'Severance' director rules out CGI in stunning one-shot

In a recent episode of Severance, a stunning one-shot scene had fans speculating whether CGI was used in it.

However, the director Jessica Lee Gagné, who helmed Episode 7, told Esquire that no CGI was used in the particular sequence.

Mark (Adam Scott) jumps from the office to the basement floor in the scene in question.

The filmmaker, who is also a cinematographer, said the one-shot sequence was completed with a custom-built cable.

“There’s a shot that goes from MDR to the control room downstairs. There’s no CGI in it. It’s all real,” he explained.

“We actually shot through cables. It was the most laborious thing I have ever done as a DP. It was the biggest side project of this show and so many people participated on it.”

“You should see the rig for it: The camera goes through the internal part of the desk. There’s a pulley moving it,” Jessica concluded.

Meanwhile, Ben Stiller, who is also a director in Severance gushed about the skills Jessica had with the camera.

“[Jessica] is not thinking about it as a job. She’s thinking about it as her art and an expression of who she is and what she does. And that’s one and the same," he told IndieWire.

"She’s a tough audience and she needs to be sold on things. She’s picky about what she thinks is good. And once she does engage with something, she puts everything into it. That’s what I really love about working with her. She’s just so committed," he concluded.