1. Why are there gaps between episodes?

Mostly it’s a math problem- like one of those seventh grade “word problems” that you thought would never matter. In July of last year we began filming HEROES. It takes eight days to complete filming of every episode (actually it takes much longer - more like ten to twelve days - but any episode which shoots over eight days we complete with simultaneous units – meaning, most of the time, we have two complete film crews shooting at the same time.)

Now that means eight “working days” so depending on how the weekends fall it takes 10 to 12 calendar days to complete filming of an episode. It also takes a minimum of 4 weeks to complete post production of each episode – including picture editing, visual effects, music, sound mixing and color timing.

On September 25th we aired the first episode. At that time we already had 5 and a half episodes in the can. But from that point on, every 7 days a new episode airs. The math of 7 days between airings and twelve days between completing episodes catches up to us pretty quickly. By November we were in a situation where we couldn’t get any more episodes on the air.

Combine that with the fact that, from a network point of view, December is a slow TV-watching month. We design in a hiatus in December. Because the cast and crew take a two week break around Christmas (so we don’t die of exhaustion) the same phenomenon happens now, in early March.

Some shows like “24" and “Alias” (and “Lost” halfway this year) have opted to not begin showing their first episode until January and then run them continuously. They also start filming in July, but don’t air anything ‘til the new year. For many reasons NBC and HEROES did not want to do that in season one. Maybe in another year.

2. In the sneak peek, I saw a person who looks like Claire with HRG but I can’t really be positive if it is Hayden, Is my theory right that that is Claire in the future with HRG?

Make sure you watch episode 20 on April 30th, and all will be answered. Just remember in our universe multiple timelines and universes are a very possible phenomenon.

I know many young directors make the mistake of focusing all of their prep. on visuals and not performances. What “homework” do you do to prepare for a scene, as far as directing actors is concerned?

Excellent question. First of all, I recommend for all directors to take or audit an acting class,, so that you can begin to understand what the actor’s process is. All actors are different, but there are many aspects to acting which are about the technical manipulation of emotions.

Then go over your script, work hard to track the emotional arcs of all the main characters. Where are they starting emotionally? Where do they end up and how do they get there? Go over these things with the writer and if there are any inconsistencies in the characters emotional path, try to fix it on the page.

Actors work from “intentions” – meaning what does their character want in the scene? An actor in a scene (and all people at all times really) have something they want to get or accomplish within the scene. They may want something physical, like to find out where the money is hidden, or to kill their enemy. They may want something actively emotional - like to seduce, or frighten the other actor. They may want something more passive, like to make the other person go away, or to not tell a secret. If you and the actor can describe and agree upon the intention of a scene, you’re halfway home because you will both be working towards the same goal.

Remember the language of actors is emotion. Direct them with emotional words. I try to stay simple. i.e. “You’re pissed off, but you want her to think you’re calm."

I read a quote from Robert DeNiro once, which I think is very true, and I always remember. He said that, in real life, people spend a lot more energy hiding their true emotions than in showing them. This is very true. If an actor and director play only the obvious emotion, anger, sadness, etc. it can be real hokey. Layering an subversive intention on top of an emotion can be much more interesting. i.e. hiding anger with calmness. Hiding sadness with busy activity.

Is there going to be just 23 episodes or as some sites claim – 5 whole seasons?

We will do 23 this year. We will do 22 or 23 next year. After that it’s all about ratings. If our ratings stay strong we’ll live to see five years or more. No one can predict that far ahead right now. (Except maybe Isaac.)

If Isaac couldn’t paint as well as he does, could he still see the future?

Yes. He just would draw sucky pictures of the future. When Peter absorbed his power, in episode 2, he drew stick-figure style future drawings.

Heroes is coming off what many regard as its best episode of the season this week, also showing why it has become better than the other Monday night serial, 24. While both try to get the audience to come back with a cliff hanger, 24’s cliff hangers just don’t leave you sometimes wondering just what is going on. You know that Jack will always find a solution for the latest problem and slowly get at the ultimate perpetrators. On Heroes, even when predictable, they manage to throw in twists. I fully expected HRG’s motivation to be partially to protect his adopted daughter, but the story remained compelling as this was verified and we were left with new questions as old ones were answered.

While 24 will periodically show that people have a different agenda than initially suspected, it often seems either too predictable or is forced. On the one hand, there was little doubt that Jack Bower’s father wasn’t going to turn out to be behind many of the conspiracies. On the other hand, for the writers to decide after many stories were already done that Nina Myers or Charles Logan would really be evil was contrived and didn’t fit in well with previous stories. On Heroes, The revelations about Claude and Nakamura, while surprising, fit in well with what we know so far and clearly were planned from the start. While we learned more about the relationship between Claire and HRG, we were left to wonder about whether Hiro is really Nakamura’s son, and whether Nakamura realizes Hiro has powers.

The flash back episodes have been among the best on Heroes, but 24 has become stuck in a format which prevents such stories, as well as preventing any drawn out plot development. It was a good gimmick for the first couple of times, but now it is too restrictive, leading to similar stories every season. Knowing commercial television, it is safe to predict they will stick with the same formula until it stops making money. Having 24 as the name would also make it harder for them to change the format, but perhaps they could do a different type of story over 24 days or weeks.

There is one other reason why Heroes has become better than 24. They might threaten to blow up New York City, and have a character who brutally kills others and removes their brains, but at least they don’t feature torture week after week.

Written by Ron Chusid

Streams Come True for HEROES, FNL Fans
Not only will Andy Richter's Andy Barker, P.I. premiere on NBC.com, but the comedy's entire six-episode freshman season — including one episode that won't be shown on television — will be made available online before the show's March 15 broadcast debut, Variety reports. NBC.com will also serve up a Web-only "bonus" episode of The Black Donnellys (reportedly because it didn’t pass muster with Standards & Practices) and, come March, take Medium online and begin streaming all episodes of HEROES and Friday Night Lights. ...

Our first plan has gone into effect. Let's get together to observe. Go online to: http://www.samantha48616e61.com before 9:00 PM tonight.

Last file 4 a while. Go 2 http://www.primatechpaper.com, find helix. Same place as b4. Usrnme: bennet pwrd: claire. Matt's code: MPggtn75x Rembr: Usrnme always bennet

Want to try to get into his files too? Go to primatechpaper.com, find the helix hidden in the logo on the 'About us' page.

Enter the username bennet and password claire. The password to get into my file is HGghx11a. Get 2 know me.

Own the Giorgio Bissoni tuxedo that Greg Grunberg wore to the 64th Golden Globe Awards.
The tuxedo is up for auction through Clothes Off Our Back. Mr. Grunberg was a presenter at the Golden Globes and nominated for Television Series - Drama for "Heroes." Winner will also receive autographed photo from Mr. Grunberg (as pictured).

Proceeds from the auction benefit the Pediatric Epilepsy Project, Children's Defense Fund, Cure Autism Now and the emergency relief efforts in Darfur (specifically Friends of the World Food Program, Save the Children and the U.S. Fund for UNICEF).

Auction Page

Destiny called! I've finally gotten in touch with the great Mr. Isaku. He was a lot younger and taller than I imagined. I've always thought that Dungeon Masters were short with long gray hair and beards wearing a red robe. He also said he was on drugs, I hope he recovers from his flu soon. He drew a painting of me with a sword fighting a dinosaur. What does that mean? Am I going back in time to the prehistoric days? What happens if I step on a bug? Will it change history? Will I no longer exist?

It seems that the sword is pretty important. Cool. (^o^)==[=============> I'm supposed to have a sword in the future. Could this be the sword that Peter Petrelli was talking about? It had no glow to it, so maybe it's not magical. Probably doesn't have a +4 dexterity modifier. The way Mr. Isaku drew it though, it seemed like a two handed katana. Awesome.


My powers seem to be fading. I don't know how. Or why. But, I must find that katana. I wasn't able to save Charlie and a Cheerleader died in Odessa. Jackie Wilcox. Was she the Cheerleader I was supposed to save? What if I ruined everything?

I'm not going to let their deaths be in vain...

But what can I do without my powers?

For Charlie,
Hiro

P.S. How do you stop an exploding man?