Before meeting Ben Stiller, cinematographer Jessica Lee Gagné was “really reticent” to enter the domain of television, given her negative perception of the work being done in that sphere.
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| Ben Stiller |
Up until six or so years ago, she considered TV to be “commercial” to
fault—gravitating instead to work that felt more “niche,” “indie” and
“fearless.” But then Stiller approached her for his acclaimed Showtime
limited series Escape at Dannemora, and her perspective shifted markedly.
“Working on things like Dannemora…I’ve realized that what you can do in television now is extraordinarily amazing,” Gagné shares. “When you have the right tools, the right amount of time and the right people around you, you can really create a tour-de-force kind of thing.”
Gagné’s latest project with Stiller is the equally brilliant series Severance for Apple TV+, which all but defies categorization, by way of genre. The story centers on Mark (Adam Scout), who leads a team of employees at the mysterious Lumon Industries. Employees at this company are required to undergo a procedure called severance, which surgically divides their memories between their work and personal lives. This daring experiment in “work-life balance” is called into question as Mark finds himself at the center of an unraveling mystery that will force him to confront the true nature of his work… and of himself.
Gagné’s biggest challenge in Season 1 came in developing the “destabilizing imagery” at the heart of the show, alongside director-EP Stiller—the most notable example being the “Zolly” effect indicating the mental transition of workers from their “outie” to their “innie” selfies, on their elevator ride down to Lumon HQ. Making this challenge easier to navigate was the fact that she’s worked with Stiller more consistently than anyone else in her career, meaning that the shorthand they share is the most developed she’s experienced.
During a recent conversation with Stiller as part of Deadline’s video series The Process, the DP breaks down the work that went into cracking effects like the elevator Zolly and other aspects to the show’s language. She also speaks to her experience coming of age within the walls of her father’s video stores, key components of her creative process including the creation of mood boards, the New York bookstore she visits while prepping new projects, her penchant for “gritty and dirty” aesthetics, why she considers Stiller to be “extremely impressive as a director”, why she feels that “the director is always right” in the end, no matter how “annoying” that can be to say, and more.
Stiller speaks for his part to connecting with Gagné after seeing her work on the indie Sweet Virginia and the “exciting creative relationship” he’s found with the cinematographer since. Other topics touched on by the multi-hyphenate include his and Gagné’s debate over the notion of bringing filmic aesthetics to Severance, Adam Scott’s “technical” brilliance as an actor, the visual inspirations behind Episode 7’s “Defiant Jazz” sequence, and breaking from the “grammar established” for Severance in the Season 1 finale.
Severance premiered on Apple TV+ in February and was renewed for a second season in April. Dan Erickson created and writes the show, which also stars Zach Cherry, Britt Lower, Tramell Tillman, Jen Tullock, Dichen Lachman, Michael Chernus, John Turturro, Christopher Walken and Patricia Arquette. Endeavor Content serves as the studio, with Arquette and Scott producing. Exec producers include Erickson, Mark Friedman, Chris Black, John Cameron, Andrew Colville, and the trio of Stiller, Nicky Weinstock and Jackie Cohn for Red Hour Productions.
By Matt Grobar
June 1, 2022 12:34pm
Watch Stiller’s entire conversation with Gagné
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