Analysis of Season 2 Opening of Metropolitan Opera in New York
At the conclusion of season two of The Gilded Age, the battle between the Metropolitan Opera and the Academy of Music reaches its peak, with Bertha (Carrie Coon) emerging victorious and overseeing the star-studded premiere she orchestrated. To recreate the grand opening of the Met and capture Bertha’s triumph, cinematographer Manuel Billeter utilized visual effects and filmed on location at the Academy of Music in Philadelphia.
“This opera house we see doesn’t actually exist,” Billeter explains. The front of the house with the columns was filmed in Philadelphia: “Our production designer Bob Shaw believed it had the grandeur and majesty to convey this venture,” he adds.
However, the Academy of Music lacks the boxes crucial to the episode’s storyline. The production team managed to capture a sweeping shot of Bertha on the balcony, but to bring together the main actors as if they were in private box seats, a staged version of these luxurious boxes was constructed.
“We built a row of five constructed boxes that, with the help of VFX, we inserted into the larger auditorium,” Billeter explains. “Then we replicated the same shot in those boxes and mimicked the exact movement. We shot multiple takes to ensure every seat was filled, repeating the camera move and placing extras in different sections of the house.”
The impressive spectacle of Bertha and her full auditorium is crafted from multiple shots taken at the same angle, seamlessly stitched together to create the standing ovation seen on screen.
This article was originally featured in a June issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. Click here to subscribe.