Behind the shot: Nobody 2
Posted on Oct 20, 2025 by Admin
Callan Green, ACS, NZCS takes us through a disorientating hall of mirrors sequence in action-comedy Nobody 2
Words Nicola Foley | Images Universal Pictures
A sequel to 2021’s Nobody, action-comedy Nobody 2 finds suburban dad and retired assassin Hutch Mansell (Bob Odenkirk) dragged back into his old life after thwarting a home invasion. Directed by Timo Tjahjanto, it reunites Connie Nielsen, RZA, Colin Salmon, Gage Munroe, Paisley Cadorath and Christopher Lloyd, while introducing John Ortiz, Colin Hanks and Sharon Stone into the mix.
For cinematographer Callan Green, ACS, NZCS (also known for his work on The Gentlemen), one set piece stands out from the shoot: “It has to be the hall of mirrors sequence – a claustrophobic, disorientating funhouse, booby-trapped by Hutch with his dad and brother while waiting for Lendina and her henchmen to arrive,” he shares. “Hutch evades the group of bad guys at every turn, before blowing them up in a fireball that blasts them through a giant clown’s mouth. It was one of the most challenging – and most satisfying – elements to pull off.”
Working with Tjahjanto and production designer Michael Diner, Green wanted a set that felt epic, could hide Hutch in plain sight and looked much bigger than the budget allowed. A hall of mirrors offered that potential – but also brought a new set of headaches, such as crew reflections, maintaining screen direction and keeping the geography readable when every surface looks the same. Diner’s team built scale models to test angles, eventually landing on a slightly tapered 40-foot hallway with hidden bends at each end that gave actors natural entry and exit points.
The floor was a glossy black tile – the idea being that it was reflective enough to add depth but a safer choice than glass. Even so, visibility control was still an issue. “Matt Schween, our A camera operator, donned a full black ninja suit to disappear into the reflections,” Green laughs. “We also used a high-quality two-way mirror along one side, which let us do profile tracking shots without being seen ourselves – and the quality really matters; I’ve been burned with cheaper glass that loses up to six stops of light.”
Filming over the summer in Winnipeg, although great for long shooting days, also proved challenging in terms of heat and image quality. Green captured the action on an ALEXA ARRI 35 paired with Panavision T Series anamorphics and a “gorgeous, light-hungry LUT from Dave Hussey at Company 3,” he says. “That gave us the bold, colourful, cinematic feel, while holding onto an underlying darkness that reflects Hutch’s descent into danger.”
To extend the perceived depth of the set, Green and his team ran roof-mounted chase lights in opposite directions depending on who was on camera. “The goons walked against the light flow, while Hutch walked with it,” he explains. “This solved screen direction issues and let us work mostly from one end of the set.” The lighting itself was full-spectrum LED rope, DMX-controlled and mounted in front of ceiling mirrors to add layers of depth without clutter – but midway through, disaster struck. “Our DMX lighting system completely shut down – instantly killing 30% of our shoot time,” recalls Green. “My gaffer looked like he’d aged five years in five minutes, but he worked a miracle and got us back online! It definitely introduced some BTS suspense to match the sequence…”
“The film is playful, colourful and a little dangerous,” sums up Green. “And the hall of mirrors reflects that. It’s stylised and outrageous, but still belongs in Hutch’s world; standing out without feeling out of place.”
This story appears in the September/October 2025 issue of Definition
