Lost The Videogame: Interview with Kevin Shortt – Script Writer on Lost The Videogame
by fabryt
03/07/2008 - 11:37
What was your "mission" for "Lost - The Videogame"? Do you think that you realized it?
Our mission was to recreate the Lost experience in a video game. And yes, I feel that we succeeded. Graphically, the island’s been vividly recreated down to the smallest details, and the video game’s story draws you in and keeps you thinking just as a great Lost story should.
What do you think about Lost - The TV Serial? And The Lost "Mania"?
Love it! Lost is going to be one of those TV series that will be remembered long after the series wraps. Just look at that Lost mania. Every episode gets people talking for days.
What type of cooperation is born with Lost's scriptwriters?
We worked closely with one of the Lost scriptwriters, Dawn Kelly. We spoke regularly and sent scripts back and forth to each other. We also met regularly with Damon Lindelof, Carlton Cuse and the Lost producers to discuss the story. At times, that meant 4 or 5 hour phone calls. So we had a lot of collaboration with the Lost team.
How would you define the relationship beetween Lost The Videogame and Lost The TV Serial?
When we made the game, we wanted to make sure that fans of the TV series didn’t need the game to get key answers. The show handles the big answers. Instead, our game provides extra details that you may not have discovered in the TV show. For example, the game lets you get behind the Swan’s magnetic wall – a location we never saw in the TV series. But the game was made with a lot of help from the Lost producers, so fans can certainly use any details from the game to help create new theories about the island’s meaning.
How is born the Elliot Maslow's charachter?
We wanted a character who was driven to explore, someone who could handle the unexpected on the island. A war photographer fit that perfectly, and we knew we could use his camera on the island. It’s the camera that holds the vital information for which he’s being pursued. Elliott Maslow’s name is derived from the American psychologist, Abraham Maslow, who popularized the concept of self-actualization. Philosophically, Elliott must reach self-actualization if he ever hopes to escape the island.
What is your preferite charachter in Lost and... why?
My favorite character is Ben Linus. He’s the one character I just can’t figure out. I can’t decide if he’s good or evil. Everything he does seems so calculated. He always seems 2 steps ahead of everyone else. And yet, his motives are still unclear.
What about the Lost Videogame's Conclusion? Is it open for a sequel? Is there a connection with the 4th season of TV serial?
The ending of the game came from an idea of Damon Lindelof’s. It’s an ending that should get the Lost fans buzzing. It will make some fans review all their theories about the island. You asked if the game’s open for a sequel. I think the island is the type of place that could easily allow for a sequel. It’s such a big world with so many stories yet to be told.
Do you know how Lost TV Serial will finish? Or... how do you think that Lost TV serial will finish?
I don’t have the secret answers on the end of the TV series. I think only Damon and Carlton have those answers. But if I had to guess, I’d say that the series will end with some rolling credits.
This is the last question... if you think that we've lost something in this interview... this is the good moment to say this! :-)
Like the TV show, we’re open to interpretation.
