[S1E1] Pilot Part 1 ((BETTER))
"Pilot" is the two-part television pilot of the ABC television series Lost, with part 1 premiering on September 22, 2004, and part 2 one week later on September 29. Both parts were directed by J. J. Abrams, who co-wrote the script with series co-creators Damon Lindelof. Jeffrey Lieber, who had been commissioned by ABC to write the first version of the script, earned a story credit. Filmed in Oahu, Hawaii, it was the most expensive pilot episode up to that time, costing between $10 and $14 million, largely due to the expense of purchasing, shipping, and dressing a decommissioned Lockheed 1011 to represent Flight 815's wreckage. Many changes were made during the casting process, including the selected actors, the characters' behaviors and fates.
[S1E1] Pilot Part 1
The pilot introduces the survivors of Oceanic Flight 815, who experience a plane crash and end up on a mysterious island. Three of the characters, Jack Shephard (Matthew Fox), Kate Austen (Evangeline Lilly) and Charlie Pace (Dominic Monaghan), are featured before the crash in flashbacks of their experiences on the plane as it breaks apart in mid-air; this narrative technique would be reused in almost every subsequent episode of the series. The Lost pilot is one of the most critically acclaimed television pilots of all time. Both parts earned high ratings, and the episode would later win many awards and accolades.
The following morning, Jack and Kate set out to retrieve the plane's transceiver from its front section, which landed in the jungle. They are accompanied by Charlie Pace. The trio find it leaning against a tree, forcing them to climb up to reach the cockpit. Charlie disappears into the bathroom while Jack and Kate awaken the concussed pilot. He tells that the plane lost radio contact six hours after takeoff, whereupon it turned back for Fiji and hit wake turbulence. He estimates that they were a thousand miles off course before the crash, meaning that any rescuers would be looking in the wrong place. He tries using the transceiver, but cannot get a signal.
Suddenly the strange roaring noise is heard again, and the pilot is seized by something outside the plane, prompting the trio to grab the transceiver and flee. During the escape, Charlie falls and Jack returns to help him while a terrified Kate runs on. After the unseen monster leaves, the three reunite and discover the pilot's mangled body suspended in a treetop.
Kate is revealed to be the marshal's prisoner, wearing the handcuffs Walt found in the jungle. As the turbulence hits, the luggage compartment is shaken open and the marshal is knocked unconscious by a falling suitcase. Kate struggles to put on her oxygen mask due to the handcuffs, so she frees herself using the marshal's keys and puts his oxygen mask on him before attaching her own. The tail section of the plane breaks off and falls away.
In the initial plans for the series, Jack was going to die midway through the first episode. The role of Jack was originally offered to Michael Keaton, but when the producers quickly changed their minds about Jack's death, making him the leader, Keaton gave up the job. After Matthew Fox's casting as Jack, the character was established as a leader, and the airplane pilot was introduced to take Jack's place as The Monster's first victim.[14] The pilot wound up being played by Greg Grunberg, a childhood friend of Abrams who the producer brings into most of his projects.[15] Around seventy-five women of different shapes, sizes, ethnicities and ages auditioned to be Kate. In the initial plans, Kate would emerge as the leader after Jack died. She was not going to be a fugitive, instead her husband was going to go to the bathroom shortly before the plane split in mid air, and she would remain adamant on the Island that he was alive. This ended up being used for Rose's (L. Scott Caldwell) character instead. The producers were impressed with Canadian Evangeline Lilly's audition for Kate, as she displayed the confidence with vulnerability that they were looking for. Lilly had difficulty obtaining a visa to work in America. She was supposed to start on the first day of filming, but the schedule was rearranged to give her more time, and in the meantime, the producers began auditioning again in case the visa did not come through. However, during one of the auditions, they got an email confirming that she had obtained her visa and could start work on the show.[14]
Matthew Fox, Dominic Monaghan and Jorge Garcia originally auditioned for the role of Sawyer, who at the time was supposed to be a suit-wearing city con man, but the role was given to Josh Holloway. Garcia was the first actor the producers knew they were going to cast. While the producers thought Garcia was spectacular, they did not think he fit in the role of Sawyer, so they created the Hurley character for him instead.[14] When Holloway auditioned for Sawyer, the producers liked his southern accent and the edge he brought to the character (Holloway reportedly forgot his lines and kicked a chair in frustration). The producers knew he did not suit the role, but thought he was very watchable, so they rewrote the role to suit him, making him more feral, Southern, but kept the same intelligence he originally had.[14] After appearing in The Lord of the Rings, Dominic Monaghan was offered many fantasy-based roles, like elves and pixies. He was keen to portray a different role, so he wanted a contemporary part that had layers and an edge. Originally Charlie was an older rocker that has been a big hit in the 1980s but now had a heroin addiction. After the producers enjoyed Monaghan's audition of Sawyer, they decided to cast him as Charlie and rewrote the script to make Charlie a young has-been instead.[14]
When the producers were auditioning actors for roles in Lost, Harold Perrineau was in the area.[14] The producers called it a "natural move" to have him audition.[14] Although initially skeptical about the show, he took the role when Lost creator J. J. Abrams explained more about it.[14] A lot of children were seen for the role of Walt. They were narrowed down to the top three, with Malcolm David Kelley winning it, after the producers were impressed with his role in Antwone Fisher.[14] Abrams had worked with Terry O'Quinn previously on Alias, and was keen to work with him again. He explained to O'Quinn that although the role of John Locke in the first episodes would be fairly small, the character will develop afterwards. O'Quinn took the role as he trusted Abrams. He was also the only actor who did not have to officially audition for a part of a main character.[14] The producers were looking for someone who had a "Paris Hilton quality" to play Shannon, but she could not just be shallow, as the storyline would require more than that. A lot of women were auditioned before the producers finally settled on Maggie Grace.[14] She was written to be an antipathetic character in the first season as the producers needed a character they could use to create opposition and conflict.[16] Unlike many other characters of the first season, who were rewritten based on their actors, Boone was largely the same through production. He was originally going to be named Boone Anthony Markham V, going by the nickname, "Five". Ian Somerhalder was cast in the role, but he did not want to shoot a pilot; however, he jumped at the opportunity once he found out he would be working with Abrams.[14]
Lost was planned to be a multi-cultural show with an international cast. The producers thought it was essential that an Australian was cast for the part of Claire, and the Oceanic 815 was leaving from Sydney. Emilie de Ravin was working in Edmonton, so was unable to go to the auditions, which were being held in Los Angeles. From a video she sent to the producers, they were able to tell that de Ravin had the youth and sweetness required for the role, but also looked as though she had some life experience.[14] Sayid was not in the original draft of the pilot episode, but executive consultant Jeff Pinkner had worked with Naveen Andrews on a short-lived ABC series called The Beast, and was keen to have him on Lost. The producers were surprised that Andrews was interested in the role. When they cast him, all Andrews was told was that Sayid was from Iraq and had been in the army.[14] Yunjin Kim originally auditioned for Kate. At her audition she told the producers that she spoke fluent Korean, having been raised in South Korea, where she had starred in several films. The producers were impressed with Kim's performance and wrote her the character of Sun, who was planned to be someone who could not speak English, but after examining her relationship with her husband, the audience would learn that she does in fact speak it. Daniel Dae Kim was cast in the role of Jin, Sun's husband. Dae Kim described his audition as a "really interesting experience". He found it especially hard as it was his first time acting in Korean, and he had not spoken in it regularly since being in high school, when he would talk to his parents.[14]
Filming began on March 11, 2004, with soundstage shooting in Los Angeles for the scenes set inside the flight.[9] The primary location was the Hawaiian island of Oahu.[17] The wreckage of Flight 815 was made with a Lockheed L-1011 built in 1972 and previously used by Delta Air Lines until 1998, that after being purchased by ABC was broken up and sent to Hawaii by ship.[18] which at an estimated $10 to $14 million was the most expensive pilot episode up to that time.[19][20] Filming wrapped on April 24, Lindelof's birthday.[21]
The pilot episode's world premiere was on July 24, 2004, at San Diego Comic-Con.[22] Part 1 had its first ABC broadcast on September 22, 2004, and was seen by 18.6 million viewers, the best for an ABC drama pilot since Murder One in 1995.[23] The following week, part 2 scored 10.5/17 on the Nielsen ratings, watched by 17 million viewers.[24] Both parts aired on the same night for its first UK broadcast on Channel 4, August 10, 2005, and it became an instant hit. It was the second most watched programme for Channel 4 for that week, with ratings of 6.75 million, second only to Big Brother.[25] 041b061a72