Baby Reindeer cinematographer Kryzsztof Trojnar

Netflix's Baby Reindeer is a dark comedic thriller that chronicles
the true story of a struggling comedian, Donny (Richard Gadd) as
he's stalked by a seemingly harmless woman named Martha (Jessica
Gunning). As her pursuit of him escalates and becomes progressively
unhinged, the audience learns more about why Donny may be so
passive about stopping her advances. Cinematographer Kryzsztof
Trojnar reunited with his fellow Polish film school classmate,
director Weronika Tofilska, on Baby Reindeer's first four episodes.
The show's unique origin, a one-man stage play, proved a valuable
resource for Kryzsztof. He immersed himself in the audio recording
alongside the script, capturing the story's rhythm and intensity.
“It was all about how we create that intensity, how we create the
intrusion of Martha, how we show her overtures in that pub.” says
Kryzsztof. “It all has to be really close and really intense that
as an audience you feel that intrusion.” Both Kryzsztof and
Tofilska were inspired by Coen brothers movies and Paul Thomas
Anderson's Magnolia, admiring their treatment of character-driven
narratives. Kryzsztof made sure to keep the perspective of the
story firmly in Donny's first person point of view. Wide-angle
lenses frequently frame him in the center, and the use of Steadicam
shots keep up the frantic pace of Donny's increasing unease.
Kryzsztof and Tofilska chose lighting and a color palette they
jokingly called “decomposing body” for Baby Reindeer. It creates a
stylized world with a LUT heavy on earth tones of yellow, brown,
and green. Against those colors, naturally lit moments and other
hues stand out with a jarring vibrancy. Kryzsztof also favored
unflattering, hard lighting for Donny as he feels more haunted and
hunted by Martha. Martha, on the other hand, is lit in a flattering
way, as she admires and flirts with Donny, making him feel adored.
Find Kryzsztof Trojnar: Instagram: @krzysztof_trojnar Sponsored by
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