Movies - TV
Severance's Practical Hallways Were Made Possible By A Star
Trek 'Trick'
By JOSHUA MEYER
In Apple TV+’s “Severance,” Lumon Industries’ sterile interior has often been likened to a spaceship with its hallways that all look the same and seem to go on forever. At a panel at this year’s San Diego Comic-Con, series director Ben Stiller made a reference to the “‘Star Trek’ trick” that the production design was inspired by.
Stiller explained that the “Star Trek” trick refers to how “The Next Generation” had a single hallway set, which was constantly recycled for different shots by tweaking set dressings and filming it from different angles. This gave the starship Enterprise the illusion of more depth.
During the panel, Stiller also mentioned how they wanted Lumon Industries “to feel a little bit confusing.” Having the halls look similar actually goes along with the story and the sterile, homogeneous atmosphere. Every corridor feels the same as another, simultaneously infinite and suffocating, keeping the "Innie" part of their minds turning corners but going nowhere, like rats lost in a maze.