One of the shows I keep telling everyone about is Severance on Apple TV. I find the show and the world it built to be so enthralling that I can’t get enough of it.
In a recent episode, season two episode seven, there was this oner that I attributed to CGI in my mind, but I was shocked to learn it was actually done via practical effects when I read IndieWire.
The director of the episode was Jessica Lee Gagné, who has made a name for herself by finding practical ways to do some of the coolest in-camera shots I have ever seen.
Check out the shot I mentioned in the tweet below, and then we’ll dive into how she did it.
In order to make this dream of a shot into a reality, Gagné said they had to build a custom cable for the movement.
“There’s a shot that goes from MDR to the control room downstairs. There’s no CGI in it. It’s all real.” Gagné elaborated, “We actually shot through cables. It was the most laborious thing I have ever done as a DP. It was the biggest side project of this show and so many people participated on it.”
Gagné finished with, “You should see the rig for it: The camera goes through the internal part of the desk. There’s a pulley moving it.”
What’s even crazier this that this was Gange’s directorial debut. She serves as the cinematographer for the show but that episode was her first time directing.
I think this is a really fun thing for our readers because it shows ingenuity in solving something practically, and also just perseverance in working your way up on a crew.
Practical effects are so cool and if you can solve things in camera, they always give such a layer of creativity that you can’t help but be enthusiastic watching.
Let me know what you think in the comments.
Author: Jason Hellerman
This article comes from No Film School and can be read on the original site.
