Stranger Things documentary-maker gives reason for last minute script

Many fans of Stranger Things, which ended 10 years later, are yearning for more from the sci-fi world they’re not ready to leave.

A theory claiming that an extra-secret episode known as Conformity Gate is yet to come emerged on social media after the final episode aired earlier this month.

While the second finale that fans have theorized has yet to happen, the behind-the-scenes documentary that shows how the popular series’ fifth season came to life hopes to satisfy some of those longings and burning questions.

Martina Radwan, documentarian of One Last Adventure: The Making of Stranger Things 5, told BBC Newsbeat that she found the Conformity Gate theory “a bit strange”.

“Why would they hide this?” he asks.

But he recognizes it can be “hard to say goodbye” for fans who have been on this journey for the past decade.

He hopes the two-hour documentary will offer closure as well as a unique perspective into the writer’s room and the production process.

The Duffer Brothers, who created the 1980s-inspired monster-filled interdimensional series, faced incredible pressure to end the beloved series.

That stress becomes all too real in the documentary, where the brothers and their team of writers were still working on the script for the final episode when shooting began.

It’s a statement that shocked some fans.

But on a project of this scale, “you can’t write everything in advance,” explains Martina, adding that writing during shooting is normal practice in TV and cinema.

“I think having access to the writer’s room is a real gift and a privilege that the brothers give us because I think when you’re writing a script, it’s so easy to literally just sit there and write,” he says.

“And it’s like: ‘No, really thinking about how to intertwine a million things, all these stories.’

“I mean, it’s a huge cast, and to cover 19 character developments is quite a feat and achievement.”

In the documentary, viewers see some of the discussions the writers had, including whether or not the creatures should appear in the final fight scene against Vecna ​​and the Mind Flayer, as well as the ultimate fate of lead character Eleven, played by actress Millie Bobby Brown.

It also shows clips of audition tapes and scenes from the first series, which aired in 2016, showing how the main cast have grown as characters and actors over the years.

“It was important to really show longevity and how everyone improves with each other individually but also as a group,” says Martina.

One of the highlights of the documentary is how it showcases the scale of the series’ production.

Hundreds of creators, cast and crew work tirelessly to create a realistic Hawkins, Upside Down and Abyss on deadline and sometimes without a full script.

“The pressure on a show this popular and this big is huge,” says Martina.

“I honestly don’t know how the Duffers do it.

“I love how everyone says, ‘We don’t know how to do this, it’s impossible,’ and then they turn around and do it.”

In his closing remarks at the end of the documentary, co-creator Ross Duffer revealed that season five took 237 days to shoot, and that 6,725 setups were used to create 630 hours of footage, which was then cut down to approximately 10 hours.

Martina says she approached the documentary with the aim of showing how a project of this scale is done because it “does all these things that no one thought a TV show could do.”

This was the goal of the Duffer Brothers, who watched behind-the-scenes documentaries of classic films such as The Lord of the Rings that inspired them while growing up.

Clips from home movies the duo made as children reflect their lifelong passion for filmmaking, as well as an interview with their former drama teacher, who had a cameo in the fifth season.

“They were not an overnight success, they have been 40 years in the making,” says Martina.

“They started making feature films when they were eight years old, and to me the essence of that is that they really represent everything I love about filmmaking.

“They’re also true to their art, they’re true to their vision, which I really admire as a director myself.”

– One Last Adventure: The Making of Stranger Things 5 ​​is available on Netflix.

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