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Wolf Pack is one of the hottest new TV shows this year. With Sarah Michelle Gellar in the lead, the series is drawing in fans of the supernatural genre and introducing them to a whole new world full of drama, intrigue, and even humor.

The series has been praised by critics for its writing and character development, and how it deals with deep issues like mental health. For fans, there’s a lot to love about Wolf Pack as well, including the engaging, immersive cinematography. In a panel interview from October 2022, series creator Jeff Davis and Gellar opened up about the very deliberate way that the production team filmed Wolf Pack and the reasoning behind it.

How did ‘Wolf Pack’ creator Jeff Davis influence the cinematography of the series?

The cast of "Wolf Pack" poses in front of a backdrop featuring the logo for the series.
The cast of “Wolf Pack” attend a premiere event I Jesse Grant/Getty Images for Paramount+

Last year, Davis and the stars of the series attended New York Comic Con to discuss bringing Wolf Pack to life. At one point early on in the interview, Davis opened up about the unique cinematography that the series features. “We spent a lot of time talking about the vision of the show and what it would look like,” he explained. “And the very first goal was to make it look as cinematic as possible. Also to make it look like a streaming show. We wanna set ourselves apart.”

Davis went on to say, “This is a different show. This isn’t something you would find on the networks. But I told the directors and our DPs right off the bat, I said, ‘have fun with this. Make it interesting, make it weird, make it cool.'” Davis noted, “Everybody online talks about how dark it is…let’s have them, how dark all TV shows are. But let’s give them something to watch. Let’s give them color and brightness and incredible angles.” 

Fans complained about the way shows like ‘House of the Dragon’ were shot

Although Davis didn’t call out any TV series by name, it could be that he was obliquely referring to HBO’s House of the Dragon. That show, which debuted in the summer of 2022, received a lot of praise from critics and fans. However, there were many viewers who slammed the cinematography, saying the darkness made it hard to see what was happening.

According to CBR, complaints reached a fever pitch after the seventh episode in the first season, with fans venting their frustration on Twitter. “Okay, for real, why is House of The Dragon (and Game of Thrones) so dark? I can barely see a damn thing and I’ve tried different monitors. What is the point of spending millions to make these episodes if people can’t even see what’s happening in them?” one fan wrote on Twitter. However, forces behind the show stood by House of the Dragon, remarking, according to CBR, that it was an intentional creative decision to make certain scenes dark and moody.

‘Wolf Pack’ is now streaming on Paramount+

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As for Wolf Pack, the first season started streaming on Paramount+ at the end of January. A new episode is scheduled to drop on the streaming platform every Thursday from now through March. Though the show seems to have decent buzz online, a second season has not been greenlit yet.