PALEY CENTER FOR MEDIA, THE: INSIDE MEDIA: PERSON OF INTEREST {LONG VERSION}
Summary
One in a series of evenings and special screenings presented at the Paley Center for Media. Held at the Paley Center in Los Angeles, this evening celebrates "Person of Interest," the dramatic mystery series about a former CIA agent turned vigilante who works to prevent crimes in New York City with the use of a "machine" built by an enigmatic billionaire.
Rene Reyes (director of public programs and festivals, The Paley Center for Media in Los Angeles) offers opening remarks and introduces moderator Diane Gordon (writer, The Surf Report). Gordon introduces the episode "Many Happy Returns," which is screened in its entirety. (For synopsis and credits, see ACCNUM 107787.)
After the screening, Gordon introduces the panelists: executive producer Greg Plageman; executive producer/creator Jonathan Nolan; and cast members Jim Caviezel (John Reese), Michael Emerson (Harold Finch), and Kevin Chapman (Detective Lionel Fusco).
The panelists touch on such topics as: Nolan's "goofy idea" for a non-traditional procedural; the inspiration for the show's themes of surveillance; the show's lack of a "moralizing" stance about invasion of privacy; Reese and Finch as "superheroes," with comparisons to the Batman films penned by Nolan ("The Dark Knight" and "The Dark Knight Rises") and the show's more "grounded" nature; Emerson's "fretting" about finding a suitable character after playing the infamous Ben Linus on "Lost"; how Caviezel landed the role, aided by Kiefer Sutherland and a volcano; Chapman's previous work on projects with Emerson and Caviezel; Plageman and Nolan's avoidance of social networking; the potential return of villainous Carl Elias (Enrico Colantoni); the challenges of the show's rapid pace; Finch as "the bearer of exposition" and Emerson's fondness for his rare action scenes; praise for the show's visuals and director of photography Teodoro Maniaci; the "brutal" shooting schedule and scrapped plans for an episode on a boat; Emerson and Caviezel's curiosity about their characters' mysterious back stories; shooting on location in New York City and funny tales of "miffed" citizens that have interfered with filming; and Caviezel's fight training with Navy SEALs and Mossad agents.
Questions from the audience then lead to a discussion of the following topics: Finch's as-yet unexplained physical disability and Caviezel's initial belief that it was genuine; Fusco as a "kind-of tough" anti-hero; Finch and Reese's "tough love" reactions to Fusco's involvement in their cases; Emerson and Caviezel's first meeting on set; the "cinematic" nature of the scripts; why the show's dark tone is laced with occasional humor; the "odd-couple chemistry" between the "lonely" characters; and ideas for spin-offs set in other cities or a feature film.
Details
- NETWORK: N/A
- DATE: May 1, 2012 7:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 1:31:13
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: 107528
- GENRE: Seminars
- SUBJECT HEADING: N/A
- SERIES RUN: N/A
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Rene Reyes … Host
- Diane Gordon … Moderator
- Greg Plageman … Panelist
- Jonathan Nolan … Panelist
- Jim Caviezel … Panelist
- Michael Emerson … Panelist
- Kevin Chapman … Panelist
- Enrico Colantoni
- Teodoro Maniaci
- Kiefer Sutherland