t the exact answer from producer Jonathan Nolan on its recent
Vulture TV Podcast. He apparently explained there were some technical hints to the answer. Steadicam shots are used when hosts are following their intended protocols but handheld cameras are used when they’re going off book.
“In the finale, when Maeve gets onto that train … the Steadicam is leading her over. Now, it’s just keeping pace with her as she makes the decision. What we understand in the moment is it’s the first real decision she’s made all season,” Nolan said. “Which is, she’s not going to fulfill the script she’s been given, which is to take this train wherever it’s going, and do whatever else she’s programmed to do. She can get off the train. At which point, we shift to handheld camera, which we’d held back on throughout the entire season until one moment with her, and one moment with Dolores, when Teddy comes to rescue her.”
