On Dec. 3rd, I had the honor of touring The Witcher experience during the LA press junket. Although I wished to start my tour with petting Roach, she understandably needed a ten minute break from listening to everyone’s problems. It’s not an easy job being Geralt’s horse!

Instead, we were escorted to the Trial of Grasses. Once we proved our worth by downing a vial of potion (pickle juice), we were awarded with our very own Witcher medallion.

Next, we explored the main feature: a tour through the Continent. There were a total of four rooms, each brought to life by an actor who guides the conversation and reinforces the scene. While some images turned out better than others, we hope you enjoy our description and images of tour through the experience.

Lessons at Aretuza

As we entered the first room, we were immediately greeted by a stern sorceress who had little patience for our desire to dilly-dally. We were directed to a podium, each decorated with a simple flower and a stone. We were warned about the dangers of magic and how we came to be in her presence.

The sorceress’ eyes fell upon me as she explained that I had shown magical powers after “setting my cousin’s house on fire.” An accusation I didn’t deny, but agreed with wholeheartedly. Others were brought in for nobler deeds, such as saving someone from drowning, but our teacher did mutter that she paid too much for each of us.

She was probably right.

We immediately began repeating an incantation, holding our hands above our stones, hoping to tame the chaos she described. We tried our best, but none could lift the stone- save for our teacher.

After raising the rock in mid-air and reminding us to continue practicing, she sent us off to the next room.

A Massacre in Cintra

We were greeted by a warm hearth and lavish dining table, but with unfortunate decorations. Blood splattered across the walls and the feast looked quickly abandoned.

In the corner stood a woeful knight of Cintra, who I presume is a survivor of the massacre, eager to tell the tale of the mighty Queen Calanthe. Though she fell, he believes that her granddaughter, Princess Cirilla, is alive and safe somewhere.

The Baths

Stepping past the curtain of steam, we entered a romantic, candle-lit room. In the center was a luxurious (empty) bath. Photographers were standing by to take pictures and encouraged visitors to get in the tub or sit around as a group for a fun memento.

A Dark Forest Stroll

We entered a dark room filled with rocks and trees, illuminated by a single light to represent moonlight. We could barely see enough to appreciate how detailed it was.

As someone who watches too many horror films, I remained close to the light. Another reporter was not as fortunate. From the dark corner of the room, a mad man sprung from behind, giving him the biggest jolt and a good laugh from the rest of us.

I had to hand it to the mad man, the others did an excellent job, but he was so captivating as he ranted about the legendary Geralt, the Butcher of Blaviken.

As he retreated into the darkness, we quickly shuffled towards the exit before there were any further rantings.

Once we ended the tour, we were able to explore all that the night had to offer. Fans who were hungry and thirsty could grab some water and a snack before exploring.

While the musicians were setting up while we were there, we could already tell that they were going to give a great performance.

Fans could also dress up in a cloak, mask, and wield up to two swords for their own pictures in front of the backdrop used for the initial marketing images.

Jaskier wasn’t present at the event, but there was a strapping bard who sang the story of, well, you! With the assistance of helpful staff and a form, the bard was able to make any fan feel like a legend!

For those who needed to place a wanted ad on the Witcher board, Netflix had you covered. Fill out a simple form with your problem and reward amount, and tack it to the wall.

Finally, we were able to experience what is arguably the most precious experience: meeting Roach.

She listened to my problems, but showed complete disinterest. I got to pet her velvety nose, but realized I had no snack. I was understandably a freeloader in her eyes. Roach may be skittish, but she has standards!

Once being able to meet Roach, our experience was complete. When we did leave, we heard the faint sounds of music filling the air.

For your pleasure, here are the images below:

What do you think? Did the fan experience sound fun? Let us know in the comments below or in our forum!

Looking for that perfect gift for the witcher in your life? Mint of Gdansk, with exclusive rights by  Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski, are creating an exclusive series of silver coins dedicated to each of the books in The Witcher series. The plan is to release a total of eight issues, beginning with The Last Wish.

This 2-ounce coin on the reverse shows the fighting Geralt who, together with Yennefer, tries to save his companion Dandelion, possessed of the Genie's spell. The coin is decorated with an exceptionally high relief, which shows every detail of the project in every detail. The Witcher's sword is decorated with gold. Yennefer received a ball printed on a 3D printer.

The obverse shows the Witcher's symbols, such as the wolf and the sword, as well as the ornaments of Cintra Castle.

The first coin has a face value of $5, and is limited to 2,000 pieces. Until January 31^st,  a promotional price of approximately $360 USD (1399 PLN). From February 1^st, the purchase of a coin will at a regular price of around $410 USD (1600 PLN). Shipping begins Dec 20^th, which is also when the Netflix show will launch.

This 1 kg coin on the reverse shows the key scene from the book "Last Wish" when Duny wanted to marry Pavetta, the daughter of Queen Cintra. Her mother, Calanthe, did not want to agree to this.

The reverse is decorated with…an agate imitating the window of the castle, and shows the moment of Geralt's arrival at Cintra Castle.

The second coin, with a face value of $50, is certainly worth its weight in silver. However, this hefty piece will set you back some pretty coin as well. Until January 31^st 2020, there is a promotional price of approximately $3,700 USD (14 418,97 PLN) On February 1^st 2020, the purchase of a coin will be possible at a regular price of over $4,000 USD (16000 PLN)! If you wish to get one, they will be limited to only 200 pieces, and begins shipping Feb 20^th 2020.

While collectable coins are certainly not for everybody, they are beautifully detailed. We can’t wait to see future designs! What do you think? Let us know in the comments below or in our forum!

Netflix’s upcoming show The Witcher is less than a month away from release, Dec. 20^th to be exact. Earlier in the week, we at TheWitcher.tv had the honor of speaking to executive producer Tomek Bagiński about season two. Meanwhile, it’s been a flurry of interviews, photos, and even episode title reveals.

Netflix has released the official episode titles for season one, and with style! Each episode comes with its own logo, giving viewers a clue as to what each episode’s story involves:

1. The End’s Beginning
2. Four Marks
3. Betrayer Moon
4. Of Banquets, Bastards and Burials
5. Bottled Appetites
6. Rare Species
7. Before a Fall
8. Much More

In addition to announcing episode titles, a new promo poster was also revealed:

Turkish magazine Episode sat down with The Witcher composers Sonya Belousova and Giona Ostinelli about the creation process and writing songs for the Jaskier, the-ever-tolerated-by-Geralt-bard. The original article is in Turkish, but Redanian Intelligence and WitcherTurkey worked together to translate the article into english. Here are a few highlights, but click on the link to read the full article:

Can you tell us about the musicians you work with?

GO: We’re very lucky to work with Declan De Barra. He is not only a writer, but also a unique musician and singer. From our fruitful collaboration, we recorded three songs for the series that we recorded with Declan’s vocals: “The Song of the White Wolf” in the season finale, “The Last Rose of Cintra” in the sixth episode and “Don’t Ever Come Back To Blaviken” in the first episode. Declan also contributed to other music from time to time with his vocals.

SB: We also worked with Joey Batey, who played Jaskier in the series. We wrote and recorded four songs for Jaskier: “Toss A Coin To Your Witcher” in chapter two, “Her Sweet Kiss” in chapter six, “The Fishmonger’s Daughter” in chapter four and “You Think You’re Safe” in chapter two. We wrote songs and worked with Declan De Barra, Jenny Klein and Haily Hall before the shoot. Then we recorded it with Joey in London. The rest of the production was completed here in our Los Angeles studio.

Jaskier has some serious competition, because Belousova posted a video that shows The Witcher writer Declan De Barra has a strong, haunting voice along with writing chops:

View this post on Instagram

When the brilliant @declandebarra stops by the studio, magic always happens! Having a great time improvising. Are you guys ready for something truly special? #thewitchersound 🐺⚔️

A post shared by Sonya Belousova (@sonya_belousova) on Aug 26, 2019 at 2:46pm PDT

'Tis the spirit of giving, and showrunner Lauren Hissrich has launched her annual toy drive for charity. This will be the ninth year of raising money for multiple charity organizations, which started when Providence saved her life. You can read Hissrich’s story here.

To donate, you can visit Hissrich’s page here. They are at 75% of their goal, and every little bit goes towards those in need.

That’s it for this news round up! Are you excited for December 20^th? Let us know in the comments blow or in our forums.

We recently had the pleasure of speaking with Tomek Bagiński, executive producer for The Witcher. This self-taught artist left his architectural studies to pursue film, and has been awarded several awards for his short films during his career- even receiving an Oscar nomination for The Cathedral. Fans of the video games might recognize his directorial work in the cinematic trailers.

Your career has taken you on a journey through directing, writing, and producing. What lessons have you learned from your past work that you are applying to The Witcher?

I can’t say, ‘this is only my work’ or ‘this is only my vision,’ because it is a matter of cooperation with the whole team. I am very, very lucky in my life because of the people I was working with earlier, and on The Witcher, were extraordinary. I think that’s the biggest lesson.

Of course on a technical level, to have experiences as a director, VFX artist, animator, or any other experiences I’ve had are useful as a producer on the show. It’s useful because it gives me a language to speak to the crew and understand the work.

Fans of the books have an idea of what the characters, lands, and cultures look like. How do you solve working within a budget vs. fan expectations?

Geralt’s armor looks absolutely amazing and is kind of iconic, but at the same time you realize that he also looks great when he has a little less equipment.

Sometimes when you go to the bar, you don't have to have to have the full armor on you, right? It's not normal. It looks weird to be like in the full armor all the time, in every situation, or in every moment of the story.

So we started to experiment with his look, with his wardrobe, and with the amount of the things he's wearing. It was a great example of this type of discovery, and evolution of the character, and I really hope that you will see in the show. You will love not only one look, because he has many looks. I think there will be some surprises, but I think it will be a lot of pleasant surprises.

The Witcher was renewed for a second season, even before the release of the first season, which is a testament to such hard work! Will we see more Slavic performers and filming locations in season two?

Yes! It is rare, but I'm glad that the decision making chain already saw quite a lot of material. I think they understand what they have with us, and how interesting, big, and good the show will be. Of course, it also means a very simple thing: it means that fans of the show will get the second season earlier.

We are discussing the locations right now so we cannot confirm anything, but we are traveling all around Europe. Especially Central and Eastern Europe looking for locations, and looking for nice folks. Our design crew is traveling even now. I cannot promise any single location because nothing is really decided yet, but we are traveling all around Europe.

Are there any lessons you learned from the filming first season that will benefit the second season?

Oh yeah! I learned to always have very, very good shoes and an umbrella. Believe me, the most important lesson is to bring an umbrella to the set. I know it sounds funny, but if you are at night, it's raining, and freezing cold- an umbrella is one of the best things you can have.

I think I remember a picture of you working on your laptop inside of a cave, and it did not look warm at all.

No, no, no. I learned to write from my laptop, but not feeling my fingers!

Source: Tomek Bagiński

It was a great experience, but at the same time if something is too easy to achieve, then there is no value in it. To make it work, it has to be difficult. Some things are very hard to get.

This show gave us a lot of lot of days where it was difficult to do, but at the same time it was looking great on screen. It is very often like that. Horrible weather usually looks great on screen, and you are suffering but at the same time, you are happy.

When you return, and you're just sitting in the warm editing room, you're just glad that you used the material on that particular day. Suddenly this material is great. So, it's a pleasure and pain at the same time.

What are the differences between Polish and the United States filming industries?

That's a tricky question, because on the level which interests me the most, which is the story. [Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Thrillers] was my main point of interest for my whole life.

When I realized that it’s really something I wanted to do in my future, I really focused on the genre. I had to start traveling to LA and expand a little, because Poland is mostly character drama. It's very good cinema with talented people, but at the same time it's the type of cinema which is not my main point of interest.

Of course, I came to full circle in a weird way, because The Witcher is a family drama!

What are the challenges when working together with multiple filming industries, from various countries, on the same project?

There is a lot of experienced people who understand the business very well, and we have absolutely amazing, amazing talented people in the crew who helped us through the process.

Of course, Lauren [Hissrich], who's the main brain behind the whole show, is extremely experienced. She has many, many years of work on one of the biggest shows on earth. Her experience was crucial to the success of the first season, and it will stay crucial for the success of the whole show.

So, again, it's a group effort. It’s difficult and complicated. There's a lot of people involved, but  those people are really tough. I can’t really say how glad I am for the crew members we had. Some of them really left their blood, tears, and talent for us and it will be visible on screen, I guarantee you.

Are you willing to share a funny story from behind the scenes?

Remember that scene in the trailer with the trebuchet and Fringilla? We broke the trebuchet.

How many times?

Two times we damaged it! So we had to repair it and reshoot. We had to spend more time than we expected, and of course it made us rush through other things. Stories like that are almost every day. One of the funny things about the show is that you don't really remember much of it because it’s so intense.

In your role, you're herding cats. What was the most challenging part of the production?

I’ve never had this question! A production job is kind of challenging every day, but I think the early days were the most challenging. We were trying to make it work, and there is a lot of invisible work I put into this. There’s a lot of other input involved, so there are dozens of meetings just to make it work.

On set its actually not that difficult. I mean you have to be there, you have to make sure everything is going according to Lauren’s vision, but we were working with such a great group of people. We had such a great crew that a lot of those stress and difficulties are not actually that crazy.

I think it's more the physical side of it which is really demanding, especially when you shoot at night every day. It's freezing cold. It takes a toll on you on a physical level, but once the team is in place, it’s not that crazy. It’s actually just going one day at a time, on one certain thing at a time, and you just keep going forward.

It was an honor to be able to speak with Mr. Bagiński on the first season and we look forward to more success in season two! What do you think? Let us know in the comments below or in our forums!