Cinematographer Krzysztof Trojnar looks back at the cinematography of the "Baby Reindeer" series

Donny is a thirty-something bartender who aspires to become a comedian. He becomes victim of harassment when he meets Martha, who begins sending him hundreds of emails each day, convincing herself they are in a relationship. This harassment triggers memories of a trauma he endured years earlier.

This isn’t an everyday kind of project, is it?

Krzysztof Trojnar: From the moment I read the script, it was clear I had something completely unique in my hands. At times, I could hardly believe what I was reading! Naturally, I knew it was inspired by a true story, and that Richard had already brought this story on stage as a play. Beyond the situations and the visuals that I could envision as a cinematographer, I was mostly drawn to the characters, particularly the protagonist (Donny). He’s so endearing and, despite the story’s dark context, incredibly funny. On top of that, the dynamic between him and Martha is so convincing from the very first episode. It initially distracts the audience from the looming threat of harassment.

What were the first visuals that came to mind?

KT: The grime and the bleak, gritty feel of London. When you discover how Donny lives, it’s almost like you’ve been there yourself. In the artistic and acting communities, many people have experienced this kind of survival mode in the city—trying to make it, but never really getting there. Chasing dreams while working odd jobs to scrape by. It resonates with so many of us, pulling us back to those times in our lives. In terms of aesthetics, I thought of Fight Club by David Fincher (shot by Jeff Cronenweth). Visually dark and edgy. My idea was for the environment to mirror Donny’s mental state, reflecting his inner turmoil. I chose to limit wide shots of the city, focusing instead on specific locations that define his story and character.

The series has a repetitive element, with much of the action taking place in recurring locations like the pub where Donny works. How did you tackle this challenge?

KT: As I mentioned, "Baby Reindeer" originated as a play, and the series retains that form to some extent. For example, in the first episode, almost all the action happens in the pub, with plenty of dialogue. It’s not until Episode 4, which completely shifts the context and timeline, that the story expands to other locations. During prep, director Weronika Tofilska and I discussed whether we could break out of the standard shot-reverse shot setup and add variety.

There’s no evolution in how recurring locations like the pub are filmed, but we adjusted the visual approach to match the emotional tone of each scene. Still, the series’ emotional power primarily comes from the actors’ performances, no matter what you do visually.

There are still camera movements, some quite significant ones!

KT: The camera movements, especially in the pub, were intentionally subjective. They reflect how Donny sees Martha and intensify that perspective. It also fits the routine that develops in the pub—her repetitive gestures, like how she orders her Coca-Cola, become almost a gimmick. We wanted to emphasize these actions with the camera’s motion. Donny’s voiceover, which plays a significant role, also guided us. For example, the slow-motion tracking shot towards Martha as she enters the pub mirrors Donny’s internal focus. Weronika and I were inspired by the Coen brothers, who used similar techniques in their early films, and Paul Thomas Anderson, who has used this style repeatedly, especially in Magnolia. That intense forward tracking shot fascinates me—it’s when the camera becomes the story’s first-person narrator. Listening to the audio recording from the original play helped me grasp the rhythm and really inspired me, oddly more than the first reading of the script itself. Richard’s references, which inspired his writing, such as Trainspotting by Danny Boyle, also influenced this approach. Another example of a film where these kinds of subjective and narrative camera movements are very present.

The series’ framing feels very contained, as though it was shot mostly with the same focal length.

KT: On set, we had a running joke; just as a restaurant menu, we had the “lens of the day.” The series was indeed shot with very few lenses, mainly a 35mm lens (on the Alexa Mini LF). This lens in full-frame captures the characters’ presence without distortion while keeping us close—about 75cm away.
It immerses the audience in the scene, making them feel as if they were physically present and intensifies the performances, particularly Martha’s invasive character as the story unfolds. As the series progresses, we transitioned to even shorter focal lengths, creating more and more discomfort visually, especially in Episode 4 that I was mentioning earlier.

What about the lighting?

KT: The lighting is very naturalistic, not overly stylized. Our primary concern with Weronika was adapting to the actors’ movements, and adapting the lighting to them, particularly in the pub. In that scene, when she’s running after him, the lighting had to work for both close-ups and wide shots. This wasn’t the most comfortable way to work, but the story dictated it.

To sum up the situation, in those particular scenes the camera took the main role over the lighting. The goal was to capture that grim, overcast London vibe, as if the sun never quite reaches inside, as if we were stuck in a dark room between two buildings.

Let’s talk about the night scenes on location, which mark several important scenes in the series. For example, the rape under the bridge, by the canal in episode 2...

KT: We originally had this idea that Martha would immobilise him. The choice of location was very important, as we needed to understand how she could block him while they were both walking outside at night in the street. That’s when we came up with the idea of the bridge and the canal. It was a really difficult scene, mainly because of the motivation behind it, and figuring out at what point they would stop walking, and how exactly she would attack him... how she would manage to stop him and tackle him... I simply relied on the street lighting, trying to make it a little more unsettling. And I remember it worked quite well when they walk under the bridge, especially for the shot of Martha...

Another night scene, on the opposite end, which was much more tender: after the show in episode 1.

KT: I really like this scene too, it’s perhaps the most romantic of the entire series! It’s a moment where we discover Martha’s fragile, extremely naïve side. And at the same time, her terribly unsettling side. Just like Donny, you feel both affection and fear in her presence. In terms of visuals, I chose this very contrasted night-time atmosphere, with a single, warm light source illuminating the backyard. Little colour, as often in the series, but still a small touch of green thanks to the emergency exit door in the background. For the colour palette of the series, we more or less defined it as ’the colour of decaying flesh, with a few touches of colour’. For Richard, red was often used as a counterpoint, but in this scene, it’s that touch of green in the background that played that role.

Let’s now talk about episode 4, which marks a significant narrative break in the series...

KT: With this episode, we really wanted to shift towards horror. The sort of trapped feeling in Darrien’s apartment had to visually turn into a nightmare. In fact, the final act of this episode could be considered a true horror film. And as I mentioned earlier, we started using much shorter focal lengths. For example, in the sequence where Darrien starts dancing in front of him, we switch to 16mm, always in full frame. We also used a custom 35mm lens from Arri Rental London that defocuses the edges of the image.
Among the other tools we used to capture this sequence was a helmet, onto which we mounted the camera fixed to Richard’s head... particularly when he runs through the corridor.
We tried to make this episode as subjective as possible, within the framework we had set for the series. To give you an idea, instead of the usual 75cm distance between actors and the camera, for example in the pub, I was constantly very close to Richard... barely 30cm from his face throughout episode 4. It’s probably the episode I’m most proud of.

In what order did you film the first part of the series?

KT: About 80% were shot in chronological order. I remember we even started with the flashbacks, such as the scenes from the comedy festival that Donny attends in Edinburgh. Simply because we couldn’t afford to recreate those, and we had to take advantage of the actual event to capture that part of the story. Then we filmed the episodes, grouping scenes by location where possible. But I distinctly remember finishing with Darrien’s flat, which was our final set (with the second part of the series directed by Josephine Bornebusch and filmed by Annika Summerson).

What role did Richard Gadd take on set as both creator and lead actor?

KT: It was, of course, an intense experience for Richard to relive this story and be in almost every scene. You could sense he wanted to give a lot to the camera without coming across as authoritarian in any way. For example, during the location scouting, his input was invaluable. When we were looking for the house where his ex-mother-in-law continues to host him, he immediately approved the choice, explaining how much it resembled his own memories. It was mainly through small details like this that he guided us, while leaving us entirely free to determine the visual language and how to interpret his story.

The series provoked many opposing reactions among the audience... were you aware of that?

KT: Yes! I received numerous similar responses within my own circle. Beyond the discomfort or embarrassment that the series may have caused for some, I believe it was courageous in addressing harassment and shining a light on it. I recall reading an article a few months after "Baby Reindeer" was released, which reported that calls to a male harassment support organisation in the UK had tripled. Perhaps this demonstrates that the project transcends its function as merely a television series.

Still, being behind the camera, how did you personally feel about this unique situation where the actor had been the character in the past?

KT: I mostly relied on my emotional response. In a way, I tried to ensure that I never made any commentary but simply translated the reality of the characters on screen, no matter how uncomfortable the situation might be. That said, Richard had already performed this role numerous times on stage in the theatre. I’m not saying this made the situations easier to act out, but the process of separating the role from the person had long since begun. This definitely wasn’t his first time revisiting that painful past. But you’re right—it wasn’t easy. There were difficult and complex moments from that perspective. Still, at the end of the day, we reminded ourselves that this was a screenplay written for television—we weren’t filming a documentary. And then the pride that came from conveying this testimony, sharing this story. In the end, that feeling outweighed everything else. We felt entirely justified in telling this story the way we did.

(Interview by François Reumont for the AFC, translated from French by Chloé Finch)