‘Pluribus’ Interview: Marshall Adams on Captivating Cinematography and Crafting of the Show

I don’t think it’s a secret to anybody that I’ve been a huge enthusiast of the Apple TV show Pluribus, created by Vince Gilligan. The series starring Rhea Seehorn as “the most miserable person on Earth” became a huge hit and it still appeared on Apple’s Top 10 list of recommended shows in February, despite premiering in November last year. 

The series about the alien invasion that transforms almost the entire humanity into one consciousness (a hive mind,) with only few individuals remaining isn’t only worth watching because of the complex, funny, often touching storyline, or the first-rate cast ensemble (when I say Seehorn is out of this world, you better believe it). What also contributes to its deserved success is captivating cinematography by Marshall Adams and Paul Donachie. 

I had a pleasure to chat with Marshall about working on Pluribus, collaborating with the cast and Vince, and whether it would be worth to join the hive mind or fight for individuality.

Exclusive: Marshall Adams Interview – Cinematographer for Pluribus Season 1

Zosia Wijaszka: Hi, my name is Zosia, believe it or not!

Marshall Adams: That’s very funny.

ZW: I’m here from Nerdspin to chat with you today about cinematography of Pluribus. First of all, thank you so much for your time. I hope you’re doing well today.

MA: Absolutely, doing great.

ZW: It’s funny, because I personally became a huge fan of the show, I love the storylines, I love the cinematography, I love the acting. I love everything about it; what it represents, what it symbolizes. I know you previously worked with Vince Gilligan quite a lot of times and now you reteam for Pluribus. What did you first think when you heard about the premise of the show?

MA: You know, honestly, I had a good friend who was involved in another company that was bidding on the show, and she told me just a teeny bit about it, but I completely misinterpreted the script. When somebody gives you the kind of succinct version of it, it’s hard to imagine the direction that it’s going to go. So, I completely missed the boat on it. And when I read the first script, it was a great surprise. It was very cool. I was very excited about it. And, again, fairly happy to work with Vince. You know, we had such a good time before.

ZW: What intrigued me [with Pluribus] was the utilization of the bird’s eye view. We saw that in the swabbing scene or when Zosia goes into the cardiac arrest. I was wondering, what were you hoping to achieve with that, and what did you want an audience to take from those shots?

MA: We had a wide screen aspect ratio, the 239, so that was a great angle to fit a large number of people in that we could see as we were kind of going down that line, doing the swabbing and stuff. So that was part of it. It’s always tricky to try to find, especially in that aspect ratio, frames that fit large numbers of people that you can kind of move through. So, it served that purpose, but it was also where people beginning to figure out that there was something else at play here, and what was it? And sometimes that bird’s eye view can kind of initiate that feeling and ask, what are we dealing with here? 

ZW: Yeah, yeah, definitely. And then, you know, everything that happens with Carol, Helen passing away. I feel like that’s one of the most important things in Pluribus. One of the most important things is Carol’s grief for Helen that is showcased throughout the entire show in little moments. We see it, we see it in the way Zosia talks to her, even though she’s not supposed to do that and access [Helen’s] memories. Did you, Vince, and Paul talk about how you’d approach the subject and showcase it throughout the show?

MA: Yeah, I mean, you know, Vince made a very deliberate decision that we were going to, anytime Carol was in the scene, which was almost all of it, obviously, we were going to pivot on her. We were always going to try to be her and include her. It was all about her story and her experience, and the cycles that she goes through during those experiences. So yeah, we did talk about it a bit. The three of us never really met deeply, but, you know, we’ve worked together for a long time. We all know each other really well. So, there’s a certain amount of shorthand, but we wanted a slightly different approach visually. We really wanted to figure out something new for the show and obviously, it doesn’t have all of the Better Call Saul or Breaking Bad kind of angles, but some of them we still borrow from our own work a little bit. We definitely met a little bit and talked, Paul and I, about what our approach was, both lighting-wise and camera-wise.

ZW: And then the other aspect of the show is the color palette. I like how we see a lot of yellow and blue. And I noticed that yellow is associated with Carol and individuality more, and we see blue associated with The Others. How was it collaborating with every department on incorporating these colors into the show?

MA: Well, Vince was very clear with everybody. Vince is very color-oriented. I mean, as you can tell from Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, all the subtle color changes that he made with the good guys and the bad guys, Walter White and Jesse Pinkman. Vince and our production designer Denise Pizzini worked quite a bit about colors that they were going to include. And we also shot tests early on, look at some color ideas, and kind of ended up with this kind of throwback Kodachrome vibe to it; slightly saturated reds and kind of muted blues and greens. So, we managed to make sure that that everybody from costumes and Denise, and everybody was on board with what we were going to do and post so that stuff didn’t get muted. 

ZW: I think one of my favorite scenes was the one when Carol tries to go into the trash can, and she kind of opens it, and it’s like a perfect juxtaposition of yellow and blue because of the sky. 

MA: Oh yeah, Paul shot that one. It was very good. 

ZW: Yeah, both of you did such a good job, I hope I will chat with as well. I also want to talk to you about the joining scene. When Carol and Helen are in the bar and then the joining scene happens. It’s very traumatic, Helen collapses, all of this is happening. Carol is trying her best not to freak out, and, later, trying to navigate through all of these people, who are just coming up on her. It feels anxious and claustrophobic. [When watching], I viscerally felt her anxiety. How was it creating that whole sequence?

MA: It was a lot of fun. We had quite a bit of time. It was obviously the first couple episodes. Again, it was a situation where we’re right in her face and we’re watching her experience all of this stuff firsthand. We feel alienated by these people. We’re wondering why they’re staring and why they’re chasing, and all of the things that are going on, not to mention all of the wreckage that’s around. But the whole sequence starts with Carol trying to help somebody who’s crashed into a car and wondering what’s wrong with them. And then, while she’s there, you know, because she’s not with Helen, Helen does this [falls]. The stunt person did this dive over, you know, basically went straight back and landed flat on her head. That just made us all cringe. It was an incredible stunt. So, it starts with the trauma of that to begin with, and then we’re off to the races. You know, she’s trying to get her car started. Can’t because of the alcohol measuring device that’s in there. So, it’s a crazy sequence that kind of finishes with that, and then she finally gets home, and then those creepy kids show up. It’s quite an adventure. So, we talked about it quite a bit. But again, you know, it was all about pivoting on her. It was all about [Carol’s] experience and us experiencing her world through her eyes, essentially.

ZW: Yeah, I personally love the close-ups of her facial expressions, because, like you said, you can see every single emotion that she experiences. And it’s just so beautifully done. Rhea [Seehorn] was just so amazing. Everything is just so beautiful. And then the next episode titled Pirate Lady, I love that one so much. I think that Karolina Wydra is such a badass in it, especially when she’s doing the plane [navigation]. This [episode] introduces us to her. We don’t know who she is, this mysterious woman. She’s just somewhere in Morocco. We don’t know what she’s doing. Well, she’s taking bodies out, doing something [laugh], but then suddenly she’s on the way somewhere else. And I love the way the city’s shot. Can you talk a bit about how it was doing those scenes?

MA: Well, we were in Gran Canaria for all the scooter stuff and the body removal in the car. Then, she obviously gets the message through the hive mind that she needs to travel to Albuquerque. We don’t know what she’s doing, but then heads towards the C130 [writer’s note: it’s the reference to the Lockheed C-130 Hercules, four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft that Zosia operates]. That sequence was very involved. We had a chase and lead vehicle that we were able to kind of swing around with the stunt person, and then with Karolina, while she was on the bike. And, I mean, the whole sequence in the car was amazing; that cliff, looking down over those banana fields. It was just an incredible location. 

But then we get to the C130 bit, and she does that sequence to get it started up. First off, flying that plane by yourself is a feat on its own, but the fact that Karolina kind of learned all of that, the whole start sequence. When they first brought the plane, they were very concerned, because you can hurt the engine if you don’t do the sequence just right. And, so they were teaching it to her and by the end, they were so confident in her ability. She learned it right out of the gate, they were obviously right next to her, but she actually taxied that plane  by herself at Albuquerque International Airport, which was just an incredible feat. 

That sequence was big, and it was involved. We did a big thing where we actually shot a taxiway and the takeoff at the same time, side by side, with matching distances and matching cameras, and matching lenses. So that we had the crash group on the green screen, on the taxiway, and about 150 feet over was the actual plane take off. So, we could see it live together at the same time and make sure that it was going to mix together and work well.

ZW: That’s amazing. Wow. And so, we see her [Karolina] in a military plane, then it’s excavator. Was it difficult shooting the scenes with the excavator and all that stuff? I mean, I’m sure it was easier than the plane [laugh].

MA: Yeah, actually, that thing, they had some training in it, especially Karolina, I think it was a lot easier than dealing with the C130 for her. But, I mean, the whole thing about bringing that little excavator in on a helicopter, and dropping it from a heavy lift helicopter, that was a pretty involved sequence, you know, with the stunt people out there, and we had to be very careful and figure out where we were going to put the cameras. And, again, it was another challenge with this show. Luckily, we had enough time to really do it properly, so that made a lot of difference. I mean, the whole thing, her entire thing, and then walking through the airport and taking her clothes off, which we had to do with an enclosed set, with a green screen behind her, and then shoot so it looked like she was walking through. Because the airport was open the entire time. 

ZW: Oh, really?

MA: Yeah, we had that little area to ourselves, but that was it. And, obviously, we needed to help her [Karolina] out, make sure that the people couldn’t see in as they were going down the the escalator with their bags. So anyway, it was a fun sequence, it worked really well. And hats off to Vince for just a fantastic idea making it work.

ZW: I also have to ask about shooting Carlos-Manuel Vesga. We finally meet Manousos in episode 4, which I love. He’s so good in that. His interactions with Carol in the last two episodes are simply genius. But I wanted to ask you, how was it collaborating with him and Vince?

MA: It was fantastic. I mean, he’s a really sweet guy, very giving, and just deep into the character. He always has his eyes open, figuring out what works best, and how it helps. He and I spent quite a bit of time together, kind of hanging out, both in the Canary Islands and here in Albuquerque. So, we got to know each other pretty well. He’s an amazing human being. Very talented actor. And man, all his scenes were all almost by himself, except the hospital thing and he really sold it. His journey is a heck of a journey. He obviously wanted to get there through the [Darien] Gap and all of that stuff through. I mean, I can’t even imagine what that trip would be like.

ZW: I cannot imagine either. And his sheer stubbornness, though… That’s very commendable, I have to say.

MA: Yeah, I think he takes the cake for stubbornness even more than Carol does. That’s why I think they’re going to get along so well, yes.

ZW: I also wanted to ask you about the episode when Carol goes to Vegas and we find out about the Human-Derived Protein, which, you know, ewwww [laugh]. Carol travels to Vegas to meet with Koumba, who’s played by Samba [Schutte], and we mostly see the inside location of the Westgate. Can you tell me, how was it working on those scenes?

MA: Oh, it was a lot of fun. I mean, we were in Vegas in the middle of the summer. So that was a little tricky. We had, I don’t know, must have been fifty police officers in individual units that were blocking [the location], holding traffic, holding people, and making sure. We were right out in front of the Stratosphere, looking down one of the main Boulevards. There was not a soul to be seen. They did an incredible job. We were doing it at two or three o’clock in the morning, so it was manageable to try to hold people. 

But inside, we were actually on the floor where Elvis’ suite was, they have now changed it. They remodeled and developed it into three big suites that are up there. And we had basically two of them that were for cast and crew, holding and equipment and then we shot in the 3^rd one. It was a lot of fun, you know, looking through those windows, though it was a little tricky. We didn’t have as much control over the lights, and I built some control tubes and some covers, and things that we could put on the lights, because we couldn’t separate them. You know, but it was a lot of fun, it’s a great suite. It’s ginormous, has a ton of room, all of the glass in between that shoots across to where the jacuzzi is, and where the office is, and all that fun stuff. It was a lot of fun. And the view, you can’t beat the view, it’s incredible.

ZW: It looks amazing in the show. 

MA: You try to imagine Elvis walking around in there, you know, and what it must have been like there in the 60s. 

ZW: Definitely. And also, I have to come back really fast to the Albuquerque and the cul-de-sac, because I know the entire cul-de-sac area was actually built, which honestly is amazing. Did you have any inspirations or influences for filming those scenes of Carol’s house and the neighborhood?

MA: I mean, not really. The big thing for us was that we wanted the show to feel different, and we didn’t want it to feel like any of the [other stuff] you know, because people that are tuning in will compare it to Breaking Bad or Better Call Saul, and stuff like that. So, it had to be its own thing and Vince, from very early on, was very specific. We were going to do things like bring that helicopter in and drop a backhoe, or, you know, excavator and crash a drone, and we’re going to be there in the middle of the night. So, he really thought it was important that we build that thing separately, which worked out to be just a fantastic idea. They set it up in such a way that they can put all the trucks right next to it, and you can’t see them. They’re in none of the angles, you know, that looks that way. And the house is well set up. We have it on stage for the all the interiors. But anything that crosses over to an exterior or to a view was done on location. And it worked really, really well. I mean, I thought it was seamless. But the idea being is that it was kind of the outskirts of Albuquerque, which that’s what they call the West Mesa, and that’s a lot of what it looks like. It’s a totally different vibe from other places in Albuquerque that we’ve shot.

ZW: I also got to ask out of curiosity and, also, because my wife is always very intrigued by that aspect. Do you have a preferred camera equipment?

MA: I mean, for [Better Call Saul] and for this show, I stuck to the Alexa Mini LF. I love it. The large frame gives me more control over the depth of field, which I really like having. So, yeah, that’s my go-to camera. It’s the LF, and then, Panavision Panaspeed. Then, we also had these probe lenses we used to do that shot on the bottle, where we kind of come back from the bottle dripping at the beginning of episode two. The shot started about an inch away from the bottle and pulled back. You know, kudos to Eli Schneider, our dolly grip, for making that a smooth move. But, yeah, that’s my go-to package and it seems to work very, very well. I love the color science. I love the way it blends, and I love the control that I have.

ZW: Well, I’ll be sure to tell my wife that. For the conclusion, I have just one last question: Would you join the hive, or would you fight like Carol? 

MA: That’s a great question. It’s hard to tell. I mean, the big question is that, you know, she doesn’t know what it’s like on the other side. So, there’s the big question for all of us. But yeah, no, I think I would fight to keep humanity. As crazy as that sounds with all of the peace that that they found on Earth, and you know, nobody hurting each other or stealing or any of that stuff, but, I don’t know, sometimes it feels like that’s kind of some of those things are what makes the world great or makes it interesting for us all. So, it’s hard to imagine that that would be something that I would love. I think I’d rather fight.

ZW: Yeah, I think I would do the same thing. I mean, the idea of absolute peace does sound great, but I feel like I would really miss the individuality of people and trying to, see art, movies and all that culture that is actually very important to me, because it does influence how we see the world, and it makes us sensitive. So, I would definitely miss that.

MA: Yeah, no, absolutely. I mean that experience when you see a piece of art that somebody has created, and you just think, wow, where did that come from? I mean, that’s an incredible thing to lose. That would be a tragedy.

ZW: I really appreciate your time. Thank you so much for meeting with me. I hope you’re going to have amazing rest of your day. 

MA: Thank you, Zosia, it was pleasure to meet you. Thank you so much. 

Disclaimer: This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Season 1 of Pluribus is streaming on Apple TV.

You can read our Pluribus Season 1 Review here: https://nerdspin.com/pluribus-s1-review-best-show-of-2025-apple-tv/

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