Scenemakers
From Wiki 24
Scenemakers are a series of behind-the-scenes webisodes that are posted on the official 24 website during Season 7. So far, twenty one episodes have aired. Each episode follows a "SceneMaker", an important member of the 24 crew who helps to make a certain scene look the way it does.
The series is sponsored by the Hyundai Genesis.
The episodes were included on the Region 2 release of Season 7 on DVD.
Contents |
[edit] Episodes
[edit] Episode 1
Premiered: January 12, 2009.
Joseph Hodges, the production designer, talks about the Oval Office set, and how it was based on the actual room in the White House. He talks about how it is circular and therefore sometimes difficult for directors to work in, and about the outside of the room, through the windows. The set is complemented by actors Colm Feore and Cherry Jones. Seen in the webisode are Jon Cassar and Anne Melville, but they do not speak.
[edit] Episode 2
Premiered: January 19, 2009.
Jon Cassar, director and executive producer of 24, is the second SceneMaker. He is shown shooting 12:00pm-1:00pm and 1:00pm-2:00pm of Day 7 on a greenscreen stage. He explains that because the show is set in Washington, DC, but obviously they cannot film there all the time due to weather and budget constraints, greenscreens are used whilst a separate crew (shown headed by Brad Turner) goes out and films backdrops for the scenes done in the studios. Lisa Wiegand, the assistant director of photography, explains that they are shooting on the greenscreen for a scene at an airport. She explains that it would be difficult to do this with a full crew, which makes the greenscreen work perfectly. Cassar says that blue was a preferred colour when he started working, but it was found to be more common in clothing, so a bright, unusual green was used instead.
[edit] Episode 3
Premiered: January 26, 2009.
This webisode describes the scene where Renee Walker is rescued by Bill and Chloe at the start of Day 7 1:00pm-2:00pm. Because the filming crew ran out of light, the scene had to be recreated and finished on the soundstage. Prop Master Sterling Rush explains how the fake ditch was constructed. Director Jon Cassar walks the actors through the scene. Rush elaborates more on the scene, detailing how they combined peat moss and dirt together (with the large rocks filtered out) in order to not hurt actress Annie Wersching when the dirt was tossed onto her face, and reveals how she was using a breathing apparatus while buried.
[edit] Episode 4
Premiered: February 2, 2009.
Director Milan Cheylov and actress Janeane Garofalo discuss a scene from Day 7 2:00pm-3:00pm in which Janis Gold contacts an Ohio plant manager John Brunner. Garofalo says she does not use a computer in real life so that she has no connection with all of the technical jargon that her character Janis Gold is required to speak on the show. She says if fans look closely they will be able to spot "cheat sheets" (in the form of post-it sticky notes) on her computer screen. After doing several retakes she finishes her line correctly and Jeffrey Nordling gives her two thumbs up while the rest of the filming crew laughs and claps.
[edit] Episode 5
Premiered: February 9, 2009.
Director Milan Cheylov describes the overarching themes of the Day 7 3:00pm-4:00pm episode. He explains that Jack Bauer is willing to bend the rules to save the greater good while Larry Moss is a by-the-book character who strictly adheres to the rules. Renee Walker is said to have a moral quandary of deciding whether to follow Jack's way of doing things or Larry's approach. "When you get two very moral men who disagree about the tactics and the methods, it creates a great spark for wonderful drama." says Cheylov.
[edit] Episode 6
Premiered: February 16, 2009.
Webisode 6 revolves around Aaron Pierce's return. Director Milan Cheylov explains how Aaron is the only other character besides Jack to appear in every seasons of 24. Glenn Morshower says "it's nothing short of wonderful" to be back on the show. David Fury says he fought very hard to be the writer of Aaron Pierce's return and introduction of Olivia Taylor. He says that he's most proud of keeping Aaron alive in Day 5 despite a death scene being written several times.
Cheylov also pokes fun at Fury's portrayal of Arthur Carr, joking "He wrote the episode and he can't remember his lines!"
[edit] Episode 7
Premiered: February 23, 2009.
Milan Cheylov welcomes the viewers from the Universal Studios backlot, where a crucial stunt scene involving Dubaku's vehicle being flipped over was filmed. Stunt co-ordinator Jeff Cadiente uses miniature cars to describe to the crew how the scene will play out. Cheylov says that because the car is being smashed, they only have one take to get things right. The area is surrounded with "catch cars" -- cars that they wouldn't mind getting smashed up. Special effects supervisor Scott Blackwell reveals that it takes about a weeks worth of work to prepare the car and coordinate such a stunt. Jeff Cadiente says they didn't mean for the car to go that high but it worked out better as it "was more spectacular than envisioned."
[edit] Episode 8
Premiered: March 2, 2009.
Brad Turner explains the complicated nature of the fictitious journey that Benjamin Juma undertakes. Brad Turner talks about the gear and equipment that Juma's men are kitted out with. Kara Owens, who works with the costumes, explains the choices for the military clothes worn. Brad Turner expresses happiness as the scene is finished.
[edit] Episode 9
Premiered: March 2, 2009.
Brad Turner talks about Renee Walker's escape from Laurent Dubaku. Annie Wersching explains that the shoot was done over two weeks, so she had to be recreated to look as if she had just come out of the water, which involved being worked upon by five or six people. Eric Stabenau, the stunt coordinator, explains how the action played out in the scene. Chase Kim, who played an officer explains how his role went down, and Sterling Rush explains what a "non-gun" is. Stabenau commends Wersching's performance in the fight scene, saying "I couldn't ask a stunt double to a better job."
[edit] Episode 10
Premiered: March 9, 2009.
The scene in which Buchanan dies is shown. James Morrison talks about his character's death. He says he was taught that his character would die at some point on the show, and had an awkward call with the director where he learnt about the death. Jake Garber, the make-up artist, talks about how he worked with Morrison's hair to create the look of an explosion on him.
[edit] Episode 11
Premiered: March 16, 2009.
Scott Blackwell explains how the scene in which Jack Bauer tips over the trailer will go down. Jeff Cadiente explains that Jack has no weapons, so he leads John Quinn into the small office then tips it over with a digger. They both talk about how Kiefer Sutherland likes to have his face in the stunts, and so he now trusts them. They then talk about the fight sequence at the end.
[edit] Episode 12
Premiered: March 23, 2009.
Carlos Bernard is on set at Wilmington California describing the story behind the shipyard scenes currently being filmed for the Day 7 10:00pm-11:00pm episode. Michael Klick says they're in the exact opposite situation as they were with 24: Redemption -- instead of not having enough daylight, they don't have enough night. They will be filming the shootout scene on location over a period of three nights and staying until dawn. Jon Cassar says it's easy to make indoor scenes appear to take place at night but outdoor ones like this are difficult to fake.
Director of Photography Rodney Charters says the lights being used are typically seen in football fields. The area they're filming in is several hundred yards long with containers being risen up at 60 feet. There are three cameras being used for the current scene with one going up on a crane.
[edit] Episode 13
Premiered: March 30, 2009.
Director Jon Cassar and actor Jeffrey Nordling explain the helicopter landing scenes on the Starkwood compound. Cassar says Nordling got to ride in a "Huey" (a military helicopter) and that it's always exciting to see the actual actor in there. Nordling explains how the helicopters door was open and cruising about 30 feet off the ground with another one flying right ahead of them. Helicopter pilot John Tamburro explains how the Navy SEAL's fastrope into the compound.
Cassar says the show has a very good relationship with the United States Navy and that it's a mutual benefit since it serves as a training exercise for the SEAL's but gives the 24 team spectacular footage. Nordling says he's had banter all season long with Annie Wersching about how her character Renee Walker gets to do exciting scenes like jumping in rivers while Larry Moss is stuck talking on the phone. He jokes that now the role has been reversed with her stuck back at the office and him flying around in helicopters.
[edit] Episode 14
Premiered: April 6, 2009.
Jon Voight says his character Jonas Hodges is a very powerful guy and he's been wounded emotionally. Voight jokes that Doug Knowles "passes away... from about fifteen feet". Director of Photography Rodney Charters explains how the stunt double will land on two layers of cardboard boxes rather than airbag. Stunt coordinator Jeff Cadiente reveals how cameras are simultaneously filming the top of the balcony and the bottom floor where the stunt double lands. Cadiente says usually they use an airbag but in this case it's too low of a fall (approximately eighteen feet) and they're using cardboard boxes instead which is described as "like falling into air". The scene was filmed in two takes.
The stunt double then had to fall on another surface (extremely hard plywood), which was described as "like falling on concrete". Cadiente says the second fall is a lot more tricky than the first and could've resulted in the stunt double getting hurt or breaking a bone.
[edit] Episode 15
Premiered: April 13, 2009.
Nicole Burke and Carlos Bernard explain the fight scene currently being filmed with the help of stunt co-ordinator Jeff Cadiente. Carlos then remarks that he's anxious to watch the upcoming explosion and that "it's always fun to see Stan Blackwell blow stuff up". Stan says that because the show takes place in Real time they don't have the luxury of using slow-motion, therefore explosions need to be sustained longer.
Nicole says there are three cameras being used for the shot - the usual A/B ones and a third camera which will be higher up. She says the third camera could possibly be engulfed by the flames which would make a "pretty cool shot" and that it would be interesting to see if they enhance it with CGI effects. Scott Blackwell says the crew is pleased with the way the explosion went and a crew member is seen giving a thumbs up to the camera.
[edit] Episode 16
Premiered: April 20, 2009.
[edit] Episode 17
Premiered: April 27, 2009.
This episode deals with the writing process on the show. Jon Cassar said the writers get to write whatever they want and the rest of the crew makes it happen. David Fury says they start big with their ideas and try to get away with as much as possible. He said people expect the action, the scope, and the production value. Juan Carlos Coto says on his very first show (The Pretender in the mid-90's) that it was in X-Files heyday and seeing Howard Gordon and Alex Gansa's credit on that show he said to himself "Someday I want to work with these guys".
Howard Gordon sits in the writing room with a laptop connected to a projector and types as all the other writers talk and figure out each scene. David Fury says that very often what they do is assign each of an episodes five acts to five different writers. At that point they have a rough draft, and then a single writer takes it over and it becomes their script often being dramatically changed. Juan says despite 24 being billed as an action show, it "really lives and breathes in small spaces and small moments between characters". He believes what draws people to the show is "watching people like themselves in an incredibly high-stakes situation under unimaginable pressure".
[edit] Episode 18
Premiered: May 4, 2009.
This episode deals with filming Jon Voight's final scene which is described as a mixture of "macabre and poignancy". Director Brad Turner praises Voight's acting abilities saying that he's "a very impresive actor to work with" and that "he brings a lot to the character". Voight calls the crew terrific, positive, and "tremendously knowledgeable about their craft". Voight is then seen posing with crew members for photos.
Special effects coordinator Scott Blackwell shows the dummy in the car (representing Jonas Hodges) that will catch on fire in the explosion. All of the car doors were removed and then re-attached lightly with bailing wire so that they would fly off in the explosion. Director of Photography Rodney Charters demonstrates that the cameras are protected by a sheet of "Lexan" which is a bulletproof plexiglass, and that a hole is cut through it for the camera lens. The SUV is then exploded and shown at various different angles.
[edit] Episode 19
Premiered: May 11, 2009.
[edit] Background information and notes
- Unusually for a web-series of this type, each video is removed from the website after one week, and viewers are unable to see it again.
- The webisodes were featured on the Region 2 release of Season 7, but not the Region 1 release.
