I like what Cheech said recently: “We both got to tell our stories, and nobody got killed.” There are always two sides to every story. The fact that they were both willing to sit down and talk individually gave me greater context. I always knew that I wanted them together, but first, I needed to hear what they had to say alone.
This season has more stunts, but it is still a very character-based show. This is extremely special for me because what I appreciate most as a cinematographer is creating a connection to the characters that viewers can understand. So they can live together with the characters and the journey they’re going through.
The scene I’m the most proud of is called ‘Synchronicity’. We wanted to do something universal, so we imagined the same choreography for the dancers and framed it exactly the same. So when you are at the show, you will see all four dancers in different landscapes doing the same thing on separate screens, producing a crazy effect.
This was an interesting project because I think at first we were pushing it very dark, and Brian liked that, and everyone on the team did, I think, in principle… when they started trying it in the edit, I think it had lost some of the sense of fun. We know they’ve all died, so it was sort of like because we were going so dark with music, it was overdoing that point. We then had some time to go back and keep a lot of what I’d done, but then also try some more playful elements, which is where I brought in some of the Aztec instruments, like the ocarina and shakers, and played with it a little bit more and having more fun with it.
Casting was challenging because you wanted to find the chemistry between the boys. It was terrific when they met, and now they love each other and are everywhere all the time, just like actual brothers. We got this gift because there weren’t a lot of famous Pakistani, Indian, or South Asian actors, so we had to make discoveries, which is rare. Most studios want celebrities because they have a better chance of getting the show recognized. That wasn’t an opportunity for us, so we got to discover actors. We have Poorno, who’s played a mother and best friend a lot, plays this badass mob boss in a leather suit. It felt exciting. She is one of the best actors I’ve ever worked with.
Generationally, there couldn’t be a better show for me to work on. I was precisely the age of the Yellowjackets when they crashed in my senior year of high school. All of the things that they love are things that I grew up with and loved. I was a product of the eighties and movies like The Goonies.
When I come onto the show, I read the scripts for all the episodes leading up to my episode. I try not to read past what I’m cutting. I don’t wanna know where these characters are going. I wanna stay grounded in what they’re doing in that moment. I’ll see the episodes once they’re cut and ready to be viewed. Once I get started, I’ll know which aspects I like while making the episode I’m working on stand on its own two feet.
We shot it in New York and not another place to capture New York, and we wanted it to feel very much like a New York show. Being grounded in New York, the way New York is now… the old Hell’s Kitchen is no longer now. It’s regentrified and revitalized itself, so we wanted to capture that. That feeling like, ‘There are a few spots that retain the same old Hell’s Kitchen feel, but New York has changed, and it’s a different place”… We shot on the streets all the time, but we also had to build many sets.
Being a showrunner means you have to think globally about the emotional architecture of the show, and you’re also making sure the props are correct because if the prop isn’t right, it will ruin the shot. So you’re writing and shooting and editing at the same time.The sheer number of daily decisions is vast, especially if you have the personality type that cares about the details.
In the finale, we wanted to leave you with a feeling that this is a ship of people who like each other. We are so happy to have been a part of Star Trek. We also wanted to make sure they felt like we knew this was a final thing while giving them something to like, laugh, share, and enjoy. So, finding that balance and accelerating just enough will leave you wanting more but not leaving you wanting more in a betrayal kind of way.
