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A story as sprawling and ambitious as the oneSeverancetold in its first season does not materialize without meticulousness.
.First Drafts
.
My dad was an attorney.
He worked for the city of Olympia, Washington.
The first version of this that I showed to anyone was much more bombastic and had a Terry GilliamBrazilvibe.
And theyre like, Nothing, the wind.
So it was a little bit sillier, or at least more heightened in that stylistic way.
White walls and hallways, no windows.
I love creating worlds and to do something that I havent done before.
I dont want to do that.Youre shooting these actors, and theres overhead lighting and its drab.
Theres no contrast, theres no shape to it.
I also know Ben, as a director, loves shape in lighting.
I felt like I was going to be very limited.
This is Swiss architecture, 80s, 90s office space.
It opened a visual world I hadnt thought of.
We wanted them to feel like they were being watched.
We use remote camera heads a lot, so movements dont feel human.
In the outside world, everything is more human-operated.
When youre wide, the cameras closer.
So thats going to emphasize that energy, that proximity, that paranoia, because youre physically with them.
The longer the lens is, the more of a voyeur you are.
Jessica Lee Gagne, cinematographer
.The Diamond Desk
MDR is the best set.
It was so photogenic.
You could drop the camera anywhere and youd have a shot.
And Cat Miler is the most amazing props person Ive ever worked with.
Even the desk thats a $100,000 desk.
Thats how much it cost to build it.
It stands on one foot, just one support in the middle.
And all those dividers are on pulleys.
Our producer is calling it the diamond desk.
Tramell Tillman, Milchick
.Selvigs Space
She has three characters.
Then in her basement we ended up putting her single bed and a praying area.
It was like an orphanage.
Her shrine to Kier went through a lot of changes.
Andrew Baseman, set decorator
.The Warm-up
Ben doesnt like yellow.
The guy loves cold things.
We went tungsten, where I would never otherwise do tungsten.
Ben hates tungsten, so I venture to sneak it in.
Its a constant battle between us.
I really like writing the show, too, but I think thats my favorite thing to do.
With Ricken, it just sort of pours out.
Its me purging all the dumbness I have, but then it keeps coming back somehow.
Its so fun and so ridiculous.
Dan Erickson, creator
.Milchicks Method
Hes impeccable.
Very clean, which speaks to his meticulousness.
I was very finicky about tying my tie.
I wanted to verify Milchick had the neatest knot.
If it was possible to get a dimple in his tie, I wanted the dimple.
My dressers were always very helpful and asked me, Do you want me to tie your tie?
and I was like, No, I want to do everything myself.
Everything was a process: How he put on his socks, how he put on his shoes.
Even the placement of his pants is specific.
Its a lot higher, higher than I wear my pants.
And all of that informs how he moves.
You move differently when your pants are on your bellybutton versus your lower part of your hip.
You also speak differently, from your diaphragm.
His mustache let me tell you.
This mustache, it would take us an hour and a half to get his mustache right.
There were times when we were nitpicking: Okay, get this piece.
Okay, wait, this piece.
Okay, well, what about this?
It seems so obsessive, but it speaks to Milchicks character.
The mustache is a character on its own.
It should have its own credits: The Mustache.
I did a lot of stretching, because that also helped me tap into his breath and his movement.
Milchick is a man on a mission.
He presses firmly on the pavement.
And exercise was a great tool.
It helps to keep the engine moving, the blood flowing.
Tramell Tillman, Milchick
