Not content to merely coast on the merits of its clever conceit—namely a surgery that splits one’s consciousness between work and home—the first season of Severance ferociously pulled on the threads of that idea, unraveling as a twisty, existentially nightmarish, and often darkly funny reflection of our own fractured society.
In the year since its release, Severance has gone on to garner critical acclaim and a host of accolades, including a nomination for SOC’s Camera Operator of the Year.
From whip-pans bridging different states of consciousness to creating a labyrinth of sprawling, seemingly infinite blank hallways, Camera Operator had the chance to discuss with “Blue” camera operator Sam Ellison, SOC, what it was like shooting on a show that’s meant to be deliberately disorienting and uncanny.
Taking the idea of a work/life balance to its logical extreme, Severance presents a world where a controversial new surgical procedure allows people to “sever” their consciousness, so that the version of you that goes home at 5 p.m. is unburdened by anything that happened during the work day. Meanwhile, the other half of your consciousness is trapped eternally at work with no nights, weekends, or hope of escape. The series is created by Dan Erickson and stars Adam Scott, Zach Cherry, Britt Lower, Trammel Tillman, Jen Tullock, Dichen Lachman, Michael Chernus, John Turturro, Christopher Walken, and Patricia Arquette.
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David Daut 