Wednesday Reviews – Netflix worldwide praises Wednesday for its concept and enactment. Wednesday crossed the limited series, Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story from the NO. 2 spot on Netflix as of the 14th of December 2022. Alfred Gough, Miles Millar, and Tim Burton created the show. It follows Wednesday’s life as a fresher at the supernatural boarding school Nevermore Academy. She transfers between several schools to hone her psychic abilities—and ends up at Nevermore Academy, where she will eventually solve a mystery that has plagued her family for a long time.
Jenna Ortega is cast as Wednesday Addams. Her style is to stand out throughout the show as the main character. Wearing black in contrast to others wearing colours is a trick used in fashion. Alongside Ortega and Myers, the series also features Catherine Zeta-Jones as Morticia Addams, Luis Guzmán as Gomez Addams, and Isaac Ordonez as Pugsley Addams, among others.
Nevermore Academy | Wednesday Reviews
The Nevermore Academy is a school for supernatural beings such as vampires, werewolves, sirens, and gorgons. The academy commenced in 1791. Between Bucharest and the city of Brasov lies the beautiful Cantacuzino Castle. CGI constructed this building with a neo-gothic look. With the addition of Addam’s family mansion roof, it created a spooky finish to the castle.
The Cantacuzino Castle is carved with four pavilions and arcade balconies. The castle follows Romanian Brâncovenesc architecture. A late 17th- and early-18th-century style that mixed Byzantine, Ottoman, and late Renaissance details.
Architectural elements used to bring a spooky effect to the building are grotesques and gargoyles. The steep roofs may remind one of Hogwarts from Harry Potter. The nearby town of Jericho, built for the show painted in bright colours to contrast Wednesday. Contrary to Jericho’s nearby town, Nevermore is pointy and dark. This is where Wednesday belongs.
Wednesday’s Room
Enid Sinclair, enacted by Emma Myers, was Wednesday’s dorm mate and later best friend. Ophelia Hall was the name of the building of her room. A huge rose window featured throughout the series is the room’s identity. The room’s focal point is a window shaped like a spider’s web, which complements Wednesday’s more gothic design, as evidenced by the stained glass’s church-like appearance.
When Wednesday first visits the dorm, the rose window is decorated as per the liking of Enid. Her character was cheerful and bright, and loved everything colourful. While Wednesday loves negativity and has a black-and-white approach toward life. As soon as she moves in, she removes the decorated side of the window and makes it per her spooky taste. The personal spaces of Enid and Wednesday, as the rose window, contrast each other.
Edenvale Hall | Wednesday Reviews
Edenvale Hall is the office of the principal of Nevermore Academy. Monteoru House interiors served well for this room. The interior of the room, decorated in an opulent Rococo style, is enriched with red and gold. ‘60s modernist furniture imported from Texas was used throughout the room’s furnishing. To accessorise the interior, brutalist lamps and sculptures, including an owl, were used. The icing on the cake was the gothic-inspired gorgon fireplace.
Architectural Elements
With Nevermore Academy’s different cultures in mind, the show’s production designer also drew inspiration from the Victorian era. “At Nevermore, there are lots of different cultures. You’ve got gorgons, vampires, sirens, werewolves — it’s a melting pot,” Scruton told Variety.
Through various architectural elements, Mark Scrutton, the production designer, has dropped clues throughout the series. The gargoyles used for the buildings are not mere gothic architectural additions. They depict the different supernatural creatures who attended the school. They were designed to show various emotions depending on the scene’s angle or what was happening.
The Bucharest Botanical Garden is the greenhouse at Nevermore Academy, established in 1860. Located in the Cotroceni neighbourhood of Romania’s capital. The garden, named after its founder, Dimitrie Brândza, houses several plants and botanical species.
The Courtyard | Wednesday Reviews
The courtyard is the central space for the students of the Nevermore Academy. The students group and sit at the benches for lunch. The plan of the courtyard is a pentagon braced with arches throughout. A corridor surrounds the courtyard that connects it to the rest of the building. Several scenes shot in the courtyard play a significant role throughout the series. The arches used in the courtyard are like that of Arabian architecture. While the grotesques belong to the gothic architectural style.
Conclusion
Set design is an essential niche of architecture. Effective research conducted by the Wednesday production team resulted in various architectural uses. They explored styles of architecture along with ways to make the set appear dark and spooky. The scary theme of Wednesday required the merging of architecture and interior design. These also complied with art, makeup effects, and CGI. The starting step in this magnificent series was the imagination of the directors. Putting it all together with attention to even the minute details was a stroke of genius.
References
Semlyen, P. de (n.d.). Nevermore Academy from Tim Burton’s ‘Wednesday’ is a real place – and you can visit. [online] Time Out Worldwide. Available at: https://www.timeout.com/news/nevermore-academy-from-tim-burtons-wednesday-is-a-real-place-and-you-can-visit-121222#:~:text=Well%2C%20the%20answer%20is%20Bu%C8%99teni [Accessed 17 Dec. 2022].
Starkey, A. (2022). Where is ‘Wednesday’ filmed? The Netflix series’ main locations revealed. [online] NME. Available at: https://www.nme.com/news/tv/where-is-wednesday-filmed-castle-romania-3354445 [Accessed 17 Dec. 2022].
GOEL, A. (2022). Wednesday Filming Locations That You Simply Can’t Miss. [online] Travel+Leisure. Available at: https://www.travelandleisureindia.in/places/europe/wednesday-filming-locations/ [Accessed 15 Dec. 2022].
Campano, L. Seventeen. (2022). You Can Visit Nevermore Academy from ‘Wednesday’ IRL. [online] Available at: https://www.seventeen.com/celebrity/movies-tv/a42098468/wednesday-netflix-filming-locations/ [Accessed 17 Dec. 2022].
Krishnan, A. (2022). Netflix’s Wednesday takes the No.2 spot from the Dahmer series and could even dethrone Stranger Things from the top spot. [online] desimartini. Available at: https://www.desimartini.com/shows/ott/netflixs-wednesday-takes-the-no2-spot-from-the-dahmer-series-and-could-even-dethrone-stranger-things-from-the-top-spot/123638d2b5234/ [Accessed 15 Dec. 2022].
Atlas of Wonders. (n.d.). Where was Wednesday filmed? Jericho, the Academy House & all the Locations. [online] Available at: https://www.atlasofwonders.com/2022/11/where-was-wednesday-filmed-jericho-academy.html [Accessed 17 Dec. 2022].
Nast, C. (2022). ‘Wednesday’ on Netflix: Inside the Castle Used for Nevermore Academy. [online] Architectural Digest. Available at: https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/wednesday-on-netflix-inside-the-castle-used-for-nevermore-academy [Accessed 17 Dec. 2022].
Allen, K. House Beautiful. (2022). The ‘Wednesday’ Set Design Details You Won’t Want to Miss. [online] Available at: https://www.housebeautiful.com/lifestyle/entertainment/a42042041/wednesday-netflix-set-design/ [Accessed 17 Dec. 2022].
