Unveiling the Mind-Boggling Body-Swap Extravaganza in What We Do In The Shadows Season 5: A Production Feat Beyond Expectations

The vampires of Staten Island draw closer in What We Do in the Shadows season 5 with a wild episode centered on body-swapping. In this latest installment of the popular vampire comedy, Guillermo (played by Harvey Guillén) undergoes a secret and gradual transformation into a vampire, while Nadja (played by Natasia Demetriou) reconnects with her roots in her home country and Colin Robinson (played by Mark Proksch) ventures into the realm of politics. Episode 3 of the season, titled "Pride Parade," features a daring plotline where Nadja's human ghost swaps bodies with the vampire Nadja to lose her virginity, with Colin Robinson reluctantly becoming entangled in the situation.

Prior to the show's season 5 premiere, Screen Rant had an exclusive conversation with Natasia Demetriou, Mark Proksch, and Kayvan Novak to delve into What We Do in the Shadows season 5. When discussing the shocking and exhilarating body-swapping episode, both Demetriou and Proksch expressed their initial astonishment and excitement upon reading the script. Demetriou even doubted their ability to execute the concept practically. Here is a glimpse of what Demetriou and Proksch shared during the interview:

Natasia Demetriou: The script was incredibly funny and I was thrilled when I read it. It seems like everyone at the press event tonight is talking about that particular episode, which is great to hear. I couldn't believe the amount of content in it and never thought we would be able to film it, but we did. Kayvan even went to space for it. When I first read about the body swapping scenes with Mark, I thought it would be done through CGI or with some kind of green fabric on my head. However, it turned out that I had a rubber version of Mark's face on the back of my head, Mark had my body, and our arms were attached to each other. To make it look like my arms were moving backwards, Mark's arms were painted green. I took a lot of backstage selfies during that time because everything was so crazy and unbelievable.

Mark Proksch: Wow, that script was one of our best ones, or at least one of my favorites. I've had the pleasure of working with many great scripts. Whenever I get to do something weird like that, I really enjoy it because I'm a lazy actor. If you give me a crazy outfit and some singing, I'm all in because it's fun. And it doesn't require a lot of effort on my part to be funny. [Laughs]

How WWDITS Is Secretly A VFX Masterpiece

Returning to Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi's original film, one standout aspect of the What We Do in the Shadows franchise has been its subtle yet impactful visual effects that breathe life into the supernatural world. Despite being made on a modest $1.6 million budget, the 2014 New Zealand comedy ingeniously portrayed vampires soaring through open fields and werewolves undergoing brutal transformations in a convincing manner.

Even with an increased budget for the television adaptation, the What We Do in the Shadows series successfully maintains its visually impressive yet cost-effective production quality. Examples include the surreal combination of an adult face and head atop a baby Colin Robinson, brought to life by Mark Proksch, as well as the remarkably practical gargoyle-like suit that gives The Sire character its mesmerizing presence. Additionally, season 3 introduces Catherine Cohen's character, a siren with a captivating half-chicken appearance.

From Proksch and Demetriou's subtle hint about minimal usage of CGI in the body-swap episode of What We Do in the Shadows season 5, to Novak's portrayal of Nandor's intergalactic journey, the show appears to be pushing its boundaries to become a hidden gem of VFX. As the season progresses, we can anticipate the intriguing implementation of practical effects in Guillermo's gradual transformation into a vampire, which promises to be the most significant storyline of the season.