Filming scenes in front of a green screen is one of the most technically and organizationally demanding parts of film production. The Marínka Somarinka series works with several film genres that enter the story through Marínka's rich imagination and her own film ambitions. The heart of this visual magic was Bratislava's Ateliér 27, where several iconic film worlds gradually took turns during two intensive filming blocks (in April and May 2026).
The crew in the studio started filming with demanding visual effects - from pirate scenes on a stormy sea with a kraken attack or rescue on a boat, through a romantic waltz on the iconic staircase of the Titanic, to the Superheroine's flight over the city's skyscrapers. The second phase of filming in May brought sci-fi ideas in the cockpit of a spaceship and the atmosphere of "Film Noir" in a classy business or at a small airport with detective Bogart.
Where the Visual Effect Begins
The green screen allowed the crew to create environments that would be very complicated to create in real locations. At the same time, however, it significantly increased the demands on pre-production preparation. With this type of filming, a large part of the resulting image must be thought out before the camera is turned on.
From the very beginning, the crew had to calculate exactly where the digital environment would connect, what depth the space behind the actors would have, from what angle and with what intensity the light had to come, and which elements would be physically present on the set. Advanced visual effects (VFX) do not begin until the computer in post-production, but already with the precise design of the scene, the layout of the space, the correct setting of the cameras and the lighting itself.
A physical Point for the Digital World
The set design by Michal Lošonský played an extremely important role. The physical set design had to give the actors and the camera a precise, tangible reference point that could be followed up on in post-production:
- Sci-fi sequence: A real capsule and cockpit of a spaceship were created, from where the main character watched the receding Earth and traveled between planets, which created a direct basis for the expansion of space.
- Film Noir: It required a precisely built bar with a reference to classic Hollywood from the 1930s, where precise proportions, the play of light and shadow, composition and micro-details played a key role.
- Pirate Line: It required a real part of the deck with a rudder so that the actors had solid ground under their feet during actions and fights.
Controlled Environment for Film Fantasy
Studio 27 was repeatedly rebuilt during individual days. However, it was not just a simple exchange of props and decorations, but a complete change of the entire visual concept: a different type of space, different work with the camera and movement, different lighting, color palette and rhythm of shots.
For a series that constantly connects the reality of the children's world with the genre fantasies of the main character, it was crucial to maintain a unified visual language. Each of the themes should be immediately recognizable to the viewer, but none should act as inconsistent attractions. It was the controlled conditions of the green screen in Atelier 27 that made it possible to prepare such a diverse series of film worlds with a highly professional standard and thus give maximum space to the subsequent VFX post-production.