Clubhouse Conversations — The Girlfriend

In this episode, cinematographers Mattias Nyberg, BSC and Paul Morris are joined by interviewer George Mooradian, ASC to discuss their work on The Girlfriend — a psychological-thriller miniseries that explores a mother's clash with her son's new girlfriend.

The Girlfriend tells the story of Laura Sanderson (Robin Wright), a wealthy art-gallery owner in London, who reacts with extreme suspicion and coldness when her son, Daniel (Laurie Davidson), brings home his new girlfriend, Cherry Laine (Olivia Cooke), a real-estate agent. The dynamic between the three soon becomes increasingly fraught, with both women engaged in manipulative tactics in their bids to control Daniel, and Laura's own sanity called into question.

Conversation Highlights

Nyberg and Morris' conversation with Mooradian explores a range of strategies, as well as the creative and practical challenges they encountered, including:

• Establishing a two-perspective structure for the series through their use of subjective compositions
• Creating the core visual language in Episodes 1–3 and maintaining stylistic continuity across Episodes 4–6
• Meeting the logistical challenges presented by their key locations — including an indoor-pool house — and sequences set in open water
• How their selection of cameras, lenses, aspect ratios and filtration helped differentiate characters' worlds

• The importance of adapting their visual strategy to depict the series' narrative shifts

Mattias Nyberg, BSC is a cinematographer whose credits include the series War of the Worlds (Season 2), Two Weeks to Live, Britannia, Pure, Detectorists (Season 3), Bancroft (Season 2) and The League of Gentlemen.

Paul Morris is a cinematographer whose work includes the BAFTA-nominated Netflix series Bodies and the award-winning National Geographic/Disney Plus documentary Endurance.

George Mooradian, ASC is a cinematographer whose work includes the series According to Jim, The Exes, The Soul Man, Rel, and Country Comfort. He has received nine Emmy nominations, one of which culminated in a win in 2021 for his work on Country Comfort, in the category of Cinematography for a Multi-Camera Series.

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

Unit stills by Christopher Raphael. Images courtesy of Prime.