This scene from episode one of American Primeval — depicting the final moments of the historical Mountain Meadows Massacre — has the four elements that were director Peter Berg and cinematographer Jacques Jouffret’s “guiding light” while making the six-part Netflix miniseries. One, the trigger event that set off the war between the U.S. government and Mormon settlers was captured on an Indian reservation in New Mexico and demonstrates the harshness of the Utah Territory’s climate in the mid-1800s. Second, the shot is imperfectly framed, signaling “everything can fall apart at any moment,” says Jouffret. Third is the violence, which was “a kind of self-reflection that this country was created with violence,” adds the DP, noting this shot wasn’t planned — a testament to Berg’s spontaneous approach, which was the fourth element. 

The scene was shot over five days, the stunt team rehearsing the moment, mostly executed with practical effects, before the cast stepped in to shoot segments 30 minutes before sunset each day. A mix of camera lenses was used to show the predicament from multiple perspectives in one shot. “We cut those wide shots with a long lens shot with lots of compression, so you go from one extreme to another, super wide to super tight, and it fits well with the extreme [environment] our characters are in,” explains Jouffret. “Then the long lens gave our characters a moment of reflection to witness and respond to what is happening.” 

This story first appeared in an August stand-alone issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. To receive the magazine, click here to subscribe.