How ‘Euphoria’s’ DP Used ‘Expressionistic’ Theatrical Lighting for Lexi’s Play

variety.com:

Sasha Urban editorWhen it came time to shoot “The Theater and Its Double” — the seventh episode of “Euphoria’s” second season, Emmy-nominated for cinematography — Hungarian DP Marcell Rév already had some necessary experience.Both episodes seven and eight of the HBO series’ follow the performance of Maude Apatow portrays Lexi, whose play is creatively shot in Season 2 of “Euphoria.” Lexi Howard’s (Maude Apatow) high school production of her original play, “Our Life,” based, very obviously, on the tribulations of her own friend group.

The episode takes a creative approach to filming the play, hitting it from every possible angle and melding real life with the world of the performance.

Rév’s side gig in film school of shooting theatrical productions helped him prepare. This time around, he knew he wanted to take a brand-new approach, with custom film rolls (Kodak converted part of its factory to produce its Ektachrome stock in 35mm for the show), set design and camera techniques that are hard to find anywhere else, especially on television.Here, Rév tells Variety about his unique artistry on the show and what he hopes other cinematographers can take from “Euphoria’s” methodology.It was a long journey from Season 1 to Season 2, just on a very practical level.

We were shut down because of the pandemic and Sam [Levinson, the creator] came up with this idea to do these special episodes that aesthetically are a bridge between Season 1 and Season 2.