As a film critic who has spent countless hours in dark cinemas, I have seen my fair share of productions that aim to capture the essence of great figures from history. However, none have left me as breathless and awestruck as “Senna.” This Brazilian-produced series, directed by Vicente Amorim and led by Gabriel Leone in the titular role, is a testament to the talent, passion, and commitment of Latin American storytellers.
Over the course of a decade, Brazil has truly transformed its presence on Netflix. It’s approximately 10 years since they debuted their dystopian series “3%,” marking their first foray into Netflix productions. Since then, the country has consistently introduced an average of two new shows per month onto the platform. Elisabetta Zenatti, VP of content for Netflix in Brazil, stated this last year, revealing that Netflix plans to invest $165 million (approximately 1 billion Reales) in Brazilian productions from 2023 to 2024.
Beginning on November 29th, the globally released, expensive and ambitious Brazilian series by Netflix titled “Senna” made its debut. As reported by the Associated Press, a significant amount of over $170 million was invested in its production. In its first week, it ranks second in Brazil and sixth worldwide, suggesting that it may occupy top positions on Netflix’s charts in Brazil and other regions due to the widespread enthusiasm for motorsports across the globe.
The story of ‘Senna’ follows the highs, lows, and personal odyssey of Brazilian racing legend Ayrton Senna, who became a three-time Formula 1 world champion. From his initial days racing in Formula Ford England, to the fateful accident at the San Marino Grand Prix in Imola where he met his untimely end.
Zenatti mentioned it took effort because while Brazil is well-known for its telenovelas and movies, they don’t have an extensive history with series production,” he explained, estimating that approximately 15 authors contributed to the project.
The movie titled ‘Senna’ underwent creation for more than ten years at Gullane, a highly respected production company within the Portuguese-speaking world, boasting nearly three decades of experience.
Brothers Caio and Fabiano Gullane stated that our company has had great success with three significant projects, both in Brazil and abroad: ‘The Beast with Seven Heads,’ ‘Carandiru’ and ‘The Year My Parents Went on Vacation.’ After this, we have been seeking a Brazilian project to tell a national tale on a global platform. ‘Senna’ truly represented our aspiration for such a vision,” said the Gullane brothers.
Fabiano shared that the goal was to share more than just Ayrton’s public image; we aimed to reveal his personal life story. Previously, the family had been approached by numerous others with similar proposals but chose not to engage. Through trust-building efforts between Caio, the Gullane team, and the family, a shared vision for the project emerged. This vision encompassed how we intended to depict Ayrton’s life.
The initiative gained momentum swiftly following Netflix’s involvement. Moreover, state-of-the-art technological innovations proved beneficial due to the project’s high technical requirements, such as incorporating 2,000 visual effects shots and employing LED filming technology to enhance the race experience.
Additionally, they paid meticulous attention to faithfully recreate the racing cars, leveraging the knowledge of the Crespi family, who boast a rich heritage in Argentine motorsports. Notably, three out of four tracks featured in the series were constructed in Argentina. The production team ordered 22 replicas of race cars from various years and teams.
The Gullanes mentioned that, aside from the cars designed for the series, a large number were required to accurately depict the races. To meet this demand, we created a method involving modified chassis which were then digitally covered with various vehicle bodies during post-production,” is one way of paraphrasing the original statement in a natural and easy-to-read manner.
Vicente Amorim, known for his action-packed series like ‘Motorrad’, ‘The Division’, ‘Yakuza Princess’, and ‘Santo’, explained that the production team began creating the cars for the show more than two years prior to filming. He emphasized that since this series is about Senna, it’s crucial to get the cars accurate. He also mentioned his personal passion for motor racing as a reason behind their attention to detail.
“I feel I’d been preparing all my life for this,” he mused.
Overcoming the logistics proved tough, given that they had to recreate approximately 30 distinct tracks worldwide, spanning four nations, and compiled a total of 980 hours of video footage from these travels.
Details provided by Netflix show the breadth and scale of the production:
● Filmed in Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Northern Ireland
● Post-production and VFX in four countries (U.S., Canada, Spain, Brazil)
● A total of 325 days of shooting between two filming units plus the LED studio
● A core crew of 2,206 people, 569 of them Brazilian
● A total of 3,374 people, including the entire VFX and production team
● A cast of 231 actors from nine different countries, representing 18 nationalities
● 14,446 extras
Amorim acknowledged that although it was a large logistical task, their primary hurdle was capturing Senna’s authentic spirit. He emphasized, “The key challenge was to create a narrative where he is an engaging figure for those unacquainted with him, while also accurately portraying his true self in reality. That was our biggest difficulty, indeed.” Gabriel Leone’s performance beautifully encapsulated Senna’s character, Amorim pointed out.
Gullane and Netflix have decided that the leadership of this project will come from Brazilian creatives. Consequently, everyone from Vicente Amorim overseeing the project to Julia Rezende directing it, as well as Gustavo Bragança’s screenwriting team and other essential artistic heads, are all Brazilian. They worked together with professionals from Argentina, Uruguay, Northern Ireland, and the United States during filming, and collaborated with teams from the United States, Canada, and Spain during post-production, according to Gullane.
Without a doubt, ‘Senna’ serves as proof of the ambition within the Brazilian media industry. It has already made a substantial impact in the local market and is working towards a notable international footing.
As per Zenatti’s report, Netflix Brazil has a number of upcoming projects. Among them are “Vini Junior,” a biographical film about famous soccer player Vinicius Jr, “Pssica,” a collaboration between Quico and Fernando Meirelles directed by the latter with a screenplay by Braulio Mantovani, and “Caramelo,” a story revolving around a chef and his mixed breed dog. Additionally, Season 2 of the police action series “Criminal Code” and reality show “Stranded with My Mother,” along with Season 5 of teen drama set in the favelas titled “Sintonia,” are all part of Netflix Brazil’s lineup for the near future.
According to Netflix’s Vice President for Latin American Content, Paco Ramos, projects like ‘Senna,’ the upcoming ‘100 Years of Solitude,’ and ‘The Eternaut’ in Argentina demonstrate the skill, enthusiasm, and dedication within the Latin American media industry.
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2024-12-04 23:17