Taika Waititi directs and stars in Our Flag Means Death. Photo / HBO Max
Taika Waititi directs and stars in Our Flag Means Death. Photo / HBO Max
OPINION
December, 2022. At Kumeū Film Studios, just outside Auckland, an amusingly contrasting combination of high and low-tech filmmaking methods are being employed on the set of pirate series Our Flag Means Death.
Inside a massive soundstage, atop the gargantuan, full-scale pirate ship Revenge, Taika Waititi, as Ed “Blackbeard” Teach,performs a scene with co-star Con O’Neill, who plays Ed’s surly first mate Izzy.
Some of the cast members of the second season of Our Flag Means Death. Photo / HBO Max
Surrounding the ship is a giant “volume” wall comprised of 1700 LED monitors displaying a photorealistic ocean background with rolling waves. As a crane-mounted camera weaves around, the images on the digital display move with it, creating a seamlessly integrated backdrop.
It’s about as cutting-edge as filmmaking gets these days (the Star Wars shows rely upon this technique), but just out of frame, a crouched stagehand is manually wiggling the ship’s sails to indicate the wind. The human touch still has a role to play amid all the expensive technology.
On the day the Herald has visited, it’s near the end of a long, exhausting shoot for the second season of Our Flag Means Death. But you wouldn’t know it from the upbeat vibes on set, which bustles with craftspeople and technicians. At one point, Waititi leads everyone (including visitors) through a quick set of squats to keep the energy levels high.
In addition to starring, Waititi is directing this particular episode, having been drafted in when the intended director was felled by Covid-19. The Kiwi Oscar-winner is famous for the loose, improvisational touch that shines through in all his work, and it’s fascinating to witness his process first-hand.
Throughout the scene being performed, Waititi tries out endless versions of every single line. Even in the same take. O’Neill, clearly used to this method, waits patiently to deliver his dialogue as Waititi cycles through options within the scene.
Some of his improvised bits are obviously just to get a laugh from the crew, while others seem to involve him working through the point of the scene in his head. Sometimes, the scene resolves on a light note. At others, it is dramatic. It keeps everyone one their toes.
But this show has been full of surprises from the get-go.
Based on the true story of Stede Bonnett (Rhys Darby), who abandoned British society and his family to embrace the pirate life in the early 18th century, the series initially presented as a gentile comedy with an impressively diverse cast. But throughout the first season, which was filmed in Los Angeles, it quietly became one of the queerest shows on television.
Although there was nary a mention of the possibility in the advance press, Stede and Ed ended up in a surprisingly tender - well, sometimes - romantic entanglement with each other throughout season one. There are other queer relationships, and one character, Jim (Vico Ortiz), was revealed to be non-binary.
Taika Waititi's Our Flag Means Death is based on a true story. Photo / HBO Max
Unlike some shows that feature LGBTQIA+ representation, Our Flag Means Death didn’t trumpet its progressive values - it simply let the characters and the story lead the way, and is all the richer for it. It has received much acclaim for these elements, garnering Glaad Media and Peabody Award nominations.
It’s also partly why Madeleine Sami was so excited to join the series in season two, playing a pirate named Archie.
“I think that’s the brilliance of this show,” Sami tells the Herald later that afternoon. “Because it is a funny, silly comedy, but then there’s some really important stuff happening underneath. The progressive stuff is incidental in a way that makes it feel more revolutionary. Just being able to see queer characters as lead characters in comedies is a cool thing.”
Sami originally met with creator David Jenkins about directing an episode, but it was eventually decided to stick with season one’s roster. Then the opportunity to audition for Archie came up.
The show moved to New Zealand to film season two. Photo / HBO Max
“Archie’s a very happy-go-lucky pirate,” says Sami. “She has a bit of a mysterious backstory, which you get little tastes of, but she’s pretty chill. She likes to party, she likes to pirate.”
All acting can be tied back to childhood play on some level, playing a pirate especially so.
“Honestly, I pinch myself so many times on this job,” says Sami. “It’s the role you dream about when you’re a kid, to get to play a pirate.”
Sami says it’s the biggest production she’s ever worked on in New Zealand, but the expensive trappings don’t impact the process.
“It’s a workplace comedy about pirates. So it never feels like that stuff overwhelms it.”
She’s also relishing the chance to muck around with her old mates Waititi and Darby.
“I’ve known those guys for a really long time, and I think they’re both doing really incredible work on this show. This group of actors are just bloody idiots, and so lovely and playful.”
Another Kiwi comedy staple, David Fane, has been part of the show since season one as Fang, a member of Blackbeard’s crew.
“It was just fantastical,” he tells the Herald of originally getting the role. “The best part was meeting all these other people from all over the world and finding the comedy in all these different communities; people of colour and also the rainbow community. Just the best buzz. I felt like a kid in a candy shop.”
Seeing the show move to New Zealand for season two (thanks in part to the NZ Screen Production Rebate for International Productions) only enriched the experience.
“To be here, and to actually do it back home, was just the biggest buzz,” enthuses Fane. ”To have people like Samba [Schutte] and Joel [Fry] and all the others come to see this part of the world and do some work here. The overseas cast are in love with Whittaker’s chocolate, as all good people should be.”
Fane, who also appears in Waititi’s upcoming comedy movie Next Goal Wins, reckons the second season is next-level.
“In the first season, everyone was finding their feet. And in the second season, people are walking assuredly. It just gets betterer - story-wise, and also honesty-wise and fun-wise.”
Season 2 of Our Flag Means Death premieres on Neon and SkyGo on October 6. Season 1 is available to stream now on Neon and Sky Go.
