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LMGI COMPASS
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Spring 2026
Bell Labs in Holmdel, New Jersey. So, we looked at the planned
communities around there with duplex homes and found this
perfect neighbourhood with a mirror image element. Then, as we
were about to leave, I realized the cul-de-sac was in the shape of
an upside-down teardrop, which is the Lumon Industries logo, so
it was very fitting. I pitched it to Ben as a great reveal from above
using a drone when the character Seth Milchick arrives on his
motorcycle. He loved it—the idea of the hand of Lumon reaching
everywhere," adds Smith.
He points to another sequence that sticks out in his mind. "It
was a dream scene where Irving finds himself in an office situation,
but in the horrors of the woods. And we found this one area of the
park on a high plateau where a fire had burned all these scrubby
little pines, but with new undergrowth coming through. It was
untouched. So (between the art and location teams), we built a
decking/boardwalk construction over the flora and created the
office in the middle of this burned-out section. And to make it even
more dramatic, it snowed the day we shot and a pea soup fog
rolled in. It looked like the best visual effects in the world."
This was a common approach for all their scouting. There
were no hard and fast rules. It was working with the writers "as
a singular mind," and the creative team, to tell the story and
represent what the characters are experiencing.
"Sometimes we would find an element/location that might
work for the show, but hadn't been asked for, so we would put it
on the table and say, 'What do you think of this?' More often than
not, it made it in," Smith enthuses.
Thankfully, they were able to flourish with this collaborative,
quick-fire approach because the production was packed with
creative types in every department. "We were all coming at it
from a story angle, whether it's the director, writers, production
team, props or locations," he explains.
It was a successful organic and collaborative process that
Smith hopes will continue into Season 3.
Severance "Salt Neck" on Fogo Island.
Photo by Ryan Smith/LMGI
