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trance Creator Sam Levinson joined director Jason Reitman for a screening and conversation about the latest episode of the HBO drama Wednesday night.
American Cinematheque held a double feature for tranceThe sixth episode of the third season is titled “Stand Still and Look” and dirty harry, Which Levinson cited as inspiration for the episode at the Aero Theater in Santa Monica. The writer-director teased a bit of the season’s final two episodes, singing the praises of composer Hans Zimmer and speaking at length about the season’s exploration of faith throughout the nearly half-hour conversation.
Levinson warned fans of the show that they should not wait to watch the final episodes as they will be shown within the next ten days. “If you don’t watch Episodes 7 and 8 live — the moment they drop — you’ll be spoiled,” he said, without offering any further teasers. “There are some big things happening.”
Reitman and Levinson talked about the sixth episode, which the two watched with the audience at the West Side Theater. “Knowing where things are going at seven and eight, I think this is our best season,” Levinson said.
He continued, “I think that the eighth episode in particular reaches a level of poignancy that I could only dream of when I was working on this show for the first time,” linking it to the religious and symbolic images that appeared during the sixth episode. “I think there’s a lot to learn from religion, and also on a purely graphic level in terms of cinematography and imagery, it’s full of these inspiring mythological images.”
Levinson and Reitman took a moment to celebrate Zimmer, who served as the season’s sole composer following Labrinth’s widely publicized exit. The pair were originally prepared to tackle the project together. “Hans Zimmer was a blessing because we needed about four and a half hours of music for the season and what he was able to do in such a cohesive way across several different genres,” Levinson said. “It’s amazing and I’m so proud of him.”
Reitman and Levinson also touched on their journeys with each other’s work, both recalling when Levinson showed Reitman a rough cut of the other’s work. trancePilot episode. “If you have a rough idea about anything and need feedback, Jason Reitman is the guy,” Levinson told the crowd.
“I bring the pilot over to his house and I press play, we get maybe 45 seconds of it. “Pause it,” he says. What the hell is that line of voiceover over there? This doesn’t make any sense. What’s wrong with the music?” Levinson continued. “He paused it every 30 seconds until about minute 12, and he tore me to shreds, and then he sat there silently for the rest of it and turned to me and said, ‘Well, the problem is only with the first 12 minutes.’ The rest is wonderful.”
