Blacklist’ season finale partially animated as teams work from home during lockdown ... Bokenkamp said last week. As Deadline reported Thursday, The Blacklist was Dennehy’s last television role. 133,474, © 2020 NYP Holdings, Inc. All Rights Reserved I really respect them taking the chance. The Blacklist fans are super divided on the animated season finale episode. Tonally, we knew we wanted the animation to match the dark, criminal-filled world of The Blacklist, and we used the comics as inspiration, but beyond that it was a bit of improvisation. NBC’s popular crime drama show The Blacklist made a massive decision for the audience of the series. Additionally, some of the sequences we had not yet filmed were action sequences, and we realized we had a chance to do things in animation that we could never do with live action because of our schedule and the restraints of physical production. The Blacklist was so close — just five days short — to finishing up Season 7 before production was shut down due to COVID-19. But that got us thinking. By Kristen Parisi May 16, 2020 NBC's The Blacklist aired its season 7 finale this past week with a hybrid format, crossing between live-action scenes and graphic-novel style animation. “The Blacklist” also stars Diego Klattenhoff, Amir Arison, Hisham Tawfiq and Harry Lennix. A larger-than-life anti-hero. The animated season 7 finale of The Blacklist ended up dividing some fans of NBC 's crime drama. Dems fear possibility that COVID will cost Pelosi her job, Cops identify person of interest in Nashville RV bombing, CNN reporter's 9-month-old baby dies on Christmas Eve, Ivanka Trump shares Christmas family photo. 318,338, This story has been shared 162,171 times. Do Not Sell My Personal Information. So we were constantly looking at shots, giving notes, trying to find the look of the show — I’m in Nebraska, John and the editors are in L.A., the animators are in London and Atlanta, the actors are all over the place. Since the coronavirus pandemic cut The Blacklist ‘s seventh season short — turning Episode 19 (out of 22) into the season finale — Friday’s episode was … Cast members — including James Spader, who plays Raymond “Red” Reddington, and Megan Boone, who portrays Elizabeth Keen — recorded dialogue from their homes. The Blacklist unveils first-look trailer for its animated episode. Due to widespread industry shutdowns resulting from the coronavirus pandemic, the show wasn't able to complete filming on the final episode for the season, titled "The Kazanjian Brothers." Zee Hatley, our post supervisor, arranged to have microphones sent to the actors where they were quarantined. What type of animation were you looking to do? The Blacklist's season 7 finale is set to mix live-action footage with animated scenes due to the COVID-19 pandemic forcing on-location production to shut down. The series, which was renewed for an eighth season in February, will air its 150th episode at 8 p.m. Friday, May 8. The finale airs Friday night. “The Blacklist” is getting more animated for its Season 7 finale. While shooting the season’s 19th episode, titled “The Kazanjian Brothers,” production was halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. With James Spader, Megan Boone, Diego Klattenhoff, Amir Arison. A scene would be worked on by animators in London. NBC released a sneak peek at the half-live action, half graphic novel-style animated episode. Meanwhile, Liz must make a … Realizing that we had to modify this episode to serve as our season finale, we had an opportunity to make changes to the scenes that had yet to be animated. Raymond Reddington has always been an animated guy — but The Blacklist is about to take that literally. The decision to use animation is one of the cleverest ways to work around in the production shutdown. This story has been shared 162,171 times. 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