Cory Stillman
Now in its fifth season, FX’s Fargo remains one of the most unpredictable and intriguing shows on television, not only by taking inspiration from its iconic cinematic predecessor, but also by pushing the envelope with its visual language year after year. Cinematographer Bella Gonzales joined the show in season five, and committed herself to a mantra that almost surely drove every season prior.
“My approach for Fargo was to try and embed as much storytelling into every frame possible,” says Gonzales. “This called for uses of techniques like split diopters, dramatic lighting changes, and foreground framing elements to craft a frame.”
On both episodes 5.03 and 5.04, Gonzales’ inventiveness can be felt across every frame, not to mention her love of cinema. While the Coen Bros’ original film is an obvious source of inspiration for Fargo, Gonzales even turned to Home Alone in shooting 5.04’s Halloween siege. Of course, her multifaceted approach should come as no surprise, particularly considering her simultaneous success with Apple TV+’s Big Door Prize, an uplifting comedy with surprising stretches of emotional depth.
“Maintaining a consistent, vibrant, saturated, higher-key aesthetic in The Big Door Prize allows moments of naturalistic lighting to deepen emotional resonance and enhance groundedness,” Gonzales explains. “In that way it is imperative to pick the correct moments to shift the mood of the lighting, in order to keep the general lightheartedness. Conversely, in Fargo, interweaving comedy with tense and suspenseful moments creates a distinct tone that enables the audience to shift between laughter and tears seamlessly.”
Another fascinating difference between the two series is that Fargo abides by a strict visual language, pulling from the style first established by the Coen Bros in 1996. Showrunner Noah Hawley and cinematographer Dana Gonzales lay out a visual bible at the start of every season. Big Door Prize, on the other hand, consistently reinvents itself each episode, capturing the emotional perspective of the new character in focus. This dynamic presented an exciting challenge for Gonzales, who relied heavily on her talented collaborators across both shows in realizing such singular visions.
Of course, as Gonzales points out, rules are meant to be broken.
“Rules are made so that when they are broken, they mean something. When you break that rule and move the camera freely to tell the story, you feel the freedom of that, and you know that it is done for storytelling purposes.”
Check out our full conversation with Gonzales below.
Fargo and Big Door Prize each have distinct visual styles. Can you describe your approach to cinematography for each project?
Regardless of the project, I always approach things from the story first. For The Big Door Prize, our showrunner David West Read’s scripts guided our creative decision-making. Each character has a slightly different aesthetic and visual language that informs the lensing and lighting of the scene. Pilot DP Adam Silver, whom I also worked with on PEN15 Season 2, chose Cooke Full Frame Anamorphics to enhance the show visually. For Season 2, our showrunner David West Read and I discussed how we could take the show to “The Next Stage,” mirroring the changes in the town of Deerfield. Darin Moran, our alternate DP, and I creatively explored new looks for this season. We each had episodes with flashbacks and, with David West Read’s approval, introduced new lenses for two episodes to distinguish the past from the present. Our show is fully supported by Keslow Camera and their extensive catalog of anamorphic lenses. For Episode 201, “The Next Stage,” David and I selected Hawk V-Lites and tobacco filters to subtly shift the look and change the feel of Deerfield pre-Morpho. Picture Shop senior colorist Mark Kueper and I were dedicated to exploring as much color separation as possible practically this season, mixing color temperatures with pops of green and yellow. I aimed to make the world feel enticing, vibrant, and colorful, while reserving Morpho blue for significant moments.
In both The Big Door Prize and Fargo, while the camera moves frequently, all camera movements must serve the story. My approach for Fargo was to try and embed as much storytelling into every frame possible. This called for uses of techniques like split diopters, dramatic lighting changes, and foreground framing elements to craft a frame. I am fortunate to build upon the outstanding work of previous seasons that inspired me during the shooting of Season 5 and all my work beyond the series.
Can you talk about a specific scene from Fargo episode 5.04 “Insolubilia” that was particularly challenging or rewarding to shoot?
The most challenging scene had to be the Halloween siege. When I first read the script, I was immediately struck by the concept of a Home Alone-style break-in happening during a power outage. Many people would be surprised by how much light is needed to create the appearance of darkness. Even more challenging was lighting the sequence to shoot entirely at 48fps, as moments of the sequence use speed ramps. This presented a personal challenge as I always try to approach lighting based on where natural light would realistically come from. When you have nothing to supplement, you start thinking about lighting in terms of shape and texture. This meant creating a relatively shadowless approach. I realized early on that the key to achieving soft, moonlit quality while maintaining the appropriate ambiance was to use already soft sources, bounced and diffused. The cool monochromatic nature of the sequence engulfs you into a world of suspense and horror. We are only once allowed access to warmth when the house is starting to become engulfed in practical flames. Oddly, there should be some satisfaction in this shift to warmth, however it feeds into the chaos of the moment.
Big Door Prize has a unique narrative structure. How did you use cinematography to support and enhance this structure?
In Season One, we focused on one episode per character, allowing us to achieve nuanced character development through imagery. This season, however, we departed from that structure to track the characters’ ever changing emotional evolution more closely throughout the season. We aimed to build upon the established visual language to convey a progression in themselves and what the “next stage” meant to them. My approach always begins with subjective realism— I immerse myself in the character’s perspective: what are they feeling? How does their world appear in their current circumstances? Are we feeling safe and intimate, or isolated and misunderstood? These are the questions I consider in every scene as I collaborate with the director to plan our shooting strategy and lighting.
Can you discuss any innovative techniques or equipment you used on Fargo?
Fargo is a great example of classic filmmaking techniques executed at the highest level. It’s a show that finds beauty in simplicity. The general approach is to create moving tableaux. That being said, in the middle of the day, you might get a call from Noah Hawley saying, ‘I have an idea…’ We have an amazing team that can execute complex shots on any given day, which is always the case on Fargo. We maintain an arsenal of specialty equipment ready for any request Noah might have for a particularly intricate shot. We use industry-standard equipment, with our workhorse being a DJI Ronin II and Flowcine Black Arm, allowing us to move the camera freely to tell the story.
Lighting can greatly affect the mood of a scene. How did you use lighting differently in Fargo compared to Big Door Prize?
In a funny way, despite their differences, The Big Door Prize and Fargo share common ground. Both shows blend multiple genres to craft unique narrative experiences. The Big Door Prize is a dramedy centered on the impact of the Morpho on a small town, while Fargo combines dark drama with comedic elements to explore human nature. I believe tonal contrast is one of the most powerful filmmaking tools available—it’s about finding light amidst darkness. This concept carries over to my approach for lighting. Maintaining a consistent, vibrant, saturated, higher-key aesthetic in The Big Door Prize allows moments of naturalistic lighting to deepen emotional resonance and enhance groundedness. In that way it is imperative to pick the correct moments to shift the mood of the lighting, in order to keep the general lightheartedness. Conversely, in Fargo, interweaving comedy with tense and suspenseful moments creates a distinct tone that enables the audience to shift between laughter and tears seamlessly. My approach to lighting is guided by these principles. I constantly consider the context of each scene—where we’ve been and where we’re headed—to shape the narrative progression through lighting. I should also note that I light with the ability for the camera to always be moving, working with camera and lighting in tandem to make sure we are never compromising the integrity of the storytelling in search of crafting the most perfect image.
Can you share an example of a shot or sequence in Big Door Prize that you’re particularly proud of and explain why?
At the conclusion of Episode 202, Director Steven K. Tsuchida and I captured Jacob and Trina in Johnson’s General, apprehensive yet determined to embrace their visions. It was a straightforward two-setup scene, culminating in a static two-shot that resonates profoundly. Jacob asks, “Are you sure you want to do this?” followed by a poignant look and a moment of silence—a “moment of ‘us against the world.'” We then cut to a low-angle shot from behind as Jacob takes Trina’s hand, walking away from the camera with the Morpho perfectly framed between them—a symbolic nod to how the Morpho might affect their relationship. The episode concludes with a swell of music and a gentle pull-back shot, allowing them their moment. It exemplified the synergy of precise camera placement, appropriate lensing, effective lighting, exceptional performances, fitting costumes, and memorable music.
How did you ensure visual consistency across multiple episodes and directors in Fargo?
There are specific rules imposed on Fargo to keep it consistent. Noah Hawley and Dana Gonzales lay out a visual bible for every season. A few things stay consistent from season to season, such as the Coen Brothers-esque style of camera work. For example, most of the time, we try to move the camera along one axis. This means we either move on the X axis or the Y axis, either pushing in/pulling out, moving left or right, or up or down. Rules are made so that when they are broken, they mean something. When you break that rule and move the camera freely to tell the story, you feel the freedom of that, and you know that it is done for storytelling purposes.
In what ways did the storytelling of Big Door Prize challenge you as a cinematographer?
What I love most about this show is that every episode David West Read presents a new and unique challenge that’s directly related to the way the show is photographed. Working together with unbelievably talented creatives, we collaborate to build upon ideas and bring them to life. In Episode 5, ‘Night Under the Stars,’ the script detailed a practical star projector. Natasha Gerasimova, our production designer, and I designed a custom ceiling for Georgio’s ‘Night Under the Stars’ with twinkling LED pixels built into black velvet fabric overlaid with toothed theatrical mesh. My gaffer, Jeff Niggemeyer, and I sourced colored glass gobos for Source 4s to project practical constellation patterns onto the mesh from different angles, creating various effects. It was amazing to see how our set for two seasons was transformed by the efforts of all departments.
Without spoiling details, there’s also a sequence that concludes the season which was a photographic challenge. Stemming from a drawing on a napkin in an impromptu meeting, it involves forced perspective and optical tricks that required many discussions and previsualization to nail down the exact method
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