PALEY CENTER FOR MEDIA, THE: PALEYFEST 2013: REVOLUTION {LONG VERSION}
Summary
One in a series of evenings and special screenings presented as part of The Paley Center for Media's 30th William S. Paley Television Festival in Los Angeles. Held this year at the Saban Theatre in Beverly Hills, the festival celebrates the excellence and diversity of American television and is dedicated to television’s creative community. This PALEYFEST 2013 seminar honors "Revolution," the science-fiction adventure series about the citizens and tyrants fighting for survival fifteen years after "the blackout," when all of Earth's technology mysteriously stopped working. Host Betsy Scolnik (vice-president, The Paley Center for Media) offers opening remarks and thanks various sponsors, also acknowledging William C. Paley, son of the festival’s namesake, in the audience. Scolnik then introduces moderator Mike Schneider (Los Angeles bureau chief, TV Guide magazine), who provides brief background on the show and brings series creator and executive producer Eric Kripke to the stage. Kripke thanks the fans for their dedication and then introduces a series of clips, including scenes from the first ten episodes and previews of the rest of the season.
The clips recap the series so far, explaining the death of Ben and the kidnapping of Danny at the behest of General Sebastian Monroe, which prompts Charlie to search for him with the help of her uncle Miles and others, hindered by Major Tom Neville and his son Jason. Elsewhere, her mother Rachel, believed dead, builds an amplifier to enhance the power of the mysterious electricity-restoring pendants. Miles, an ex-militia commander, finally comes face-to-face with his former best friend Monroe at the power plant, and the group is shocked when he sends a working helicopter equipped with guns after them. In the brief preview of the next episode, "The Stand," the group flees from the chopper and hides inside a diner, which is then blown up. Neville reports to Monroe that they may have survived, but Monroe shifts his focus to the expansion of the Monroe Republic now that they have power, vowing to wipe out all rebels everywhere. Charlie's group escapes by hiding in coffins, and Aaron demands answers from Rachel as they head away from Philadelphia on foot. They spot the helicopter headed for the rebel camp in West Chester, which is then decimated. A series of clips from the rest of the season's episodes follows.
After the clips, Schneider moderates the following panelists: Kripke; executive producer and director Jon Favreau; executive producer and composer J.J. Abrams; and cast members JD Pardo ("Nate"/Jason Neville), Daniella Alonso (Nora Clayton), David Lyons (General Sebastian Monroe), Giancarlo Esposito (Major Tom Neville), Billy Burke (Miles Matheson), and Tracy Spiridakos (Charlie Matheson).
The panelists touch on such topics as: the writers' amusement at the show-like blackout at the Super Bowl on February 3; the "rare luxury" of the show's four-month hiatus and its upcoming superior episodes; the strengths and weaknesses of the first half of season one; the "shocking and stunning" upcoming plot developments and their bplans to reveal exactly why the power went out in episode thirteen; plans to introduce different cultures and areas outside of the Monroe Republic; Charlie's "coming-of-age" growth in the first season and "Romeo and Juliet-like" relationship with militia member Jason; Miles' attempts at redemption and his history with Nora; the "sliver of humanity" left in "ultimate soldier" Neville, with comparisons to Esposito's ruthless drug lord character Gus Fring on "Breaking Bad"; a scene with Neville's wife Julia (Kim Raver) encouraging him to take power and parallels with the story of King Solomon; the emotional "void" within Monroe and his shift from mild-mannered sidekick to pitiless tyrant; Nora's determination and loyalty; the show's focus on family rather than technology; Abrams' "litmus test" for genre shows and determining whether they contain genuine emotional stakes; the actors' physical challenges for the fight scenes and their relative lack of injuries so far; upcoming backstory on Grace (Maria Howell) and Flynn (Colm Feore), and the introduction of Leslie Hope as the "steely" President of the Georgia Federation; influence from "Game of Thrones" in depicting the clashes of many separate societies; Abrams' sense of frustration at society's obsession with technology and "what if" ideas about its disappearing; the writers' brainstorming sessions about reasons for a potential blackout; the slightly "on-the-nose" parallels with "The Lord of the Rings" and the magical pendants' similarity to the One Ring; whether the show will conclude with the worldwide restoration of power; Kripke's wild excitement at finally obtaining the rights to use his beloved Led Zeppelin's music on the show; the "Southern charm" and history of Wilmington, North Carolina and the cast's enjoyment of filming there; and Favreau's attempts to establish the tone, look and marketing of the show while shooting the pilot, as well as the science and logic of the plot.
Questions from Twitter and the audience then lead to a discussion of the following topics among others: Charlie's potential resentment of her mother Rachel's (Elizabeth Mitchell) secrecy; the actors' closeness and praise for casting director April Webster; the actors' favorite moments for their characters and webisodes detailing the story of Miles' assassination attempt on Monroe; the brief but critical flashback scene in the pilot in which Miles and Monroe's friendship is established; Jason's escalating struggles with his father and his loyalties; the upcoming return of Aaron's (Zak Orth) wife Priscilla (Maureen Sebastian), whom he regretfully abandoned in the past; Abrams' interest in working with "the genius of Eric Kripke"; the panelists' plans for survival should a real blackout ever occur; actor Tim Guinee (who plays Ben Matheson) and his secretive research into intense survivalist culture; and the actors' funny reactions and methods of preparing for Hurricane Sandy in 2012.
Details
- NETWORK: N/A
- DATE: March 2, 2013 7:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 1:40:55
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: 109804
- GENRE: Seminars
- SUBJECT HEADING: N/A
- SERIES RUN: N/A
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Betsy Scolnik … Host
- Mike Schneider … Moderator
- Eric Kripke … Panelist
- JD Pardo … Panelist
- Daniella Alonso … Panelist
- David Lyons … Panelist
- Giancarlo Esposito … Panelist
- Billy Burke … Panelist
- Tracy Spiridakos … Panelist
- Jon Favreau … Panelist
- J.J. Abrams … Panelist
- Colm Feore
- Tim Guinee
- Maria Howell
- Leslie Hope
- Led Zeppelin
- Elizabeth Mitchell
- Zak Orth
- Kim Raver
- Maureen Sebastian
- April Webster