Creating Colony: A Conversation With Carlton Cuse Tearing down the Wall with Colony’s Co-C
Creating Colony: A Conversation With Carlton Cuse Tearing down the Wall with Colony’s Co-CreatorQ: Can we challenge you to briefly recap the story of Colony thus far for those who have yet to watch?CC: In a sci-fi allegory to Nazi-occupied Paris, the world has been invaded by aliens, who have installed a human proxy government. The Bowman family struggles to survive as they face all the issues that come with occupation and colonization. Q: Of all the potential Blocs in the country and the world, how did you settle on Los Angeles as the initial backdrop of this show? Is there something specific about the city’s geographic and sociological landscape that lends itself to the story?CC:So much TV is now shot outside of LA we thought it would be an interesting visual place. We wanted to subvert expectations and start with blue sky and palm trees and deviate from the traditional dark and monochromatic dystopic look. Q: Speaking of the LA bloc, the end seems to be fast approaching for the city, can you give us any hints about what to expect for Los Angeles in the Season 2 finale (and where we may be headed in Season 3)? (Please note – we will give spoiler warnings for any questions that reveal details of recent episodes).CC:Big, big things are happening at the end of season two that upend the Bowman family and the LA Colony. Enough said! Q: The idea of “building walls” to divide people has become central to political rhetoric of late. In the context of the show, what is the symbolism of “The Wall,” and how, if at all, does this meaning relate to the current political climate?CC:Ryan and I started conceiving and writing the show long before Donald Trump emerged on the political scene. Hopefully he didn’t steal our idea when he came up with the idea of building the wall between the US and Mexico. The best science fiction should reflect the politics and themes of the times in which is was created. We think the wall has lots of different symbolic importance and I wouldn’t want to define it with one answer. Q: A focus of the show seems to be how differently people react under truly extraordinary circumstances – do you think there are parallels that can be drawn between the circumstances and characters of the show and anything you see happening in the real world? What do you think we can learn about ourselves when tested?CC:There is this terrible tendency humans have to subjugate each other when given the opportunity. It has happened throughout history. People are complicated; we are capable of powerfully connecting and working together to do amazing things. And yet we are equally capable of causing each other great anguish and harm. The question examines humanity under great pressure and asks how will you behave? How will you define yourself? What are the costs and consequences of the choices you make?Q: In relation to world building within storytelling, what film or TV world (other than your own) has inspired you the most and why?CC:Stephen King is my writer hero. He is an incredible world builder who takes incredible ideas and makes them authentic and compelling through the power of his characters and his storytelling. His work is a constant source of inspiration. Colony - Behind the Wall -- source link
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