Clubhouse Conversations — Yellowjackets (Season 3)

In this episode, cinematographers Shasta Spahn and Michael Wale are joined by interviewer Gavin Kelly, ASC to discuss their work on Season 3 of Yellowjackets — the psychological-thriller series that follows a high-school girls' soccer team's brutal struggle for survival in the remote wilderness.

Yellowjackets' story is set against two timelines — one following the young girls as their survival of a plane crash descends into savagery, and the exploring their adulthood, which is marred by their lingering trauma. In Season 3, distrust and tension between members of the group reaches a boiling point, and begins to undermine their chances of being rescued.

In this interview, Spahn and Wale discuss their collaborative approach to Season 3's visuals; how they helped evolve the look of the series’ dual timeline by transitioning from the claustrophobic, wintry interiors of Season 2 to the warm, fairy-tale-inspired feel of summer for Season 3; the creative and technical challenges of shooting on expansive outdoor sets with difficult sun paths and limited rigging options; their preferred lenses and use of in-camera effects to help craft surreal dream and hallucination sequences, and more.

Shasta Spahn is a cinematographer whose credits include the series American Horror Stories, Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist and Kidding.

Michael Wale is a cinematographer whose credits include iZombie, Continuum and the 2011 ASC Award-nominated Smallville.

Gavin Kelly, ASC is a cinematographer whose credits include the series American Horror Story, 9-1-1 and The Equalizer, as well as the features The Dry Land, Sugar and Luv.

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