Seven years and 99 episodes later and the stakes have never felt higher on The Walking Dead, which is an achievement in and of itself given how most majors TV shows tend to coast along on recycled ideas and shoddy storytelling in their twilight years.
Granted, The Walking Dead is not without its faults, and that’s something series producer and director Greg Nicotero discussed at New York Comic Con last weekend (via Polygon).
Nicotero, who has been tasked with directing season 8’s super-sized opener, “Mercy,” admitted that everyone involved made a conscious effort to up their game in anticipation for The Walking Dead‘s latest instalment, which is likely a reaction to season 7’s lukewarm reception. With the exception of April’s finale and that bloody premiere, “The Day Will Come When You Won’t Be,” not an awful lot happened during the show’s seventh season. However that may be, if the first reviews are any indication, The Walking Dead season 8 is about to right those wrongs.
As for how season 8 will set itself apart, Nicotero revealed that the show’s creative players have toyed around with framing and other camera techniques in order to allay any fears of franchise fatigue. Variety is the spice of life, as the old saying goes.
Per Polygon:
We’ve been going for evocative frames. That does make it harder on episodes that are huge in scale, but we’re constantly aware of what we’ve done in the past. We know that we have to up our game for the show. It’s been eight years and we don’t want people to think the show is suffering from the fatigue that comes with being on the air for eight years.
Expect season 8 to get going in earnest on Sunday, October 22nd. If you find yourself across the pond, keep your peepers peeled on Fox UK, where The Walking Dead will shuffle back onto the small screen on October 23rd.
