PALEY CENTER FOR MEDIA, THE: PALEYFEST 2013: ARROW {LONG VERSION}
Summary
One in a series of seminars presented as part of The Paley Center for Media's 27th William S. Paley Television Festival in Los Angeles. Held this year at the Saban Theatre in Los Angeles, the festival celebrates the excellence and diversity of American television and is dedicated to television's creative community. This PALEY FEST 2013 seminar honors "Arrow," a dramatic series about Oliver Queen, a billionaire who returns from being stranded for years on an uninhabited island to become an archery-based superhero in his hometown of Starling City.
Host Betsy Scolnik (vice-president, The Paley Center for Media in Los Angeles) offers opening remarks before bringing moderator Geoff Johns (comic book writer and chief creative officer, DC Entertainment) to the stage. Johns then introduces executive producers Andrew Kreisberg and Marc Guggenheim, who set up a brief clip role of series highlights.
After the screening, Johns moderates the following panelists: Kreisberg and Guggenheim; executive producer/creator Greg Berlanti; and cast members Stephen Amell (Oliver Queen), Katie Cassidy (Laurel Lance), David Ramsey (John Diggle), and Susanna Thompson (Moira Queen).
The panelists discuss topics which include: why Berlanti thought the Green Arrow comic book character could be successfully adapted for a television series; how Amell was cast in the title role; how the big-screen "Dark Knight" trilogy influenced the production; the decision-making process for what comic book references should be included in the show; the extensive use of action scenes, and the challenge in shooting them; what Amell most enjoys about his character's portrayal; Ramsey's thoughts about playing a character with no counterpart in the Green Arrow comics; Berlanti and Cassidy's perspectives on controversial plot twists in the show's first season and what they mean for the show's future; the ambiguous morality of Thompson's character; the writers' plans for the character of villainous Malcolm Merlyn (John Barrowman); and Amell's use of body language to lend depth to his character.
Questions from the audience then lead to a discussion of the following topics among others: the potential utilization of other DC characters associated with Green Arrow, such as Black Canary, Speedy, and Roy Harper; details about the show's use of costuming; the plotline's rapid pace; Amell's enthusiasm about appearing at conventions on behalf of "Arrow"; the lack of superhuman abilities in "Arrow" and the reasoning behind that decision; how Amell prepares for scenes where he has to speak Russian or Mandarin; if Amell was familiar with the Green Arrow comic books before taking the part; the extensive archery training required for cast members; and the similarities between the Thea Queen character (Willa Holland) and Mia Dearden, a character from the Green Arrow comics.
Details
- NETWORK: N/A
- DATE: March 9, 2013 7:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 1:04:56
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: 109828
- GENRE: Seminars
- SUBJECT HEADING: N/A
- SERIES RUN: N/A
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Betsy Scolnik … Host
- Geoff Johns … Moderator
- Andrew Kreisberg … Panelist
- Marc Guggenheim … Panelist
- David Ramsey … Panelist
- Stephen Amell … Panelist
- Katie Cassidy … Panelist
- Susanna Thompson … Panelist
- Greg Berlanti … Panelist
- John Barrowman
- Willa Holland