How a fantasy film production avoided green screens to build a magical world
In short: Director Paul Feig rejected standard digital shortcuts for his 2022 Netflix fantasy, The School for Good and Evil. By prioritizing physical sets and location filming in Northern Ireland, he aimed to ground the story’s magical elements in a tangible, lived-in reality that defied typical genre clichés.
Development of the film began in 2013 after Roth Films and Jane Startz Productions acquired rights to Soman Chainani’s novel. The project spent years in development hell before Netflix took over in 2017. Paul Feig, initially hesitant due to the genre's contrast with his previous work, joined in 2020 after finding the script’s exploration of character relationships and the nature of good and evil compelling.
Feig aimed to create an anti-Disney experience, reinterpreting fairy tales to address genuine darkness. To achieve this, he prioritized practical production design over green screens. Production designer Andy Nicholson drew inspiration from Art Nouveau architects like Antoni Gaudí and Victor Horta, transforming spaces like St Anne’s Cathedral into elaborate, detailed sets. Two massive sound stages at Belfast Harbour Studios were also constructed to allow actors to perform within a physical environment.
The production required over 800 costumes and 600 pairs of shoes, with designers Reneé Kalfus and Feig allowing actors significant creative input. Charlize Theron, for instance, suggested her character’s severe silhouette and ginger hair. Filming took place across Northern Ireland between January and July 2021, utilizing locations such as the Ulster Folk Museum and Big Dog Forest. This commitment to location shooting was intended to minimize special effects, keeping the film’s magical creatures, like the bone-structured stymph, grounded in a sense of elemental realism.
While critics gave the film generally negative reviews for its narrative, they praised the visuals and the ensemble cast, which included Sophia Anne Caruso, Sofia Wylie, Kerry Washington, and Laurence Fishburne. Despite the mixed reception, the film became Netflix’s most-viewed title during its release week in October 2022. The film’s score, composed by Theodore Shapiro, further emphasized this blend of styles, combining medieval instruments with modern pop programming to create a sense of timelessness.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: The School for Good and Evil (film)
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