Yellowjackets recently wrapped its latest season on a high note with a well-received finale. A popular show since its debut, it is the story of a high school girls’ soccer team whose plane crashes in the Canadian wilderness in the mid-nineties. Their traumatic ordeal is played out in the past and in the present day. DP Michael Wale made his mark with five beautifully shot episodes. He recently spoke to Immersive via Zoom.
[This conversation has been edited for clarity and length]
What was it like coming onto an established show?
It’s like catching a moving train, but maybe it’s more like a ship, because part of it is inheriting a crew. Fortunately, there were a lot of people I’d worked with before, so it was kind of a reunion tour in many ways. The production designer Margo Ready, was there from the beginning and was very helpful.
What did your prep look like?
A big part of preparation involved the change of seasons on the series, which is integral to the show. So even though it’s a continuation of a series from season to season, there’s a variation on the look. I spent time with Shasta Spahn, who has been with the show since last season and shot the other episodes this year.
We did some lens tests and technical things, but we also created a look book and file of reference pictures and shots. So, we looked at many spring images and amber environments that would inspire the look of season three. The yellowjackets end up in a better place because they’ve survived the cold, harsh winter, and now spring is alive, things are thriving, and they’re doing better.
Let’s talk for a moment about show creators Ashley Lyle and Bart Nickerson. What was it like working with them? How descriptive were they with you about what they were anticipating for this current season?
Ashley Lyle and Bart Nickerson had a big hand in the look and feel of the season. As a creative team, they were very supportive and able to come up with ideas, have open discussions, and have creative talks. They have a strong sense of what they want the show to be. As a fan of the show before I came on board, I was really taken by the sounds of the series as much as the visuals.
This show takes place today and partially in the nineties. The nineties are nostalgia for me now.
It’s nice having those two timelines. It’s interesting. It’s very much like shooting two different shows because we spend so much time in the woods with the younger cast that we’re almost trapped with them. Many people described shooting this season as a summer camp because working out there was so lovely, warm, and pleasant. Then, we’d be back in contemporary time with their older selves.
Which kind of camera did you use, and did you have different lenses for the different time periods?
We used an Alexa Mini LF camera. In the 90s scenes, we used Leitz HUGO Lenses. They have a slightly softer look and a bit of a vignette. They darkened the image a bit and dimmed the focus as well to give the feeling of a memory. For the camera movement, we tamed it down from the previous season’s frantic survival mode to create more calmness. Occasionally, we would do handheld.
Any special challenges while shooting this season and or particular episodes?
Our biggest challenge was shooting outside in the woods and trying to maintain a consistent look. There’s also the big courtroom scene in episode four that takes place over the course of a couple of hours, but we shot it in a couple of days. Showing the shift from morning to noon was the challenge. We used something called grip clouds, and Vince Phillips, our key grip, designed a great system of ropes and lines that we maneuvered and held these big clouds.
Favorite scene to shoot?
In the finale, we ended up shooting on a mountain top, which was exciting to scout and complex to complete. The weather was a big factor, as were the logistics of bringing minimal gear and planning the shots to follow the sun. We only had eight hours, so we had to be efficient. We shot it with one studio camera and a drone unit.
Talk about the remarkable sequence with The Antler Queen…
There’s this cave set on the stage, and it’s quite intricate. It’s cut with foam and then painted. The art department and their creative work is so impressive when you go into the cave you feel claustrophobic… It’s dark and scary. I shot some tests with my iPhone the week before with different colors and lighting effects, just so we could get an approximation of the look. I ran it by the team, and we were all on board. When I saw it all put together, I was impressed. The use of music in this series is incredible.
Do you know which songs they will use beforehand?
Not really. I asked Bart that once, and he said no, but they do have a playlist of songs that they’re drawn to. I think what happens in post—I haven’t been there when they’ve been cutting it—is that they watch footage and then draw upon their references. They have to see what fits.
This is a show with an amazing ensemble of actresses, what was your experience like…
I worked with Hilary Swank before, and it was great to see her again. Melanie Lynskey is so sweet. We were doing a rehearsal, and we were in a closet together. She had a knife in her hand. I joked, “This is a bit awkward being with you in the closet,” and she said in character, “I don’t think I’ll do anything.” Lovely cast, all of them. The young yellowjackets as well—such a great, great bunch of people to work with.
What’s this experience been like, working on season 3 of Yellowjackets, now in the rear-view…
It’s great. It’s always nice to hear good comments. Everyone worked hard, and it’s great when hard work is acknowledged. It was nice to have this opportunity, and it’s great that people can share the experience.
Yellowjackets season 3 is now streaming at Paramount+
