Cinematographer Caleb Heymann has been a key architect of theStranger Thingsaesthetic since the tail end of Season 3. After starting as a second unit DP, Heymann was promoted to lead cinematographer for the blockbuster Season 4, and now its fifth and final season. The crew dedicated a full year to filming Season 5, spanning from January through December 2024. While the desert dreamscape was captured on location in New Mexico, the bulk of production remained in Atlanta.
Seasons 4 and 5 traverse a variety of locations, each requiring vastly different palettes. Heymann views each environment within theStranger Thingsuniverse as a “cinematic playground.” To ground the show’s supernatural elements, the production leans heavily on location shooting and in-camera effects. “There are definitely certain anachronistic visual elements that we wanted to pay homage to,” says Heymann. “The lightning can be a little over the top. It intentionally rides that line between expressive and theatrical. But I think we try to not overdo it, because everything in front of the camera is already taking you there.”
The production constantly balanced both digital and physical effects. “We always try to push it and see what we can get in camera. The art department does an incredible job and builds us huge sets,” says Heymann. Creating the Upside Down was a monumental task for the art department, who must redress nearly every location for night shoots. The iconic vines, for instance, are physically constructed by “nether technicians.” To make the dimension’s signature hellish glow, the crew often used practical red lighting on set rather than relying solely on post-production color grading.
Heymann and the Duffer brothers selected a different camera system for each season, choosing cameras that best fit the story’s needs. For Season 5, Heymann needed a distinct visual motif to represent Will’s “trance state” and the POV of the demogorgons and demo dogs. He stacked twocenter-spot diopters,which blended the image while losing focus at the edges. To heighten the disorientation, the team shook the camera manually and with acamera shakeron a Technocrane.
“It was absolutely a dream experience already being a fan of the show to be able to come in and join this group of awesome people who work on it and to ultimately get to work with the Duffers,” says Heymann. “I learned a lot from them, just in their attention to detail and sensitivity to camera movement. And they’re always about pushing everybody to do their best work.”
Ben’s short end:The Ultimate Breakup, a short film Ben will be directing in March. Help raise money for the zombie movie by contributing to theKickstarter campaign!
Illya’s short end: Seeing theStranger Thingsfinale in the theater was not only a great community experience, it was alsoprofitable for theaters.
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SHOW RUNDOWN:
01:53 Close Focus
06:45-01:00:06 Caleb Heymann interview
01:01:10 Short ends
01:08:39 Wrap up/Credits
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