Unearthed Treasures
Lost DVD Senior Producer John Bernstein reveal all about making Lost: The Complete Fourth Season DVD and Blu-ray box sets, both available to buy on December 9.
What did you think of season four? Do you have a favorite episode or moment?
That is always a tough question, as I hate to single out any one episode or any one moment. I honestly feel like each episode plays such an important part of the big picture, that I am just happy to go along for the ride with all the other Lost devotees. I am frequently accused of being a sucker for... well, all of it! Yeah, okay... I’m guilty as charged. Having said that, I can’t deny being especially fond of The Constant, Ji Yeon, and, of course, There’s No Place Like Home. It was really an amazing season. I am continually proud to play a small part in a series that will most likely be remembered, historically, as one of television’s finest.
With four Lost DVD box sets under your belt now, has your approach to doing these changed or evolved over the years?
Well, yes and no. We always set out by asking a series of questions: what have we done before and what stories have we already told? We don’t really want to cover familiar territory again.
Also, what do Damon, Carlton and their team have planned for the season? They always share enough of their specific plans for the upcoming season that it always inspires some fairly compelling ideas. And, of course, what would we wanna see? What would we think is cool? Since all of us on the DVD team are very big fans of the show, answering those questions usually leads to some fun brainstorm sessions, and ultimately yields a wealth of unique ideas for features that we will produce throughout the season.
But, while we approach each new season with that same mentality, yes, the process has evolved a bit, mostly, thanks to the fact we now know the end date of the series. Just as that knowledge helps the writers plot out each remaining episode, knowing specifics about the future and how many seasons remain also helps us solidify plans for some cool stuff we hope to create and include in upcoming Lost releases.
What was the most memorable day of shooting the additional material?
As cool as it was to see trucks dumping ice and snow on the streets of downtown Honolulu for the Berlin sequence, there is no question what day was most memorable. Okay, it wasn’t actually a day. It was the night the Honolulu Symphony paid tribute to Michael Giacchino and the music of Lost. It was incredible. The weather was beautiful... a light breeze was blowing from the beach to the Waikiki Shell, and it seemed as if there were about a billion stars in the sky. Terry O’Quinn was as compelling as usual as he read letters from survivors (penned especially for the event by Damon and Carlton). The multi-media show was very cool, and, most importantly, hearing the orchestra play those arrangements was quite moving. The whole team for the event created a truly memorable and magical night of entertainment. I am happy to say we were able to capture a little of that magic and share it with fans as a part of the season four DVD, and there is even more of it available on the Blu-ray release. It’s definitely worth experiencing in high definition!
What’s your personal favorite of the bonus features?
Well, as hard as we work all season on creating compelling bonus features that we hope will extend the Lost experience, I am actually most excited to own all the episodes in high definition on Blu-ray. They look pristine and the sound is amazing. However, I do have many favorites pieces that are a part of the release. As I just mentioned, I love that we focused on that amazing night and the work of Michael Giacchino in Soundtrack Of Survival: Composing For Character, Conflict & The Crash.
I think fans will really like what we did with the flash-forwards. We created an experience called, Course Of The Future: The Definitive Flash-Forwards. The Blu-ray version obviously gave us the chance to add more interactivity, and more surprises... including Damon and Carlton as you have never seen them before (unless you were lucky enough to see the short sneak preview at Comic-Con). It begins by challenging your knowledge of the true progression of events seen in season four... but that is just the beginning of all you will uncover as you explore the true sequence of events.
Finally, even though I know very little about the origins of it (or the documentarian responsible for making it), I am certainly intrigued by The Oceanic Six: A Conspiracy Of Lies. That’s all I can say about that piece…
Read the full article in issue #20 of The Official Lost Magazine. Click here for more information.
