User:Janrodrigo/How to Relive Heroes

This article is intended to provide the reader an opportunity, to relive the Heroes in all of its aspects, from the beggining.

Year 1

Pre-premiere

Heroes Evolutions

July

Week 1 - July 14

First of all, we commence to get our acquintance with the Heroes Universe with two social networking websites (SNW): Claire's MySpace Page and Zach's MySpace Page. So, first we click www.myspace.com/clairebennet and we see the page below. This is Claire Bennet's MySpace page where she speaks about herself and lists her details and interests. She also lists her dad as her hero. Then we go to www.myspace.com/zachtothefuture and we see the page below. This is Zach's MySpace page where he also speaks about himself and lists his details and interests. This is all for now. Please come back next week.

Week 2 - July 18
Zach leaves a comment on Claire's page: Hey Claire, what's up? Done anything "special" lately :) :)

Week 2 - July 21
Claire posts her first blog entitled Zach: zach OMG, a lot of people keep asking me or telling me that I am secretly in love with Zach. I don't have feelings for Zach, he's just an childhood friend of mine. WE ARE JUST FRIENDS!!!! :)

Week 2 - July 23
Claire posts another blog: comiccon??? A lot of people for some reason have been asking me if I went to this thing in California called comic con. No, I haven't been, but I know Zach, who a lot of you are also myspace friends with, went to it. So you should ask him about it maybe. :)

Week 3
No content for this week. Please come back next week.

August

Week 4 - August 1
Claire writes her first comment on Zach's MySpace page: Hey Zach, do you still have that video camera? I think I remember you had one for that class project you did in History Class last Spring? Let me know, thanks.

Week 4 - August 4

Zach now posts his first blog, entitled San Diego: San Diego Current mood: exhausted I know the Summer is supposed to be for lying by the pool and taking it easy, but the last few weeks have been crazy. I had the chance to go to Comic Con in San Diego which was a blast. There were a bunch of people dressed up in crazy costumes and sneak previews for some new movies and tv shows, as well as all my favorite comic book writers and artists of course. Overall San Diego is a cool city, everyone seems nice and minds their own business, it's a little different than Odessa, let me tell you. Anyway, the plan now is to take it easy and rest up before school starts. Maybe just shoot some stuff with my camera and see where the wind takes me.

Week 5
No content for this week. Please come back next week.

Week 6
No content for this week. Please come back next week.

Week 7
No content for this week. Please come back next week.

Week 8 - August 29
Claire writes a comment on Zach's MySpace page: Hey, do you still have that video camera you used for that biology experiement last spring? I was wondering if I could borrow it?

September

Week 9 - September 5
Claire writes another comment on Zach's MySpace page: Yeah, I'd like to borrow it after school, but maybe if you are free you could help me use it because I'm not sure I know how.

Week 10 - September 11

BBC Two starts a game called Suresh's Loft.1 When you click Play it loads upto 100% and while loading says: Heores interactive experience created by fish in a bottle ..% ...Then you come across with an apartment door, written over 316. It immediately opens. You see inside of the apartment. A desk where there is a laptop, a helix shaped object, some books, a lamp. You see a map, with some strings attached to it. You see a bookshelf, some chairs. When the intro finishes... Suresh's Loft Visit Suresh's loft for unexpected surprises and fast-paced action. >> Play ...then it says: MOHINDER'S APARTMENT BROOKLYN, NEW YORK Then, you can use your mouse for clicking objects and exploring things within the apartment. Within the room; there is a bookshelf, two desks, some chairs, a map and an iguana tank. On the map, there is the photo of a politician. When you come near one of the desks, it says MY DESK and you can click on it. When you click, the game zooms on one part of the desk in a quadrant, containing a telephone and a laptop. It says: I SHOULD CHECK THE DESK . When you click on it, the game zooms on that quadrant and you see a telephone, attached to it a tape recorder, a penholder with pens inside, a laptop, a small journal, a DNA helix model, a sculpture and a beady model for a molecule of 3 atoms. You can only click on the laptop. When you click it, the quadrant zooms on it and now you see the laptop screen. On the screen there's a symbol and there's an icon of mail with the name tag EMAIL Under, it writes 1 new message You click on it and a page opens where there's an e-mail from a lady called Bridget Bailey to someone called Chandra Suresh, entitled I need some advice. I need some advice Dear Professor Suresh, I hope I'm not being rude or presumptuous in contacting you like this but I feel compelled to do so. Recently a friend of mine confided in me about strange experiences that have happened to her. Of course I did everything I could to help within (my limited) means. I started by searching the internet and various online bookstores and your name came up time and again, so I decided to get hold of a copy of your book 'Activating Evolution'. I'm not a scientist or a doctor (actually, I'm a lawyer) so I feel a bit uncomfortable giving my friend advice based on something that's outside my field but I feel I need to do something because she's beginning to wonder if she's losing her mind. I wondered if you could tell me a bit more about your book, for example is it just theoretical or do you believe these 'evolved humans' really exist? I'd also like to know if there's anything more I can do to help my friend. I hope I'm not asking too much. Kind regards, Bridget Bailey Then, you can click on the tag BACK twice to come back to the room. However for now, there is nothing left to click on. Now please wait for the next week.

Week 10 or 11 - Interview 1

MyFanBase covers the first interview about Heroes with Tawny Cypress, the character who is supposedly going to play "Simone". You can read the interview here at MyFanBase or you can also read it directly here, below: 1. First of all: You have a new project "Bella". Can you tell us something about this movie and which part you will play in it? "Bella" is a sweet, little film by Alejandro Gomez Monteverde about friendship between two unfortunate souls played by Eduardo Verastegui and Tammy Blanchard. The part I play, Frannie, is that of a restaurant manager and friend to Eduardo's character, Jose. Alejandro based Frannie on an old boss of his that he became very close with. Quick and bold without being rude. Frannie's just "one of the guys" running a successful restaurant. 2. Since your show is called "Heroes” what is a Hero for you? What kind of persons are Heroes? Do you have a Hero? The definition of a hero for me is someone who you admire, who selflessly helps you in some way and who possesses qualities that you hope to acquire one day if you try hard enough. And in that regard, I suppose even evil people can be somebody's hero. I do have heroes. My brother, Toby, is a hero of mine. He's got a resilience that might make you think he was made of teflon. And he's "super"-talented. Also, my dear friend and teacher, Barbara Marchant is a hero for me. She's been on my side even when I didn't have a side to be on without ever asking anything in return and she has a grace that makes me hope to be just like her one day when I grow up. 3. What can you tell us about your character? My character on "Heroes" is Simone Deveaux and she is an art dealer based in New York City. Her father made a killing playing the stock market which makes her first-generation money. The pressure of living her father's dreams has made her a bit of a realist and quite conservative. Unfortunately, the man she is in love with is a brilliant, but drug-addicted artist. We start off Simone's story with her father on his deathbed and his male nurse secretly in love with her. Everyone she loves is hurting. The people around her are doing and saying crazy things. Whatever will she do? 4. Can you tell us anything about the first season of ”Heroes”? Things I can tell you about the first season of "Heroes": The first couple of episodes you get to meet (mostly) everybody and then the story kicks right in, fast and deep. As the show gets going, tales come in and out so, not every storyline is in every episode. And, record the episode cause you may want to go back and watch that awesome scene again! 5. When you first read the script of "Heroes” what did you think? When I first read the script, the first thing I thought was how cool it was. How well written and freakin' fun it was. The second thing I thought was that there wasn't a part in it for me. In fact, I almost called out of the initial audition because I knew they weren't looking for my type, but I thought the script was so cool that I went anyway. I thought it'd fun enough just doing the audition... and it was. 6. You played a part in one of the first 9/11 movies "World trade center”. What was working on the movie like? "World Trade Center" meant a lot to me. I was there that day, standing on my roof getting vertigo. I still see it fresh in my mind twenty blocks away. It's a wound that hasn't healed and I really wanted to be a part of telling somebody's story somehow. Oliver and I met several times on that project and I auditioned for several different parts before he finally conceded that there just wasn't a role there, but he offered me this small, painful moment and I took it. It was important to me. 7. Since your mother is half german, have you ever been here in Germany? What impressions did you have? I have never been to germany. I just watched a beautiful documentary on the Berlin Wall coming down. I would love to see that in person. It's certainly on my list of places to see. 8. "Hero” asks: We first got a confirmation that your character's last name is "Deveaux". Is that a "tip of the hat" to "Nathaniel DeVeaux", who has played a part in quite a few sci-fi TV series and movies, but never as a character with special "powers"? Your character seems to be a lady who is strong and primarily self-sufficient (like a Whedonverse character); how will your character develop during the show? We also received the hint from Ollie Grigsby that there will be a "Deveaux Society". What will be the purpose of the "Deveaux Society"? This is such a smart question. Unfortunately, I don't have an answer for the shows inspiration for the last name Deveaux. I will ask, creator, Tim Kring at the premiere and get back to you. As for my character's development, Simone starts off holding herself to together so tight, what she really needs is a release. Finally, the Deveaux Society was founded by Simone's father as a means for funding causes he felt bettered the world. It's not something that interests my character so much as it often bleeds into politics she doesn't agree with. 9. "Heroes” asks: Does your character's dad, Charles Deveaux, have any interaction/connection with "Mr. Linderman" or "Sylar" or "HRG" (Horned-Rimmed Glasses) or with whoever was after the Human Genome Project research? Do you know what ails him (is he "Patient Zero")? And last, will we see Richard Roundtree in more scenes other than him as a patient in bed? Another amazingly intelligent question. Man, you guys can think! I don't know much about my father's dealings, I'm afraid, as I had opened an art gallery and made that my life. My father was more interested in stocks and bonds. And yes, you will see him again. 10. Judy asks: Would you like to be a Hero? I would love to be a hero to someone. I think I'd be strong enough to handle the responsibility. I'd love to be admired for something selfless that I do. Unless you meant, would I like to be a "super"-hero. In which case, yea, one of the wonder twins. 11. René asks: Did you have a Hero when you were a child? Like Superman, Batman or someone else? I didn't really have any heroes growing up that I can remember. I was really strange and kind of moved to my own beat. I guess the closest thing to a hero would be my mom who taught me some of the wisest lessons. 12. Kathrin asks: Do you think "Heroes” could be the TV Hit of Season 2006/2007? I do think "Heroes" could be a big hit. It's such a cool story. The characters are fan-freakin'-tastic and the actors who play the characters are stellar. I'd watch it even if I wasn't on it. 13. Since myFanbase is an online magazine about TV Series do you have a favourite one? The shows I have to record are "Project Runway" and "Lost". And "Heroes".

Week 11 - September 18

If you enter the Suresh's Loft game today, you will see that there are two additions. There is a new email from Bridget Bailey to Chandra Suresh. And you can click on the telephone. New Email: Re: My credentials for your 'friend' Dear Chandra, Thank you so much for your reply. I hadn't realised that you were so eminent in your field but the credentials you sent me are very impressive and very reassuring, as is your strong belief in the existence of the so-called 'special abilities' that your book describes. You are also very perceptive; 'my friend' is in fact me, perhaps I shouldn't be surprised that someone as intelligent as you would see right through my ruse. I am suffering from the strange experiences I mentioned in my last e-mail. The experiences most closely match what you describe in your chapter on clairsentience. Sometimes when I touch an object I get a mental image of the object's history, for example I might touch a wooden chair and I see an image of the carpenter working on it in his workshop. Given my chosen career I'm sure you can imagine that I come into contact with a lot of objects with long and troubled histories which could cause problems if the frequency of my visions increases. I wondered if you had any advice for me is there a cure? Is there anything I can do to reduce the frequency of my visions? Can you help me? Kind regards, Bridget Bailey When you move the mouse near the phone, it writes: ANSWER PHONE When you click on it, the game zooms on the part of the quadrant containg the telephone and a tape recorder. It writes: NO TAPE -- MUST BE ONE HERE SOMEWHERE. However, in the room you can not find any tape for instance. That is it for the pre-premiere. Next week, the first episode of Heroes will be aired. Patience!!

Volume One: Genesis

Pod One

September

Week 1 - September 25

1) Watch the first episode: Chapter One -- Genesis Original Air Date: 25 September 2006 Events are set in motion as a total eclipse casts its shadow across the globe and a genetics professor uncovers his father's secret research revealing that people with super powers are living among us. 2) Read the first graphic novel: Chapter One -- Monsters Original Release Date: 25 September 2006 Discover what happens to Mohinder, as he comes to New York. 3) Hiro Nakamura posts his first blog under NBC's website Read it: Captain's Log: Stardate 1739.1 Late Again Name: Hiro Nakamura Age: 24 Occupation: Sales, Yamagato Industries Location: Tokyo, Japan Favorite Manga: Jojo's Bizzare Adventures Favorite Comic: X-Men Favorite TV: Star Trek Favorite Movie: Laputa: Castle in the Sky Favorite Singer: Britney Spears Favorite Game: Chrono Trigger, Final Fantasy Series Favorite Phrase:一期一会 Decided to move blog sites, because my old blog site was spamming me. So, I got in trouble again for being late to work. The count is up to 8 this year. The good news is that I finally defeated Dr. Syd last night! I got to the lighthouse last night so I had to stay up all night till I finished. I hear Bahamut is right around the corner, so I'm almost done with Final Fantasy XII. やったー. Ugh. I'm so bored. We had a company-wide meeting regarding the future of Yamagato Industries. Snoozefest. But, it made me think of the future of Hiro Nakamura. Is this how it's going to be for the rest of my life? I want to be like Jojo and Van and go on an adventure. I want to have a stand or can cast magic. I want to save the world. Someday, I'm going to find the magic lamp and the genie is going to grant me my three wishes, or a mutated spider will prick me and I can spew webs all over the place, or after getting a high score on a video game, it will invite me to an elite space battalion to save Earth from an intergalactic war! Dreams keep us alive, and I want to feel alive. What's your dream? Ok, off to take a nap. I need to sleep so I can finish leveling up my other characters. Man, I wish I had more time in the day. Must. Finish. Final Fantasy XII. Live long and prosper, Hiro P.S. Happy 40th Birthday, Star Trek! Auto-Translated by: Yamagato Software 4) Hiro Nakamura later tonight, posts his second blog. Read it: Captain's Log: Stardate 1742.5 Strange Day I got in trouble for being late again! But I swear this time it wasn't my fault. It was strange. So, I really didn't want to come to work today. I finally got to the final boss but ran out of elixirs and my party wiped! Frustrating. It was time for work, so I went to the train station. I was hoping for the train to not come. I prayed really hard. 7:42:00 AM. Yes! The train didn't come. So I thought. 7:42:14 AM, the train arrives. But it's strange, the train is never late. Maybe I could use the force. Am I a Jedi? I tried using my Jedi mind tricks on the train conductor. You will stop the train. You will stop the train. Didn't work. Hmm. Still strange though. Must continue experimentation later. For now back to work. May the force be with you, Hiro P.S. The eclipse is pretty. Auto-Translated by: Yamagato Software

Week 1 - September 26 - Beaming Beeman

Co-executive producer of the show Greg Beeman posts his first blog post on his weblog. Read it: Episode 1: Genesis Friday, July 14, 2006 Hi, and welcome to Heroes. My name is Greg Beeman and I’m one of the producer-directors on the show. For the last five years I’ve been working on the WB show Smallville, where I oversaw the creative production of the show and directed many episodes. I left Smallville to join Heroes this year. The pilot (or first) episode was one of the most exciting and inspiring shows I’ve seen, since, well… The pilot episode of Smallville. Tim Kring created the show and it seems to have had a certain “special-ness” from the moment it left his computer. The pilot was filmed in March 2006 and directed by David Semel. It was put together and first screened for audiences in late April. It seemed to be a hit and in early May, NBC picked it up to air in September. From that point on there is a lag time before the next episodes begin to be produced. Tim, and his partners Executive Producers Dennis Hammer and Allan Arkush (who have all been working together on the other NBC show Tim Kring created, Crossing Jordan, for the last 5 years) began to put a team together that could write and film Heroes on a week-to week basis. If you go to http://www.9thwonders.com/ and check out this teams overall credentials, you’ll see there that Tim Kring has put together a pretty impressive team. A lot of these people have created and/or run shows of their own. I remember feeling, when I first started realizing who I was working with, that we had the TV equivalent of The New York Yankees. A lot of high-powered creative talent has been assembled to get this show on the road. Allan Arkush and I are the directing-producers. We’ll be both directing episodes and overseeing the production and post-production of the show. Probably with Allan mostly in post production and me mostly prepping the episodes and overseeing shooting. Anyway, I’ve been aboard since June – and during that time Tim and the writers have been conceiving how these amazing and complex stories will be told, and writing the first few episodes. There is a harmony in this “Writers Room” that I haven’t seen before. A lot of it stems from Tim who is very Zen-like and accepting. He sets a high bar, but he sets it respectfully. He seems to know how to quietly get the best out of everyone. The first few scripts are the best first scripts of any series I’ve ever read. Of course they’re also top secret and I can’t reveal any details. As for how we’re going to shoot it week to week - we’ve been having lots of meetings and conversations about how the show should look, how to make it happen every week, We’ve been hiring the crew like production designer Ruth Ammon (who designs and builds sets and finds and dresses locations), Director of Photography Jon Aronson and many others. We’ve also been scouting locations – basically we drive around in a van looking for places to film the scenes. When location scouting we eat a lot – here’s some photos of our scout lunches: Typical workday = Scout lunch + phone calls Nutrition for filmmakers...in this case: Thai food! Heroes is an especially challenging show because we don’t have that sets on stage. Isaac’s loft, Mohnider Suresh’s apartment, Claire Bennett’s house – and that’s about it – and not that many scenes take place in them, relatively. Mostly we’re “on location.” Out in the real world, trying to create New York, Las Vegas, Texas, Los Angeles, and Tokyo – all in Los Angeles. This is inherently slower and more expensive than filming on sets we control. So, also, as with every show, there have also been budget issues. Heroes, because of it’s scope, is an expensive TV show. And many meetings and much blood sweat and tears has been spent trying to figure out how to make it producible at a budget NBC/Universal is comfortable with. This is all pretty normal, but, to make a long story short, getting a TV show of the ground is a big, difficult job, logistically, financially and creatively. Thank God we finally begin shooting Monday.

Week 1 - September 27

Claire writes her third post on her MySpace page, entitled "Zach": Zach Hey, I've been trying to get a hold of Zach but he hasn't been online really, which is kinda weird for him. Feels like he's been avoiding me so if anyone can get a hold of him...email, phone, or better yet, let me know if he's online his myspace page. Regardless, you should all be friends with him too, cause he doesn't have that many. And Zach writes his second post on his MySpace page, entitled "Lost a Mini DV Tape": Lost a Mini DV Tape Current mood: worried Okay, so I'm totally trying not to go insane right now (and failing miserably) . I lost a mini DV tape full of special effects stuff that I've been working on for a class project. Ms. Rogers is totally going to freak if I don't turn it on time. I don't know what happened, I know I put it in my backpack, and then the next time I looked it was just GONE. It's got some really important stuff on there so if anyone can help, please please please let me know! It may be at school, the last time I remember having it was at the train tracks when that train derailed the other day, so it could be there too. If anyone has any information there'll be no questions asked, I promise. I just need it back, BAD! Currently listening : Demon Days By Gorillaz Release date: 24 May, 2005 Claire posts a comment to Zach's MySpace page: Hey! Have you been avoiding me? You looked nervous all day today. Hope everything is cool and your not getting freaked out about what happened with the railroad thing and um...before that. Maybe I could use your camera again next week?

Week 1 - September 29

Hiro Nakamura, posts his third blog. Read it: Captain's Log: Stardate 1742.8 I KNEW IT!!! Hey, guess where I'm at? I'm at New York! Times Square! Can you believe it? It's amazing! I told you I could do it. I knew it! やったー！　XD New York kinda reminds me of Tokyo. Lots of people walking. There are subways, no kiosks though. Many yatais. Looks like they sell hot dogs and ice cream. Maybe they sell yaki-soba and tako-yaki too. ^_^ Oooh, better yet, maybe they have waffle yatais! You would think because it's called Times Square, there are lots of watches. I wonder why it's called Times Square? It's more like Akihabara. That would be cool if they had a maid cafe here as well. Would be funny to see American otakus go 萌えー！ Wow, lot's of traffic on this blog. Thank you all for your support and encouragement. Actually, I kinda feel like 電車男。　If I ever need love advice, I know where to go! Then again, I don't think I'll ever find love. T_T I think someone mentioned the New York Comicon I think. If that's wrong, sorry, sometimes the auto-translater has weird translations. It came out as NY Comic Scandal for me. o.O When is it? Since I'm in New York, maybe I can go to it. It would be cool to get some cheap アメコミ。 My favorite Jojo part is definitely the Joutaro adventures. I especially liked his encounters with the D'arby brothers, the moment when he realizes Star Platinum's real powers, and when Joseph was resurrected, and answered "Al Yankovic" to prove he's not Dio. XD And yeah, Toriyama sensei is awesome too. Loved him since the Dr. スランプ days. I have seen all of Miyazaki's film. I do like them all, but I'm still a big fan of Laputa, even though it's his early works. In this world, it's hard not to feel like orphans many times, and I love that they get chosen and go on an amazing adventure. His films are cool because not only is it awesome, they always have a message. I heard when he was about to make a new film, he always asks himself what message he wants to tell his daughter, it may have been his niece. That's pretty cool. As for Final Fantasy, I have played them all, even XI. MMORPGs are a time sink! I had to stop playing. I literally was glued to my PS2 for 24 hours straight. FF VI probably holds a special place in my heart. The Magitek stuff was cool and it was the last of the pre-CD games. I reamember V too, because I also spent many days grinding for the last blue magic and the dragon's whiskers. Thanks for FF XII ラスボ ス advice! Well, I guess I'm taking another "vacation" from work. ^_^ I'm sooo gonna get fired this time. Maybe スタジオジブリ or Square-Enix will hire me XD It just hit me, that I'm in New York and I'm spending all this time in an internet cafe. o.O I'm gonna go explore the world! New York here I come! Thanks again for all the support. It's really amazing when your dreams can come real. I hope yours does too one day. If starts with you believing in it and ends with you believing in it. Spoon, Hiro P.S. I hope the yatais take yen. I'm a little hungry :P Auto-Translated by: Yamagato Software

October

Week 2 - October 02 -- Beaming Beaman

Co-executive producer of the show Greg Beeman posts his second blog post on his weblog. Read it: Episode 2: Don't Look Back TODAY: October 2, 2006 Hey guys… Welcome to my Blog. Tonight the 2nd episode of Heroes airs. I realized, after posting last week that it may seem schizo to you guys for me to be writing: “Tomorrow we start filming.” The weird thing is that we started production of HEROES back in July, but the work we did then is only now hitting the air. Actually as we speak I am directing episode 9, and have already finished episode 6. But, way back last summer, Craig and I talked about me doing a production diary for the fans… If I waited until shows aired I’d be stuck recounting what happened, for me, 3 months ago. So I started writing thoughts down as I went… But now it’s today and I’ve decided the best solution is to bend back and forth between the past and the present (kind of like Hiro!) – giving perspective from today and from back when we were shooting… Tonight’s episode was directed by Allan Arkush, the other producing-director on the show: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0035106/ . He’s been a long time collaborator with Tim Kring. He directed the pilot of “Crossing Jordan” http://www.nbc.com/Crossing_Jordan/ and has been producing that show with Tim ever since. For my part Allan has been enourmousely ingratiating and inviting to me. From the start he and Tim and Dennis Hammer were very open and encouraging of my ideas and involvement. Believe me that is not always the case. Director Allan Arkush Allan and 2nd unit DP Nate Goodman Allan’s episode is terrific. It’s visual and emotionally rich… a worthy successor to the pilot. It also introduces Greg Grunberg and much more! Looking back, we started this series in a very unusual way… Because we had 2 scripts and because many scenes in both scripts were in the same locations – the decision was made to block shoot the episodes. This means we were both shooting both episodes at the same time. Some days Allan would shoot a couple of scenes in the morning and I’d finish the day, some days visa-versa. Some days he’d have the whole day, some days I would. We even through in a scene or two from episode 4. It was kooky. Normally, in TV, a director preps for 7 days, shoots for 8 days and then edits for 3 or 4 days before turning the show over to the producers Allan Arkush and I were shooting episodes 2 and 3 for, like 20 days… Not normal… And now as I prepare to shoot episode 9, HEROES still isn’t made like a normal show. But then again, neither was SMALLVILLE. Maybe I like abnormal. (I know I like big and good!!!) THE PAST: Sunday, July 16, 2006 Damn. Middle of the night day before first day of shooting. I’ve been doing this for twenty years and I still get nervous before the first day. It’s like football players say, you have to get out on the field and get knocked down a couple of times before the butterflies go away. The structure of this shoot is weird. Because the cast is in just a few scenes per episode and always on the same location in each episode – we’ve chosen to “block shoot” – i.e. we’re shooting two episodes at the same time. Tomorrow we’re downtown LA creating New York. Allan Arkush is taking the morning directing episode 2 scenes of Hiro in NYC. I’m taking the afternoon directing Milo V. and Tawny in hotel lobby. And later Greg G. in a bar. I want to achieve a very specific look. Long lenses. Reflective surfaces. Pretty but unbalanced compositions. The goal is to create a slightly nervous feeling in the audience… like our characters are being watched. I also, always love the camera moving drifting – want the film to cut together sensuously. At the same time I have to photograph the faces of the cast. TV is an intimate medium. These characters are invited into our homes. Gotta find the balance of all this. But who am I kidding? You never really know what’s going to happen or what you’re going to do until you get there. Something will go wrong. We’ll be behind schedule. An actor will surprise me with a nuance I didn’t suspect. Right now I know every shot I want to shoot. What I’ll actually do tomorrow will be different. 4 AM – Call time’s 7…. Gotta get some sleep. Monday, July 17, 2006 First day is over. I never got over the nerves. New crew I’d never worked with. Tough schedule. Two location moves in downtown LA (which is crazy!)… Got the set from Allan on time. His stuff with Masi went great… He did a scene of Hiro in NYC happy, enjoying himself. Masi was so funny ad-libbing “Go Yankees” and stuff like that. Really fun stuff. I took over and things started going wrong. I was doing a scene with Milo and Tawny, in the lobby of a apartment building.. We smoked the building with special effect smoke for a specific look… then the fire alarm went off. Then the fire department showed up. Then two crazy homeless guys decided to have a fistfight on the sidewalk in front of our set. I looked at my watch and I’d lost an hour and fifteen minutes. Oh well… It’s TV Jake – no excuses – you wrap after twelve shooting hours no matter what. Good news: The lobby where we’re shooting the Peter/Simone scene is beautiful. Fit the look I’m going for perfectly. Glossy marble and brass surfaces with bright reflective light. Crew was great. The camera moved gently on long lenses. Bit the bullet and took twenty extra minutes to film a huge wide cinematic shot – a high angle down of the whole lobby for the last shot of scene. Very lonely and very “who’s watching them?” Actors were great... Their first time working together since the pilot two months ago. My first time working with them ever. Every actor is different, and my job is to give them the space and encouragement to create valid legitimate emotions in an absolutely awkward environment – with a hundred crew members staring at them; cameras, microphones and lights stuck in their faces. Milo has great such sincerity in his performance. He and Tawny were really working looking for emotional nuance. Last shot I did pushed into a tight CU of her face. Wow. Her eyes are so radiant. Felt like hard work on all three of our parts, digging for the emotion. Trying different things. Tawny had it the toughest – a lot of emotional gear shifts. She has to come into the scene upset by her previous interaction with Isaac, then be surprised that Peter’s there, then she feels how much she likes him. Then he gives her bad news, which makes her sad, but she has to cover that. Then he leaves and she has to reflect upon the choices she’s made and is making. That’s a lot of emotional territory to cover. Got to the bar at 5:30 PM to shoot Greg’s scene. That’s about an hour and a half behind. I knew I’d never make it. So I started prepping the producers that we’re going to be eating some big overtime money right away on day one. Knew I had to go fast. It’s a fun, easy scene, but needs a lot of specific shots to tell the story. Can’t tell you too much, but basically Greg’s having fun with his powers for the first time. What a great guy Greg Grunberg is. Easy to work with and a lot of laughs. We talked briefly about what we both expected/wanted out of the scene and shot it. Unlike the previous scene, this went easy and well… Just the mechanics of getting all the shots took time. The D.P. John Aronson and Camera operator Nate Goodman get and support the look I’m going for and found ways to make it better. Finished the scene and felt pretty good about it. An hour and a half of overtime. That’s $11,000 to the studio. Ouch! Went home thinking of the shots I hadn’t gotten and the overtime I hadn’t wanted to go into… It’s OK… I’ve done this a long time, and I know when I do have it and I don’t it. Both scenes will work. I got enough to cut together. It’ll be good. Tomorrow is another day! Tuesday July 18, 2006 Tim Kring and Dennis Hammer seem happy with the dailies…whew! Thursday July 20, 2006 Luckily, the studio, producers and most importantly, Tim seem happy with the dailies. Everyone reviews everything we shot the day before in its raw, unedited form, and we discuss what is and isn’t working – a few notes and issues both from myself and others – but for the most part, the plan is working. Yesterday we were up in Canyon Country North of Los Angeles. There’s a location there that we’re using for the Odessa High School. It’s a cool and unusual building – really feels like Texas to me. Modern, clean and mildly oppressive. Alan had done a really fun scene before where the police and fireman from the pilot have lined up the cheerleaders to find out who was the hero from the train wreck. Everything had gone well. Today the temperature was 105 degrees and up. Really tough on the crew and cast. Just staying focused is hard. And despite the heat, the DP still has to bring out big lights to balance the shadow areas. Imagine standing under a heat lamp on a 100+ degree day. That’s what Hayden Panettiere had to put up with. Thursday was my first day working with her. My kids and I were already fans of hers from “Raising Helen” and “Tiger Cruise” – she’s easy and fun. Like a lot of young actors, her attitude is “no big deal” – but then she’ll deliver complex emotional performances as easy as pie. I did one scene in front of the school with Hayden and Jack Coleman, who plays her father – a character we call “HRG”. From the pilot you see why theirs is a complex relationship. My job was to make sure that they expressed a very loving relationship. Claire’s relationship with her Mom is more troubled. But her Dad, from her point of view, is the greatest. No matter what his mysterious career is, it doesn’t affect her (at least not yet). The shoot was frustrating. Allan Arkush was filming Episode 2 scenes with Ali Larter in the morning and had some mechanical trouble with the insert car. Anyway, an hour later than I wanted, I got a camera and some crew – but not a full crew. I’d had a real plan for how I wanted to shoot the school scene – using really long lenses, a swing and tilt lens, some handheld – all to create a visual tension that would be counter to the light family emotion and comedy of the scene. But I ended up rushing and the heat was so blistering. I ended up happy with the performances, and feeling like I’d shot pretty shots that would all flow together – but that I hadn’t really achieved the subtlety of the style I was looking for. LATER: Then we had a night scene – a high school pep rally with a huge bonfire. The special effects guys did a great job. We had 100 extras and lots of cool cars circled around, and it looked great. I had a 3 page scene (which usually adds up to three minutes or so of screen time) to film with Hayden and Matt Lanter, who plays a high school quarterback who might be interested in her. Hayden Panettiere And Matt Lanter As always, when there’s a lot of continuous dialogue, I try to get the actors on the move, walking and talking. If actors stand in one spot for three minutes it’s deadly dull. I set up a very complex master shot – craning down past the partiers to find Hayden at the bonfire – she’s joined by Matt and they walk across the whole parking lot, through a huge crowd. They end up in and “over the shoulder” onto Hayden for the last half-page. Then as they exit a mysterious character appears, watching them!!!… ANYWAY… Getting 100 extras and 25 cars and a big bonfire and a complex crane move and two actors plus one mysterious character to line up takes time. I thought it would take an hour and a half to shoot, but it took 2 and a half hours to get it in the can! That’s okay, except Hayden is only sixteen – and being a minor she can’t work past midnight. It got dark at 8:45, so by the time I had my first shot done, it was 11:15pm. That meant I only had 45 minutes I needed to clean up the four close-ups left in the scene. I don’t know how many people have been on film sets… But if you are ever are, the general impression is that nothing is happening. Nothing seems to be happening because it takes a LOOOONG time to do all the things necessary to get every single little shot done. Every shot needs to be rehearsed. And then the camera has to get in place and focus marks need to be taken. And the it has to be lit. And then hair and makeup need to do touch-ups, etc., etc.! Anyway, this night I blasted through three shots (thank God the actors were spot on with their dialogue) and ended up doing one close up of Matt with a photo double of Hayden. It went well and looked good -- but I felt I was rushing so much – I keep wondering “could I have done better?” The film business may seem exciting and glamorous from the outside – I don’t know. And, thank God, for the last several years of my career I’ve produced work I’m proud of artistically… BUT… On a day to day basis it’s gut-churning and frustrating. You start off with big plans, having had lots of conversations with the writers and other producers about the visual style and the nuances of performance – and then, on the day, you have to rush as fast as you can with problem after problem occurring. Lights explode in the heat, extras faint, cameras break, and after finally getting a perfect take, the camera operator announces it wasn’t in focus. So as a director, your perfect plan begins to get nipped away at. You can start saying to yourself, “Okay maybe I don’t need that one shot.” Then, later, “Well, it won’t be as good, but I can probably combine those two angles into one,” and so on and so on. And in addition to all that, there is constant financial pressure to go faster – to have less cranes and Steadicams and special lenses and stuff like that, stuff that you feel will make it cooler. There’s an old movie by Francois Truffaut, Day For Night, that really captures this torturous experience. Nevertheless, I’ve found, that in the act of fighting for everything you believe in – despite all logic and financial pressure – in trying and failing to achieve a great vision – you end up with something still much better than if you’d been reasonable in the first place. Posted by Greg Beeman at 10:11 AM

Week 2 - October 02

1) Watch the episode 1.02: Chapter Two -- Don't Look Back Original Air Date: 02 October 2006 Discovering new abilities, Matt Parkman listens in on a girl's thoughts, Niki finds unexpected assistance and is on the run with Micah, Claire deals with high school life after a seemingly deadly fall, and Hiro investigates New York. 2) Read the second graphic novel: Chapter Two -- The Crane Original Release Date: 02 October 2006 Discover what does Hiro, after coming back from New York.

Week 2 - October 02

Today, there have been many updates to the game Suresh's Loft. A new email from Bridget Bailey Mohinder's Journal -- Entry One Research Notes of Mohinder about evolved humans, found in his drawer. Bennet, Claire Petrelli, Peter The tape finally has a voicemail -- Nathan's campaign message Open a book from Chandra's bookshelf and read it -- Activating Evolution, Article 1 Challanging games on the map Claire's game Isaac's game Read the newspaper -- Article about Chandra's death The next week, we will provide you with a playable link, therefore if you wish you can bypass the details. But for those who are interested, see below. Bridget's Email 3 Dear Chandra, I haven't heard from you for a long time, I hope you are okay. I appreciate that you are very busy and that perhaps my messages sound like the paranoid ramblings of a crazy Brit but you're the only person I can talk to about this. My symptoms seem to be getting steadily worse and it's started to affect my ability to do my job. One of my colleagues has noticed that I sometimes "zone out" when I'm getting a vision. I would confide in him but since we have been rivals in the past he may just use it to his advantage. You gave me hope when you believed my story and reassured me that I wasn't imagining my ability but now things are worse than ever with my ability manifesting several times a day. I can't even wear some of my clothes because now I see the awful factories they were made in whenever I touch them. I fear that it is only a matter of time before I have a terrible vision while I'm in court as I regularly have to handle case evidence. Please help me Chandra, please, I'm desperate. If I can't learn to control my visions then I may lose my mind. Bridget Mohinder's Journal -- Entry 1 In recent days, a seemingly random group of individuals has emerged with what only can be described as "special" abilities. Although unaware of it now, these individuals will not only save the world, but change it forever. This transformation from ordinary to extraordinary will not occur overnight. Every story has a beginning. My story began when the death of my father brought me here, to his apartment in Brooklyn. I knew that I was going to have to look through my father's research to continue his quest. I might find important clues anywhere so I decided I would leave no stone unturned. My father's laptop and the map on the wall seemed like the best places to start. Research Notes -- Bennet, Claire Research Notes -- Petrelli, Peter Nathan's Voicemail Hi, I'm Nathan Petrelli. It would be an honor to represent New York's 14th district. When the time comes, vote Petrelli. Activating Evolution -- Article 1 INTRODUCTION Scientists are fascinated by puzzles, and I am no exception. I have been known to spend hours on a drizzly Sunday morning, much to my wife's frustration indulging in the most elegant puzzle yet designed by man: the New York Times crossword. There is lyricism in the way words stack and fall upon one another and in the small, elusive clues that gently prod like a teacher coaxing an answer from a faltering student. Most assume that a vast vocabulary is necessary to defeat these difficult puzzles, but the clues, as they are in the greater puzzles of life, are no literal they are figurative. And figurative clues require not a vast vocabulary, although that does help, but a vast imagination. Just as imagination is the key to unlock the secrets of the Sunday crossword puzzle, it is also the key to unlock the riddles of science, of the cosmos, of mankind, of the future. The idea of "cold, hard Science" is an illusion, for science is neither "cold" nor "hard". Those are attributes that we apply to things that frighten or repel us, things we don't understand. In fact, science is beauty, a way to get at truth, and to get at truth one must be willing to see every angle of every puzzle, which requires a great and deep imagination. Our physical senses, while providing our only connection to the world around us, also limit our everyday perception, and we must work to remove these limits if we are to seek, with total, fearless honesty, the truth of what is to come. I had considered calling this book "Activating Imagination," but ultimately felt this title would mislead more than it would enlighten. Yet, as I write these words from my office at Chennai University, I wonder if I made the right choice. After all, this book asks much of its readers, starting with a willingness to accept things he or she may find alien or possibly even heretical, things that require an active and engaged imagination. Those that possess this important trait may come to believe, as I have, that the human species is at the very dawn of an evolutionary renaissance, a word that I do not use lightly. "Renaissance" literally means "rebirth" and that is exactly what is now at hand. My work with the human genome project has uncovered the fact that tiny variations in our species' genetic code are taking place at an increasingly rapid rate. This should come as no surprise. So-called evolution is just that evolving. It is an ongoing process with no beginning and no end. As the world around us changes due to technology, shifts in environmental patterns, overcrowded living conditions, war, disease, and hundreds of other seen and unseen factors, mankind reacts and mankind changes. We evolve. Currently, mankind uses less than a tenth of his brain power; there are even those who believe that we use much less than that. And though the human brain is the most remarkable mechanism we know of on earth, it is still highly inefficient and can only interpret the most obvious and base of senses, sight, smell sound, passion, fear. But add a mere two additional neural pathways and the brain could interpret wavelengths at a frequency a thousand times greater than our current capacity, giving us the ability to hear each others' thoughts. What else could the human and body achieve with the subtlest changes in biochemistry? Teleportation, levitation, instantaneous tissue regeneration, precognition, telekinesis, and even invisibility are well within the realm of possibility. Could it even be happening already? I believe that it is. Some may find this proposition ridiculous, others may find it terrifying, but it is my hope that you will find it thrilling for I believe, with all my imagination, that we are standing on the very threshold of true human potential. - Chandra Suresh, Chennai University, 1993 Painting by Isaac's Game Newspaper Article SHOCK DEATH OF VISITING PROFESSOR The body of Professor Chandra Suresh was discovered in a taxi cab in a side street last week. The NYPD are treating the death as suspicious but has yet to launch a full murder inquiry. Professor Suresh is a member of the faculty of biological sciences at Chennai University in India. He was in New York on sabbatical. According to his agent he was promoting his book "Activating Evolution" and researching for the second edition. A spokesperson for Chennai University described Chandra as "A brilliant and dedicated researcher, a popular tutor and a passionate, if sometimes controversial scientist. The scientific community will sorely miss him."

Notes

1. Actually the game "Suresh's Loft" is started on July 11, 2007 which is exactly 14 days before the airing of Heroes on BBC Two. Thus, in order to integrate the British version of the experience also, it's added here in the exact same order of date; 14 days before the airing. As such, people can experience both versions of Heroes Universe simultaneously.