Cinematographer Darran Tiernan ISC on the making of Imperfect Women

Created by showrunner Annie Weisman, the eight-episode Apple TV series Imperfect Women is a simmering psychological thriller starring Kerry Washington, Elisabeth Moss and Kate Mara as Eleanor, Mary and Nancy, respectively — three friends whose complicated pasts risk spilling into the light. Cinematographer Darran Tiernan was behind the camera for episodes 1, 4, 5 and 8, with Laura Merians Gonçalves serving as cinematographer for episodes 2, 3, 6 and 7. The filmmakers worked with the team at Panavision Woodland Hills to assemble their camera and lens package, which included Panavised Sony Venice 2 cameras, large-format spherical prototype lenses — the same as had been used on the features One Battle After Another and Bugonia — and C Series anamorphic optics. Panavision recently caught up with Tiernan for his reflections on the production and the meaningful collaborations it entailed.

Panavision: How did you come to be involved in Imperfect Women?

Darran Tiernan: I was especially drawn to the psychological complexity of the story and the chance to approach it through a more character-led visual language. Once I read the material, I first met with the remarkable Lesli Linka Glatter, who directed Episodes 1, 4 and 5, and then with Annie Weisman and the team. I understood the tone the team was after, and it felt like a very natural match. I feel lucky and humbled to have been part of this project.

How would you describe the look and visual language of the show?

Tiernan: The look of the show is grounded in contrast: polished, expansive Los Angeles exteriors against spaces that feel intimate and emotionally revealing. We wanted the camera to feel observant but never cold, with the visual style shifting according to point of view and memory. In that sense, the language of the show is less about a single fixed style and more about how perspective changes what we see and how we feel it.  

During preproduction, were there any particular visual references that provided inspiration?

Tiernan: We drew inspiration from many films and photography. Lesli, Laura and I collaborated on a deeply rich visual deck, which the creative team helped shape until we were all in agreement. This became the touchstone for the entire story.

The main reference point was really the material itself and the emotional world of the characters. We were interested in things that could support tension without over-explaining it and in images that could hold beauty and unease at the same time. There was also a strong emphasis on how production design, location and camera could work together as one visual system.  

How did you and Laura Merians Gonçalves communicate over the course of the project to ensure unity and consistency across the episodes you were each shooting? 

Tiernan: Laura and I stayed in close communication throughout prep and shooting, which was essential. We shared references, discussed lensing and lighting approaches and made sure we were aligned on the emotional intent behind the camera choices. Because the show shifts across memory and perspective, consistency came from a shared understanding of tone rather than from making every scene look identical. Each cinematographer will always bring part of their own personality to a project, and that’s exactly as it should be. We aim for unity, but we also tell stories in different visual ways.

What brought you to Panavision for this show?

Tiernan: Panavision felt like the right home for the project because of the level of support, the optical choices and the collaborative approach. The production needed a package that could handle both the intimacy of the interiors and the broader Los Angeles world outside, while still giving us a distinctive visual identity. Panavision made that kind of flexibility possible. 

What drew you to the prototype spherical lenses you chose to use? What optical qualities did you see in them that made them the right match for this story? 

Tiernan: What drew us to those lenses was their character. They had a very particular optical behavior that felt alive but controlled, with enough personality to support the emotional volatility of the story without becoming distracting. I was looking for something that could feel slightly imperfect in the right way — human, textured and expressive.  

Your lens package also included C Series anamorphics. What were the creative factors that determined when you would use anamorphic versus spherical lenses?

Tiernan: The choice was driven by the requirement to lens the deeper past in a different way in scenes that wanted a more atmospheric and slightly heightened feeling. The C Series helped expand the frame and give the world a different energy.

Did you have a favorite scene or sequence to shoot? If so, what made it stand out to you? 

Tiernan: Episode 5, titled “Louise,” is one I have a particular fondness for. It intensifies the psychological thriller aspect, focusing on tight, intimate and often unsettling visuals that mirror Nancy’s unraveling mental state. The cinematography emphasizes her isolation, paranoia and secret life.

The scene where the ballet is in mid-flow, with all our major characters in the audience — Nancy gets up to use the powder room, and Howard [Corey Stoll] follows her in and confronts her. The scene carries both tension and vulnerability. 

What has it meant to you personally to be part of this production?

Tiernan: It meant a great deal to be part of a project that was so rooted in Los Angeles and so attentive to women’s perspectives. There was a real sense of care in the way the show was made, and that made the work feel meaningful on both a creative and personal level. It’s the kind of production that reminds you why collaboration matters.

All photos courtesy of Apple TV.