ABSTRACT
Michael Dinner begins by explaining how he got the job directing the TV version of L.A. Confidential, and how he saw it differing from Curtis Hanson’s film version. He compares the intention to that of his earlier series Justified and talks about how he worked with cinematographer Bojan Bazelli to formulate a visual style. Dinner discusses the struggle of trying to recreate 1952 Los Angeles on a television schedule and goes into what he loves about the city and its history that he wanted to convey on the series. He explains what went into the casting process, and how pilots can fall apart if the casting isn’t right. He addresses the violence in L.A. Confidential and talks about the philosophy behind it, and explains how much he had to temper things in editing. He also discusses the test screening process and concludes with the hope that the show will be picked up (it isn’t).
