Clubhouse Conversations — Severance (Season 2)

Editors’ note: In-depth coverage of cinematographer Jessica Lee Gagné's work on Severance will appear in American Cinematographer's July 2025 issue. Learn more here about how to subscribe to the industry's leading journal of motion-picture production techniques.

In this episode, cinematographer Jessica Lee Gagné is joined by interviewer Adam Bricker, ASC to discuss her work on Season 2 of Severance — creator Dan Erickson's sci-fi psychological thriller centered on corporate employees who undergo a memory-altering procedure.

Season 2 of Severance follows Mark Scout (Adam Scott) in his efforts to rescue his wife, Gemma (Dichen Lachman), from Lumon Industries — the company that carries out the surgical splitting of individuals' memories of their private and professional lives. Gagné shot six of the season's 10 episodes, and also served as a producer, as well as the director of Episode 7, "Chikhai Bardo."

In this interview, Gagné discusses how her upbringing in Quebec’s video-rental stores, and her early passion for photography, helped shape her path to becoming a cinematographer; her initial hesitation to commit to Severance’s office-bound aesthetic, and how visual references from such photographers as Lars Tunbjörk and Lee Friedlander opened her eyes to its creative possibilities; the technical and artistic challenges of shooting the show’s signature hallway run; making the transition from cinematographer to director with a deeply personal flashback episode, which she shot on film and in her own home, and more.

Jessica Lee Gagné is a filmmaker whose cinematography credits include Mrs. America, Sweet Virginia and Daddy.

Adam Bricker, ASC is a cinematographer whose credits include Chef’s Table, American Vandal, The Magicians and Sorry for Your Loss.

You’ll find all episodes in our ASC Clubhouse Conversations discussion series here.