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|  10/02 - Lindelof & Cuse Interview
Here's the full interview from the SCI FI Wire article previously posted (big thanks to Lucidity of The Fuselage for the translation): Quote:
After three seasons of flashbacks was it inevitable you’d employ flashforwards because there were less ideas for flashbacks? Will we see predominantly flashforwards or will they be compensated with flashbacks?
DL : Absolutely inevitable . . . not so much as to abandon flashbacks, but at least to find a paradigm for the narration which will develop the nature of the series. With the flashforwards you get a mixture, each week we hope it’ll be a guessing game to of not only WHO the episode is centred on, but WHEN the action is taking place.
How often is the torrential rain in Hawaii put into the script?
DL : A lot more often than it’s filmed. Often they’ll call us from Hawaii and say “Seriously, another downpour? Guys, you’re killing us.” But the rain IS dramatic, isn’t it?
What reason is there for watching the Season 3 DVDs?
DL : One of the things that we thought affected the narration this year was the break . . . to make 6 episodes that were dark and depressing and were probably too focused on the Others before we got the group together and “put the season’s meat on the grill”. (direct translation of the translation – but you get what the idea). As well as the extras on the filming and preparation, to see the series as a whole is something we feel improves the experience.
Do you work with Physicists to make the Time Travel theories plausible? Apart from the writers, who contributes to the Lost scripts?
DL : Unfortunately, the Physicists are too busy with their Physics to help us with our script problems. Most of the time the ideas we use in the series are thoroughly investigated (cough cough WikiPedia cough cough) to give them a sense of authenticity. And speaking of Time Travel, you’ll like the new Dharma Orientation film on the Orchid Station which appears on the DVD.
Can you say anything about the Wizard of Oz references that appear on the show?
DL : The Wizard of Oz (and obviously Alice in Wonderland) are recurring themes in Lost. Both are about real people who appear in fantastical worlds . . . and about desperately trying to get back home. We introduced those references (Henry Gale, White Rabbits, Hot Air Balloons) as a homage to those stories which have had so much influence on our narrative.
How do you manage to maintain the balance on the show between drama and fantasy?
VERY, very carefully.
In the first half of the third season, the fans said the show didn’t give enough answers. Does it worry you that you’ve gone so far in the opposite direction in the second half?
CC : No, we thought that the balance at the end of the season was the right one. We see each season like a book. The answers that we think are essential are those which make that book in the series complete.
The third season distanced Kate and Jack. But the final episode shows their relationship is as strong as ever. Was this deliberate? Why do you want the fans to think they have no chance together?
CC : The Jack / Kate / Sawyer triangle is something that will continue for a long time. And who says they have no chance?
After Charlie didn’t die from the explosion, why didn’t he swim to the surface rather than drown?
DL : Two reasons. The first, once he closed the door (to save Desmond) the porthole that Mikhail blew open was too small for him to pass through. The second reason, because he knew, whatever happened, he was going to die . . . so why worry?
Since you revealed the secret of the Island is related to Time Travel a lot of unanswered questions seem to have an acceptable explanation. Why did you decide to reveal this?
CC : When ABC / Disney allowed us to end the show with 48 more episodes it was the time to start a new way of telling the story, which includes flashforwards. The show is like a mosaic. There are pieces in the present, in the past, and now also in the future. When all the pieces are in place, Lost has finished.
Be honest . . . the giant stone foot is Leonidas and the castaways are Spartans, right?
DL : Do you ask that question because you think Paolo and Xerxes are the same person? Damn it. You got us.
Does the secret of the Island mean all its inhabitants have to pay a price for being there?
DL : Yes, $3.95. Seriously, the series is about redemption. All the characters on the Island are facing their past mistakes and reliving experiences that affect them to the core.
The female characters are complete in themselves and not dependant on the male characters to be believable. Was this something premeditated or something that came about gradually?
DL : It’s totally intentional. And if Carlton and I hadn’t done it that way our wives would have been very angry with us. Honestly, it’s a blessing to have these incredible actresses . . . individuality and strength are two characteristics we look for when casting a role. We knew from the moment Elizabeth Mitchell came to read for the part of Juliet that she was going to be a sensation. If there’s one reason to watch every episode of the third season again it’s to watch the development of that character.
The third season has shown the death of a lot of main characters. Was it your intention from the beginning of the season to have such a bloodbath?
CC : This year was about the Others. The end of the season forced us to resolve the story of the Others. We promised a confrontation. That confrontation had profound consequences for both sides.
Was the person in the coffin at the end of season 3 someone we’ve seen before?
CC : Yes.
After all the expectation you created with Walt, are we really going to see him again?
Oh, you’ll see him again. But you’re going to have to be patient. Sorry.
Why did you choose Hawaii to film Lost?
CC : The surroundings on the show were as important as any character. After going over a lot of options Hawaii seemed the best possible choice. It’s a beautiful place and not too far away allowing us to do the logistics required to make the show.
Does the Island have a name? Will we find it out?
DL : The name of the Island is Herbert Jablonski.
What was the most difficult part of filming the third season of Lost?
CC : The underwater station, which required a combination of set building, an operating water deposit and special effects.
Did Nikki and Paolo die because fans didn’t respond to the characters or just because it was incredibly cool to kill them that way?
CC : Both!!
4 8 15 16 23 42. Will we ever know the what those numbers mean?
CC : We can explain the meaning of 16 and 23. We disagree about explaining 4, 8 and 42.
Is there any explanation for the choice of the names Locke, Rousseau and Hume for some of the characters?
DL : Yes, They’re all in Carlton’s bowling team. Oh . . . and famous philosophers, whose works we’ve taken the liberty of appropriating and incorporating into the show.
Do you really know what the last image of the last episode of Lost will be?
CC : Yes, we know what the last image of the show will be, and it won’t be a black screen.
Will you use a lot of flashforwards this season or does that give too much information on who will survive?
CC : The flashforwards will be a component of season 4. But it’s not true that the flashforward you saw was the end of the show.
Is Hawking named after Stephen Hawking? Why doesn’t he age?
DL : You must be confusing Hawking (a woman who appears in the Desmond episode “Flashes Before Your Eyes”) and Richard Alpert . . . Ben’s right-hand man. No doubt, Hawking was named after Stephen Hawking. Alpert also owes his name to someone famous, but you’re going to have to discover that for yourselves.
With so many fans discussing the show, have you used any of their ideas?
CC : Yes. Do you have any?
Do you use a lot of special effects?
CC : We film the whole show on the island of Oahu in Hawaii. That means using a lot of visual effects to make Honolulu look like Iraq, Paris, New York . . .
How many days have the survivors been on the Island? If you follow that rhythm of days in the next three seasons the pregnant Sun won’t die before the show finishes. Well, at least not as a cause of the pregnancy illness on the Island. Is this right?
DL : At the end of the third season the survivors have been on the Island for less than a hundred days. Yes, your theory about Sun is correct . . . but don’t forget that we can jump into the future in the next season, so anything can happen.
So you know how the show is going to end, and does it fit into what you had planned from the beginning (at least the concept)?
DL : We always knew the ending, we didn’t know how long it would take us to get there. So, yes, it still fits completely with the point in the story in which we find ourselves right now. With 48 episodes ahead, it’s exciting to be working towards an ending with which we are already familiar.
How many people participate in this project? Is it the same team as when Lost started or has it grown?
CC : There are about 500 people who work on Lost. A large number of them have changed over time. About 400 are in Hawaii. The other 100 are here in Los Angeles. We write, put it together, select actors, and do all of the post-production here in Los Angeles. All of the filming of the show is carried out in Hawaii.
Why did you create the characters of Nikki and Paolo? Why did they have to die?
DL : People asked us about the other characters on the beach. When are we going to know something about them? So we decided to focus on Nikki and Paolo, but then people got angry because we were taking time away from the main characters and giving it to Nikki and Paolo. So we listened to the fans and decided to bury them alive.
Do you know what actor will play the mysterious Jacob? And has there been any episode in which he appeared before his meeting with Locke?
CC : Yes, we know how Jacob will be represented. Notice the careful use of words in my answer. No, Jacob didn’t appear before his meeting with Locke.
What character death was most difficult for you to take this season?
DL : It was incredibly difficult to say goodbye to Charlie. We thought that the season had to end with the loss of one of the main characters and we started to prepare it from the beginning of the season. It was very difficult to write Charlie’s sacrifice . . . and Dom’s performance also made it very hard when it came to watching it. That death will echo into the start of the fourth season.
If Michael comes back this season, will we see Walt physically or only a ghostly presence? Or has Malcolm grown too much to convincingly play a child?
DL : Michael IS coming back. Definitively. With regards to Walt . . . we always knew Malcolm was going to grow faster than we could film. And we took that into account. Believe us. PLEASE, believe us.
A lot of the characters are neither good or bad, but rather ambiguous. What flexibility do characters like Locke or Ben allow you?
DL : You use the word “ambiguous”, we would use the word “complex”. We are interested in exploring how good and evil can be personified in the same characters and the battles that all of us have to fight in the dark part of our souls.
Now the third season has given answers (and posed) so many questions, what can we expect from the fourth season?
DL: Giving answers and posing a lot of questions. Seriously, the fourth season is going to be a new show in a lot of senses. We are really excited about what we are doing and we hope it will give you as many surprises as the end of last season did.
Does the discovery of Jacob have more to do with giving answers to the public or posing more questions?
CC : If you think the discovery of Jacob gave answers, you’re probably in the minority! We felt it was important to show Jacob as more than a name at that point because it will be important in the future.
Which of the extras on the season 3 DVDs do you think the fans will like most?
CC : We’re very happy with the piece about 24 hours of Lost. It illustrates just how much complexity and collaboration there is when making a TV show. We’re very excited about the release of the Blu-ray version. It’s the first Disney show to appear in that format, and it will be incredibly high quality. There is a special piece about answers which will only appear on this version and in which Damon and I confirm or dismiss several theories about the show.
We’ve seen that the new DVDs contain your literary references. Which was the most obvious reference from the third season?
DL : An extra on the season 3 DVD called “Lost Book Club”. You will find the answers there . . . but personally my favourite is that Aldo (the Other who was guarding Room 23 in the episode 3x07) is reading “A Brief History of Time”.
| Source: Televisionarium |
09-29-2007, 04:30 AM
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