eighth season of
24. the story would be set in new York
City‚ based around a nuclear disarmament treaty being
negotiated at the United nations between the U.s. and
a fictionalized islamic Republic. the Counter terrorism
Unit (CtU) was to be revived‚ and would need to be
River from the United nations complex‚ i wanted to evoke the
defensive‚ medieval notion of a moat. With the space now
re-imagined; this is all i knew. having such limited information
was incredibly liberating. i had designed the set for the
24
pilot‚ so i understood the needs of the program. the show is
fueled by a blistering‚ relentless tension that exists between
subterranean‚ it fostered a new contrast: the experience of
entering CtU would require one to completely disappear
from society‚ yet at the center of the facility was a 24-foot-
wide screen displaying views from satellites‚ street cameras‚
television broadcasts‚ data and information—the biggest
the characters and their surroundings. every environment is
immersed in that sense of urgency and shaped by palpable
anxiety—this mood compelled my concept‚ as the design
had to express emotion and drama in an intense‚ scripted
setting‚ so my choices were inherently different from those
window to the world. this screen was essential in tracking the
passage of time. Going below street level was a defensive
strategy considering that in previous seasons CtU had
always been attacked. having CtU always watching from
within gave the writers and characters unlimited scenarios
made for a private residence or hospitality project. Also
knowing that i would be creating sets for the series finale
inspired me to push the design into a completely original
realm.
