“When crafting the world of a show like
Ozark
, much of the visual style and the storytelling are derived from the titular location,”
. “Driven by a blue-gray color palette, shadowy practical lighting, and striking locations, the cinematography of the new Netflix show engineers a grounded visual approach to match the grimy and grounded world of the backwater Missouri Ozarks.
“‘It was all about portraying this area of the country,'” cinematographer Pepe Avila del Pino
. ‘I started reading and researching a lot, and I was so attracted to the people, the surroundings, the area, the things that are hidden in the mountains and around the lake—this kind of world and atmosphere that was one of the main characters of the story. I wanted to try to recreate that.

“‘One of the things that I love as a filmmaker, cinematographer, and director, is to try to be consistent in atmosphere. That’s something that I really enjoy. And it seemed like this was kind of a challenge to do that. To be consistent with creating our version of the Ozarks.'”
To read the full interview, click here.
Darkness Falls: The Origins of Ozark
How the Volatile Setting of Netflix’s Ozark Ramps Up Its Tension