Bruno Heller (interviews)

Q&A: 'The Mentalist' creator Bruno Heller.

In a trick worthy of any master of manipulation, Bruno Heller has gone two-for-two in Hollywood.

First the British television writer created HBO’s "Rome" -- an epic and gripping series that was prematurely canceled after the show’s high-cost production forced the network to decide its fate before its impressive second season had debuted.

For his second trick, Heller created CBS’ "The Mentalist," starring Simon Baker as a former psychic fraud who helps the police solve crimes. Nearly every creative aspect is different from "Rome," yet Heller once again captured critics and an audience -- only a much larger audience this time. “The Mentalist” is one of only two new series that have firmly broken out during this challenged fall season (the other is Fox’s “Fringe,” which likewise took the procedural investigative format and added a few new twists).

Below Heller reveals when the “Red John” serial killer story will be resolved, what's the deal with Patrick Jane's vests and how “the notion of the show is not to be a bummer.”


THR: How did the idea for “The Mentalist” come about?

Bruno Heller: It was really a combination of two things: The desire to do a Sherlock Holmes type of character. And noticing that every street in America has a psychic or palm reader -- so there’s a whole world of people in the position of selling a line of bullshit and at the same time helping people. So a detective who uses those type of aggressive manipulation skills seemed like a natural.

THR: Did you watch police procedurals before creating the show?

Heller: It gives me vertigo to watch TV dramas. Previously I did "Rome" and I couldn’t watch any Roman things. So my process was to get things back to basics and try to do the show as if no one had done it before. So I very deliberately avoided seeing what was out there.

THR: When you first wrote the script, who did you picture for the role? Simon Baker is great, but he’s unusual enough so that I wouldn’t think a writer would imagine him per se.

Heller: Yes, as it turned out, he brings whole other stuff to the role that I hadn’t imagined. It needed somebody with grace -- physical and spiritual grace. I imagined a Cary Grant type of role. Somebody who moves and looks graceful, because those guys -- mentalists and psychics -- they have to be people you’d want to get close to because that’s what they are trying to do with you. Simon has those things in spades.

THR: There are many people who believe in performers like John Edward, who have never heard of “cold reading.” What’s been the reaction among those viewers of the show?

Heller: I studiously avoid seeing the reaction.

THR: You don’t read message boards and that sort of thing?

Heller: No. I don’t believe in that [psychic] stuff, but my wife, whom I love dearly and I respect deeply, does believe in it. You can’t prove a negative. The show isn’t saying there’s no such thing as psychics, just that [Patrick Jane] wasn’t a real one and he’s never seen a real one. So in that sense we’re having our cake and eating it too.

THR: There’s a couple things I liked in the pilot that I haven’t seen since, or least not much of: The flashbacks to him being a sleazy charlatan. And the ending of the pilot -- which I could easily imagine a network not liking -- of Jane going to sleep on a mattress in the vacant home where his murdered family used to live. It raised the idea that this guy is much weirder and darker than we suspected.

Heller: I like both of those too. Seeing him in his original guise is lovely. But we can only go back there so often. We will go there, but sparingly. With the whole weird sensibility of his, it’s a question of threading that through a character who is on the surface a happy person and kind of graceful and light. The idea is to show that grace and lightness is an act of heroism; it's not simple-minded happiness. It’s a conscious decision he is making to live his life positively. So where we draw the line at underlining that dark side is tricky. There are episodes coming up where that dark side of him will be featured much more strongly. But the notion of the show is not to be a bummer.

THR: We’ve seen about eight episodes so far. Are you happy with the show or are you looking to do “more of this, less of that,” in the future?

Heller: I’m not happy. I think we’re halfway there to what the show can be. It’s not changing the proportions of anything. It’s a massive machine. The end result is never quite what you want; you’re compromising and working things out as you go along. So the tuning never stops. The reason the show has been successful is what Simon brings to it. He’s a genuine pleasure to watch. It’s not that he’s doing technical things. He just has that spark and we try to infuse the show with that sensibility.

THR: When you show Jane winning so much money at blackjack and hypnotizing people to do what he wants, don’t you risk turning him into too much of a superman?

Heller: There’s always a danger of that. The appeal of these kind of characters is in their superiority, and in their flawed superiority. If he is a superhero, he’s one with many flaws. We won’t go too far over that line. The fascinating thing about [mentalists], when you talk to the really good ones, they do have amazing skills.

THR: Looking at what’s working and what’s not working in primetime, what’s your take? Is there something that viewers are looking for that networks haven’t clued in on?

Heller: I only know we’re doing well because people tell me so. I don’t read the numbers. When I’ve had hard times in my life, the one thing about being in TV is that it’s positive. I withdrew to “Cheers,” it was familiar in that it was family. It had a kind of realistic positiveness to it.

THR: The Red John serial killer mythology. Each episode's title has the word "red" in it. I’m assuming that’s to suggest that no matter what case Jane is working on, Red John is always on his mind?

Heller: That’s right.

THR: When do you plan to resolve that story line?

Heller: It’s something that will run throughout the series -- it’s a series ender, not a season ender. There’s lot of wrinkles and twists down that path before we get to it. It’s the epic underpinning of the series that gives it weight. It’s the plot version of the darkness inside the lead character and it’s important it remain a part of the show.

THR: So by saying that, you know what that ending is?

Heller: I got the bones of it, yeah. I know where I’m taking it.

THR: Somebody (and I’m pretty sure it was “Lost” showrunner Damon Lindelof talking about working on “Nash Bridges”) once said he was told to never name a show after a character, because then they’ll have total control. Any concern about Simon Baker eventually going money or power mad?

Heller: Never name a show after a character if you want to be the guy running the show. But somebody has to be in charge and it might as well be the guy who’s doing most of the work. It can bite you in the ass, but Simon is a genuine pleasure. And people want there to be a key guy at the center. If you look at long-term successful shows, like “NCIS” or “House,” there is a key guy at the center that if you take that person out of the show, then, what is it?

THR: Hopefully CBS won’t have too much problem with that on “CSI.” Speaking of, now that the show is taking off, any plans to change any of the supporting cast?

Heller: One of the things about turning an ensemble into a family is not getting into that in my head. Then it’s like, “Ohh, wouldn’t it be great to get this person?” But if you have a family, you wouldn’t say, “Let’s lose the daughter and bring in Jamie Lynn Spears.” That stuff will happen, but organically.

THR: OK, this question is pretty fan-like, but a friend wanted me to ask this, so I am: Jane’s vests. Was that actually in the script or...

Heller: There was a lot of discussion about wardrobe that was above my pay grade. But both Simon and I knew that Jane should have a specific look. The thinking is these were the suits he used to wear as a mentalist and he would have them dry cleaned and pressed. Now he gets them out of the bottom of the cupboard. It’s also a magician thing. They wear vests because they need to be able to hide things.

THR: That’s a much better answer to that question than I expected.

Source : http://www.thrfeed.com/2008/11/qa-the-mentalis.html

C'est intéressant l'idée de l'acte héroïque en parlant de la bonne humeur de Jane.

A la fin du pilot - qui, je peux facilement l'imaginer, peut déplaire à une grande chaîne nationale - Jane va dormir sur un matelas dans sa maison vide où sa famille assassinée vivait. Cela accentue l'idée que ce gars est plus bizarre et plus sombre que nous ne le suspections.
Bruno Heller : Le voir dans sa véritable apparence est beau mais nous ne pouvons pas y retourner trop souvent. Nous le montrerons, mais avec parcimonie. Avec toute cette sensibilité bizarre, il est question de passer prudemment à travers un personnage qui, en surface, est une personne heureuse, pleine de grâce et de légèreté. L'idée est de montrer que cette grâce et cette légèreté sont un acte d'héroïsme. Ce n'est pas un simple état d'esprit heureux. Il s'agit d'une décision consciente de vivre sa vie positivement. Donc, où tracer la ligne pour souligner ce côté obscur est délicat. Il y a des épisodes à venir où son côté obscur sera plus prononcé. Mais la série n'a pas pour objet d'être déprimante.

Merci Azertynin!

Voici une traduction ( qui arrive un peu tard hihi mais je suis inscrite sur ce forum depuis relativement peu de temps...):



Questions & Réponses: Bruno Heller, le producteur de «The Mentalist» :

Avec une habileté digne d’un expert en manipulation, Bruno Heller a frappé un grand coup à deux reprises à Hollywood.

En premier lieu, le scénariste Britannique ( Bruno Heller) qui a créé la série “Rome”(une passionnante série épique qui a été prématurément décommandée après les hauts coûts engrangés par les tournages) diffusée sur HBO ( chaîne d’origine états-unienne payante) a forcé la production à décider de l’avenir de la série avant que son étonnante deuxième saison ait débuté.

Avec une fois de plus beaucoup d’ingéniosité, Heller a créé la série de la chaîne CBS : “The Mentalist”, dont le premier rôle est tenu par Simon Baker en tant qu’habile manipulateur psychologique, qui aide la police à résoudre leurs crimes. Presque tous les aspects inhérants à la série sont différents de ceux de la série « Rome », bien qu’Heller ait encore une fois capté l’attention des critiques et des télespectateurs ( cette fois, il y a eût bien plus d’audiences que pour la série « Rome »). « The Mentalist » est la seule des deux nouvelles séries qui soit clairement sortie du lot en cette fin de saison fortement contestée (l’autre série est celle de la chaîne Fox : « Fringe » , qui a repris les mêmes procédures policières que « The Mentalist » avec des ajouts de nouveaux genres de rebondissements).

Derrière tout ça, Heller nous révèle quelle est l’importance du look de Jane et comment « l’intérêt de cette série n’est pas de se finir en situation profondément déprimante » quand l'enquête sur le tueur en série « John le Rouge » sera résolue.

THR( The Hollywood Reporter, le reporter hollywoodien): Comment vous est venue l’idée de la série “The Mentalist”?
Bruno Heller: C’était clairement une combinaison de deux choses: le désir de faire un genre de personnage comme Sherlock Holmes. Et le fait de remarquer que chaque rue en Amérique a un(e) voyant(e) ou un(e) chiromancien(ne) ( quelqu’un qui lit les lignes de la main) et que, de fait, il y a une majorité de personnes en position de vendre ces conneries et en même temps, de personnes qui veulent aider les gens. Du coup, une personne qui a recourt à ce type d'habile manipulation m’a semblé être quelquechose de naturel.

THR: Aviez-vous vu des séries policières avant de créer cette série?
Heller: Cela me donne le vertige de regarder des drames télévisés. Précédemment, j’ai réalisé « Rome » et je n’avais pas pu voir quoique ce soit de Romain. Ma manière de fonctionner a donc été de retourner aux bases et de faire la série comme si personne n’avait jamais fait une telle série. J’ai donc délibérément évité de regarder ce qui se faisait.

THR: Quand vous avez écrit le scénario, qui avez-vous imaginé pour le personnage ? Simon Baker est doué, mais il est assez inattendu de sorte que je n’aurais jamais pu imaginer qu’un auteur pense à lui.
Heller: Oui, vu comme ça a tourné, il a apporté des choses au personnage que je n’aurais jamais soupçonnées. Le rôle requierait quelqu’un avec de la grâce ( physique et spirituelle). J’ai imaginé quelqu’un comme Cary Grant pour le rôle. Quelqu’un qui se déplace élégamment et qui apparaît gracieux, parce que ce genre de gars ( mentalistes et voyants) sont des gens qui doivent vous faire envie d’être proches d’eux parce que c’est précisément ce qu’ils essaient de faire. Simon a cela en lui.

THR: Il y a pas mal de monde qui croient en des interprètes tel que John Edward, qui n’a jamais entendu parler de « cold reading » ( technique de manipulation utilisée par les tarologues). Quelle a été la réaction parmis les télespectateurs de la série ?
Heller: J’évite soigneusement de me mettre au courant de cela.

THR: Vous ne lisez pas les messages postés ( sur internet) ou ce genre de choses?
Heller: Non. Je ne crois pas en ces choses (de voyance), mais ma femme, que j’aime tendrement et que je respecte profondément, croit en ça. On ne peut prouver que ça n’existe pas. La série ne dit pas qu’il n’y a pas des choses comme les voyants par exemple, mais juste que Patrick Jane n’en était pas réellement un et qu’il n’en a jamais vu un vrai. Donc, on a le beurre, l’argent du beurre et le cul de la crémière.

THR: Il y a de nombreuses choses que j’apprécie dans le pilote que je n’avais cependant pas compris, ou du moins, pas clairement : les flashbacks de Jane en tant que répugnant charlatan. Et la fin du pilote (dont je peux deviner qu’elle n’est pas appréciée) de Jane allant dormir sur un matelas dans la maison vide où sa famille assassinée vivait habituellement. Cela soulève l’idée que cet homme est beaucoup plus étrange et sombre que ce que l’on pouvait penser.
Heller: J’aime tout ça aussi. Le voir dans son attitude d’antan est délectable. Mais on ne peut tout simplement pas le voir aussi souvent ainsi. Nous y viendrons, mais avec parcimonie. Il est question de disséminer tout cela, avec subtilité, dans un personnage heureux, qui a quelque chose qui s'apparente à la grâce et qui est rayonnant en surface. L’idée est de montrer que cette grâce et cette gaieté sont un acte d’héroïsme ; ce n’est pas un bonheur aussi facilement accessible qu’il n’y paraît. C’est une décision réfléchie de vivre sa vie avec optimisme. En conséquence, la manière de pointer ce côté noir devient délicate. Il y a des épisodes à venir où ce côté obscure de Jane sera davantage mis en relief. Mais l’intérêt de cette série n’est pas d’être déprimante.

THR: Nous avons déjà visionné autour de 8 épisodes. Etes-vous satisfait de la série ou cherchez-vous à faire « plus de ceci, moins de cela, » dans le futur ?
Heller: Je ne suis pas satisfait. Je pense que nous sommes à mi-chemin de ce que nous pouvons faire. Cela ne changera pas grand-chose. C’est un énorme produit. Le résultat final n’est jamais aussi bon que ce que vous souhaitez; vous faîtes des compromis et perfectionnez les choses au mieux. La recherche d'améliorations est constante. La raison pour laquelle la série a marché est le résultat de tout ce que Simon y a apporté. Il est un véritable enchantement à voir. Ce n’est pas qu’il fasse des choses techniques. Il a juste cette étincelle et nous essayons de la propager dans la série avec subtilité.

THR: Quand vous montrez Jane affichant tant d’argent au blackjack et hypnotisant les gens pour qu’ils fassent ce qu’il veut, vous ne risquez pas de trop de le tourner en un Superman?
Heller: Il y a toujours un danger à ça. L’attraction exercée par ce type de personnage est dans leur supériorité, et dans leur imparfaite supériorité. S’il est un super-héros, c’en est un avec beaucoup de défauts. Nous n’allons pas très loin dans cette idée ( de super-héros). Ce qu’il y a de fascinant chez les mentalistes, quand vous parlez à ceux qui sont vraiment doués, c’est qu’ils ont d’impressionnantes capacités.

THR: Au regard de ce qui marche ou non aux prime time, quel est votre choix? Y a-t-il quelque chose que les télespectateurs recherchent et que les réseaux d’internet n’ont pas révélé ?
Heller: Je sais juste que nous sommes dans le bon car les gens me le disent. Je ne consulte pas les audiences. Quand j’ai eu des mauvais moments dans ma vie, l’importance d’être dans le domaine télévisuel était réelle. J’ai pris du recul face aux « fans », c’était familier car ils étaient comme de la famille. Cela était une sorte de bienveillance.

THR: Le mythe du tueur en série John le Rouge. Chaque titre d’épisode a le mot « rouge » qui en fait partie. Je suppose que cela suggère que dans chaque cas sur lequel Jane travaille, John le Rouge ne quitte jamais ses pensées.
Heller : C’est vrai.

THR: Quand avez-vous planifié de résoudre cette histoire?
Heller: C’est quelque chose qui perdurera dans toute la série ( c’est pour une fin de série, pas une fin de saison). Il y a de nombreux détours et chemins tortueux avant d’y arriver. C’est le support épique de la série qui lui donne toute son poids. C’est l’intrigante facette de la part d’ombre du personnage principal et il est important qu’il en reste une part à développer.

THR: Donc, en disant cela, vous savez quelle est la fin?
Heller: J’en ai la trame, oui. Je sais où je vais.

THR: Quelqu’un (Et je suis plutôt certaine que c’était le créateur de la série “Lost” qui parlait de son travail dans « Nash Bridges », série américaine) avait dit, une fois, qu’il ne fallait jamais faire une série éponyme ( fait de donner le nom du personnage principal à la série) parce qu’ensuite, l’acteur en a un entier contrôle. Quelque chose à dire sur Simon Baker qui gagnerait de l’argent grâce à cela ou qui deviendrait avide de reconnaissance?
Heller: Ne jamais faire une série éponyme si vous voulez que le gars quitte la série. Mais quelqu’un doit se charger de porter la série et autant que ce soit la personne qui fasse le plus gros du travail. Cela peut vous emmerder, mais Simon est un réel enchantement. Et les gens veulent un personnage clé au cœur des séries. Si vous prenez les séries à succès qui durent depuis longtemps, comme « NCIS » ou « House », il y a un personnage clé qui fait que si vous l’enlevez, que reste-il ensuite ?

THR: Heureusement, la chaîne CBS n’a pas eu trop de problèmes avec sa série “ CSI” ( “Les experts”). En parlant de ça, maintenant que la série prend son envol, avez-vous des prévisions pour le remplacement d’un des personnages principaux ?
Heller: Une des choses sur le fait de tourner un ensemble en famille est de ne pas avoir cette idée en tête. Sinon, c’est comme, « Ohh, ne serait-ce pas intéressant d’avoir cette personne ? ». Mais, si vous avez une famille, vous ne diriez pas : « Retirons la fille et engageons Jamie Lynn Spears ». Cette chose arrivera, mais de manière censée.

THR: OK, cette question n’est pas d’un réel fan, mais un ami m’a demandé de vous la poser, donc je le fais: les vestes de Jane. Etait-ce dans le scénario ou…
Heller: Il y a eut pas mal d’échanges sur la garde-robe qui revenait trop cher. Mais Simon et moi savions tous les deux que Jane devait avoir un look bien particulier. L’idée est que les habits choisis étaient ses costumes qu’il porterait alors en tant que mentaliste et qu’il devait s'en occuper ( lavage, etc...). Du coup, il les a sortis du fond de l’armoire. C’est aussi quelque chose de magique. Ils (les mentalistes) portent des vestes parce qu’ils ont besoin de pouvoir être capable de cacher des choses.

THR : C’est une bien meilleure réponse que ce à quoi je m’attendais.



Source : http://www.thrfeed.com/2008/11/qa-the-mentalis.html


Je pense comme toi Azertynin: très intéressant cette histoire d'acte héroïque. C'est là qu'on prend la mesure du désarrois/désespoir intérieur de Jane!

L'interview date un peu mais bon je l'ai trouvé intéressante et puis c'est quand même pas tous les jours que ces deux là parlent

Bruno Heller and Chris Long try to explain the magic behind 'The Mentalist'
10/05/2010

The producers of the hit crime drama chat about a number of aspects of the series, from working with star Simon Baker to being one of the last shows to shoot on film.

“The Mentalist” airs Thursday nights on CTV

On working with Simon Baker:

Heller:  It's one of those things they always tell you don't write a show where the lead character's in the title.  But with Simon, we were incredibly lucky to get Simon, and I think a great part of the show's success is directly due to him and to the fact that he's both a great actor and a great entertainer and has very sharp instincts, both for his own performance and for story and how he comes across on screen.  So I very much listen to what he's saying, and we collaborate a great deal in terms of how the character develops and how the character works.  I think he's a genuine TV star.  He has a charisma that really pops on screen.  People want to watch him.

On how getting to know Baker’s talents changed the way the role was written:

Heller: On a day-to-day basis, Baker's a great, great performer, but Chris has to work very closely with him on stage because he's always coming up with ideas and ways to play things. From a writing perspective, certainly.  More at the beginning of the process, as soon as Baker was the guy and as soon as we saw him working, the character becomes much more -- he's not driven by the actor, but my and the other writers' sense of who that character is is driven by Simon, and he's much more charming and light on his feet and kind of joyous than the original character I had in my head, just because he is.  When he walks into a room, people kind of smile, because he's a very handsome, charming guy who is giving in that way. So he brings that -- he brings that in spades, and it would be foolish to write a sort of gothic character against that.  And I think one of the reasons the show has popped as it has is that no one had really seen that essence of Simon Baker as an actor.  You have seen little snippets of him doing his stuff, but where he's had time and a big canvas to do stuff, he's always been in slightly more dour parts or more sort of restricted parts.  This allows him to blossom, and that's what you get.

Long:  I think he loves his character.  I really do.  He comes every day and he wants his character as good and fun and great as we can make it, so he's always interested.  He's always active. He's always got a lot to say about the blocking in a good way, in a collaborative way.  But, I mean, he owns Patrick Jane.

Heller:  Yeah.  But that's the thing.  A lot of actors deal with that.  When they own a character, they get kind of possessive and it becomes about the expression of some inner whatever. He's a very giving actor.  Very much old-school, like he's there to -- in any scene, he's thinking of, "How will this play with the audience?" which is subtly different from, "How can I make this true?" A lot of actors will simply try to make something true whereas in the best possible way, he's playing to the camera.  He's playing to the audience.  He's drawing the audience into what he's doing.  Even if it's something grim or dark, he brings the audience along with him because that's what he feels is his job.  That's why it's a great joy to work with and write for him because you know that whatever you do, he's going to try and take it to the next step.

Long:  He's very aware of where the camera is. Very understanding of the camera.  He's directed and brings much understanding of staging where the camera's going to be, which pieces we will use and won't use, and often we'll be in taping, "Oh, you won't be there for that."

On “The Mentalist” being called a “light” drama:

Heller:  I think when people talk about lighter drama, they tend to use that term, not derogatorily, but "lighter" means sort of less to a degree, but if you're an actor, light drama is often mistaken for easier drama.  I suspect if you were to ask Baker precisely what he would object to, it's the fact that whatever the popularity of light versus heavy drama, it's actually much harder to do this kind of show for an actor than a show where there's serial killers popping out of the cupboard every five minutes, because to hit the notes he has to hit and to keep the show on its toes in the way he does, it's actually very difficult.

Long:  "Criminal Minds" -- no disrespect to it -- is a really great show, but it's in the mold, cookie-cutter every week.  The crimes are the same. The tone of the show is the same.  Which is why those kind of shows have much more of a style imposed on them, "CSI," "Criminal Minds," all really, really, really well done, but it's not -- "The Mentalist," we tend to pride ourselves that we can swing around between the heavier episodes and the lighter episodes.

Heller:  Because I think he has those qualities in him.  He has a kind of Cary Grant charm and performance, which is a very -- it's not purely easy.  It looks very easy, but it's actually a very technical performance he brings every week and works very hard at.  As you see, he's also a contrarian person.  He has darker impulses underneath.  He is a genuine, tough man, so he brings both those qualities to it.  Personally, I like those moments in the show where we see that kind of hard edge underneath the lightness, because it's there, and when it pops out, it can be nicely chilling.

On the growth of the show’s secondary characters:

Heller: It's funny.  When you start a show, as writers, we say make it gritty.  Make it real. We want real people that look like cops, et cetera, et cetera.  So there's a certain element of that when you start.  And then as it goes on, wardrobe and makeup have their way, and everyone starts looking more and more beautiful.  And not just Amanda, but I think all of the characters.  That tends to be one of those things that happens in TV.

Long: We had a second year retread.  Like everyone -- as Nina Tassler said at CBS when she saw the last episode, "Everybody's got second-year hair."  It just sort of happens that way.  We looked at things like "Five Days," which was the British thing, and a very rich [inaudible] and stuff like that and looked at things that we liked that we felt came from England that were real and gritty, and it gradually just forms itself into something that's slicker because the nature of the way we make television over here.

Heller: It's also a certain point where everyone is looking gorgeous.  It's very difficult to go into the makeup trailer and say, "Can you make everyone here look a little less good than they did?" But all those storylines, it's very much about -- I was about to say it's all bait and switch.  But it's not that.  It's that they come to the foreground and then they step back again. The technical term is B stories.  We don't think of them as B stories.  There's no B stories in real life.  They're all A stories.  But it's kind of -- what we try and do is make those things happen at the pace of real life as opposed to the kind of supersonic speed that you normally get on TV drama where by at the end of the season, everyone has slept with everyone else, and they're already going on their second round of affairs.  With this, it's a smaller office, and it's more like the pace of real life because I think that's one of those -- I think that's a kind of a more English drama thing.  Stuff happens slower.

On shooting on film vs. digital high definition cameras:

Long: We are one of the last one-hour dramas in television to shoot film, and we want to hang onto film because we think it looks beautiful.  So much of the HD can look good, where it does still struggle in the exteriors.  So, therefore, you know, we shoot a lot of exterior.  We want to see California.  I guess we have a love affair with California, so we are sticking to film cameras.  HD will come to us eventually, because eventually the studio will make changes for us, three, four years down the line, as we literally become the last show on film.  I don't think there's one other drama that's a pilot this season that's being shot on film.  It's us and I think "CSI" is shot on film.  Everybody else has changed to HD.  HD does look great.  No problem with it.  But I think our show does look -- contrast the rich and expensive partly because it's shot on film and partly because of the places we're choosing to shoot.

On where the Jane/Lisbon relationship is headed:

Heller: I think that relationship -- again, Chris deals with it on a moment-by-moment basis, and to that degree, it's a moment-by-moment thing.  Like real life, they don't know where or what that relationship will turn into.  But I think where we try and keep it is keeping it -- those questions open, because it depends on the audience member. Some people see that as a very sort of intense but cryptic romantic relationship.  Other people see it purely as brother and sister.  And I think we leave it to time and the audience to play that out and the chemistry of the actors.

Long: Interestingly, they're really, really good friends, and they are like brother and sister. I'm not sure if we're being guided by that as we bring the show forward, but they behave like brother and sister.  You don't feel there's any sort of sexual tension between Robin Tunney and Simon Baker. They really like each other a lot as friends, so I'm not sure if it's part of that that's driving us that we don't see them making out or in a romantic relationship.

Heller: And also, those things, again, like real life, those two people can work in an office context like that for years and years and then suddenly discover, despite their brother and sister relationship, that they love each other.  That's the thing.  They do love each other on screen. And that sort of transcends any potential sexuality, and I think to that degree, it would be an entirely secondary thing if their relationship was ever consummated, but for me what great TV does is it creates kind of not substitute families, but kind of larger families, and the shows that last, that people are fond of, have relationships imbedded in them that are like relationships in real life, good ones.  They go on for years and years and years, and they change subtly.  It's not kind of big, melodramatic changes. It's just the familiarity and comfort of people you know, you know?

Long: And we try to shake up their relationship a little bit by putting Hightower in the middle of it.  Hightower's character introduced this season sort of gives Patrick Jane a bit of a free pass while putting the pressure on Lisbon to watch out for his behavior, which is a new dynamic that Minelli didn't bring.`

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Une interview audio de Bruno. C'est vraiment intéressant de voir sa vision des choses, comment il appréhende la série. Franchement n'hésitez pas prenez le temps de l'écouter ça vaut le coup

L'interview

Une autre interview courte de Bruno mais sympa.

Showrunners 2012: 'The Mentalist's' Bruno Heller

Heller talks about who has the industry's best ears for a pitch, the BBC show that inspires him and his love of "Storage Wars."

From their obsessive rituals (Peppermint Patties! Oatmeal! Bruce Springsteen!) to the parts of their jobs they hate most (killing characters off, dealing with agents), TV's most influential writer-producers featured on The Hollywood Reporter [3]'s annual list of the Top 50 Showrunners come clean about the people, things and quirky habits that keep them -- and their shows -- alive.

BRUNO HELLER, 52, The Mentalist (CBS), creator/EP/showrunner (5 years)

The show that inspired me to write:
Heller: [The BBC series] Boys from the Blackstuff by Alan Bleasdale.

My TV mentor:
Heller: [Warner Bros. TV president] Peter Roth. He has the best ears for a pitch out of anyone in Los Angeles. If you can sell what you are selling to Peter you can sell it to anyone.

The most absurd note I’ve ever gotten:
Heller: Peter Roth told me, “You said it was a romantic comedy but it wasn't romantic and it wasn't comic."

The one aspect of my job as showrunner that I’d rather delegate:
Heller: Firing people.

My preferred method for breaking through writers’ block:
Heller: Network TV deadlines.

The show I’m embarrassed to admit I watch:
Heller: [A&E’s] Storage Wars. It is the nearest thing to the relaxing experience of fishing in an empty river that television can provide.