Netflix drops the curtains on how the chase sequence for Adolescence was shot 

Adolescence has been garnering rave reviews all over and rightfully so. Created by Jack Thorne and Stephen Graham, Adolescence narrates the devastating tale of a thirteen-year-old boy, Jamie Miller, who brutally murders his female classmate. As a consequence, Jamie's devastated father, Eddie Miller, played by Stephen Graham, has to come to terms with his son being convicted and incarcerated.

The reason why Adolescence is gaining widespread appreciation is due to its technical innovation as much as its haunting performances. The show is a Netflix mini-series that constantly uses one-take long shots, and tracks characters across diverse locations and landscapes. The singe-take shots often give the audience a feeling of being trapped in the action while at the same time ensuring that the drama has them locked in firmly.

Following much wonder, Netflix finally spilled the details of how the seamless quality of the cinematography was achieved in Adolescence. Here's everything that we know.

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Netflix explains the long tracking shots from Adolescence

Many sections of the audience were enthralled when they watched the long-tracking shots throughout the Netflix miniseries. Among them was writer, host, and producer, Jeremy Clarkson. Taking to his X profile, Clarkson posted:

"Adolescence. The camera at the end of show 2. How on earth did they do that? It’s impossible. I’ve been in the business for 30 years and I cannot work it out.”

Clarkson's question was seconded by many others who couldn't help but marvel at the Netflix show's technical genius. It wasn't long however before the streaming platform giant came forward with its explanation:

"The DOP carries the camera and follows a school pupil to the traffic lights with a wide shot as she goes at the end of the school day. Before she crosses the road, a team attach the camera to a drone, which then flies a distance of 0.3 miles across the site to the murder scene, where it comes down to a camera operator and team of grips who smoothly catch the camera and transition into a close shot of Stephen Graham. Easy.”

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The showrunner speaks about the shot from Adolescence

Creator Jack Thorne had previously stated in an interview with Deadline that they were initially apprehensive that such a long tracking shot might trick the audience into believing that they were watching a video game. However, the problem was eventually solved by combining the use of a drone in between the live shots. Thorne revealed:

"The cinematographers thought a chase scene I had written would look like a computer game and instead I got this call from Phil who said, ‘Imagine if the cameras could fly’. So, we strapped a camera to a drone that took off over traffic lights and then suddenly you’re at the murder scene. Emotionally it kicks you in the stomach.”

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Adolescence was released on March 13, 2025, and is exclusively available on Netflix.