Like 'Spartacus,' Starz lives by the sword
The pay-cable channel hopes to attract attention with its bloody,
steamy take on the gladiator tale. Green screen helps save some green.
[...]
The cable outlet, best known as an outlet for studio features, is
joining the industry's rush into original series programming.
"Spartacus" is a flashy, big-budget attempt to forge a brand, complete
with a big-name costar ( Lucy Lawless, erstwhile heroine of the
syndicated "Xena: Warrior Princess") and the heavily stylized,
comic-book-like use of green-screen technology familiar from movies
like "300" and "Sin City." [...]
The green-screen technology enabled the producers to cut costs, with a
price tag of less than $3 million per episode, less than the typical
broadcast series budget. "Empire" and "Rome" were shot using Italian
studios and locations, where expenses quickly mounted. "Spartacus" took
advantage of tax breaks in New Zealand -- where Tapert and Lawless now
spend much of the year -- and was shot entirely on soundstages, with
effects and settings filled in later by computer. [...]
Whitfield, who plays the title role, noted that a PG-13 version of "Spartacus" is scheduled to be shown in his native Australia.
"I'm anxious to see it," he said with a wry chuckle. "I can't imagine what's in it."
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