Why The Staircase Maze Set In Netflix’s “Squid Game” Gave The Staff Members A Huge Headache

Netflix‘s Squid Game is the number one show on the platform in multiple countries. Besides the horrific plotline, the talented actors, and the lessons that one can attain from it, the sets were also a huge draw to the show.

Every single game was placed in a memorable arena. From the oversized playground for adults…

…to the carnival-like area with a glass bridge, everywhere was memorable.

Even the non-game sets were candies to the eyes. The one that showed up in every episode was the staircase that led the contestants and staff from the player’s living area to the games.

It was a gorgeous set that was based on the works of artist MC Escher, and it was even bigger in real life than it may have seemed on the show.

This was heavily influenced by the engravings of MC Escher. A huge set that can accommodate over 100 people.

— Hwang Dong Hyuk, Writer-Director of Squid Game

For director Hwang Dong Hyuk, though it was beautiful, it had its downfalls. It was particularly difficult to have his eyes on all of the actors when he himself was disoriented.

I needed to give them directions while they acted so I had to keep monitoring. But since it’s like a maze, you get lost too. It was crowded with 400-500 people at first but by the end, there’s only two or three left.

— Hwang Dong Hyuk

It wasn’t just a headache for the director, but also the camera crew. It was challenging to set up their cameras to get the perfect angles without being in the shot as well. It came to the point where they even had to break apart some walls before shooting.

It’s build like a maze so we had to break the walls sometimes because of the operational issues. The staff were worn out at the end of the day. They had to think about where and how to install the cameras in there.

— Chae Kyung Sun, Art Director of Squid Game

For more background information about Squid Game, check out the full video below!