Michael Seitzman filmography

[on what viewers will see in Code Black (2015)] "We have an episode where there's a catastrophic acc Show more [on what viewers will see in Code Black (2015)] "We have an episode where there's a catastrophic accident and it just feels insurmountable to our people as victims just keep coming and coming. We explore the type of situation when you're absolutely overwhelmed and not sure where to start and there are lives at sake. Then we have an episode that opens with our team in an ambulance racing to a scene and you don't know where they're going or what they're going to find. When they get to the scene they have to immediately make a lot of hard decisions about how to treat people and who will live and who won't and watching how they do that and how it affects them is really gripping." Hide

[on two other behind-the-scenes factors that make Code Black (2015) work] "Part of this is pure luck Show more [on two other behind-the-scenes factors that make Code Black (2015) work] "Part of this is pure luck, but when we cast the series, we chose people that we thought were great actors and they absolutely are, but we had no idea how great they would get along and you can't fake that type of camaraderie on screen. It makes it that much more real. Trust me, when you see Marcia Gay Harden and Luis Guzman together, you'll know see what I mean. Also, we built 30,000 square feet of hospital space for the show and it's all functioning equipment. When you walk in it's hard to remember that you're on a stage on a studio lot and not in a real hospital. It's fully outfitted to be a trauma center so if there's a natural disaster in Los Angeles [where we shoot] we could open our doors and help out. But, let's hope that never happens!" Hide

Code Black (2015) isn't just about doctors doing their jobs, it's about a lot more than that. Yes, i Show more Code Black (2015) isn't just about doctors doing their jobs, it's about a lot more than that. Yes, it's exciting and it doesn't let up so if you want action, we have that, but the truth is, I think that gets people to watch the show, but I don't think that's why they'll stay with it. We all showed up to The Sopranos (1999) because it was different and people were killing each other, but we stayed because Tony and Carmella were trying to make their marriage work and we cared about that. You got connected and you became concerned about these people. So we want people to show up for the intensity and then stay because you care. Show up because it's exciting, stay because it's emotional." Hide

Code Black is literally a death-defying look at today's world of medicine told from the boots on the Show more Code Black is literally a death-defying look at today's world of medicine told from the boots on the ground at LA County Hospital, Hide

[on why he had not made a medical drama before Code Black (2015)] I have... just in my family, I hav Show more [on why he had not made a medical drama before Code Black (2015)] I have... just in my family, I have a Gynecologist. I have an Epidemiologist. I have a Cardiologist, two Endocrinologists. I have three Nurses, a Social worker, a Dentist. I have a Biomedical Engineer, the head of an HMO. And I dated a Proctologist for a little while. Hide

[rehearsal helped the look and feel of Code Black (2015)] "We were running through a scene in our ER Show more [rehearsal helped the look and feel of Code Black (2015)] "We were running through a scene in our ER area with the full cast which includes all of our extras and the interesting thing here is that all of our extras are real nurses - we have 27 trauma nurses on staff. So, we were running the scene and we just weren't feeling the energy that we wanted so we told all of the nurses to say whatever they would say if it were a real trauma, like if they needed an X-ray, call out for an x-ray, if they needed another IV, call out for it. We decided that we'd just fit the scene over all of that. Once we did that, it was like something switched on and the energy level just shot way up. We feel that that's exactly how we wanted to show to feel." Hide

[Code Black (2015) on finding the rhythm] "In a pilot, you're discovering all of the facets of the s Show more [Code Black (2015) on finding the rhythm] "In a pilot, you're discovering all of the facets of the series; you're discovering the currency of the show - that thing that, aside from the storytelling, is going to make it unique and feel that much more real. We found it in an interesting way and I'm really glad we did." Hide

[on what compelled him to make a 90-second, 360 degree, Code Black (2015) Virtual Reality clip] One Show more [on what compelled him to make a 90-second, 360 degree, Code Black (2015) Virtual Reality clip] One of the basic creative conceits of the show is that we try to be relentlessly subjective in our filmmaking, i.e. you are the doctor, you are the resident. Being a fly on the wall isn't close enough to the action. We want to drop you right in the middle of it. That sensibility lends itself to VR filmmaking in a very real, very organic way. Also, "Code Black's"center stage set is uniquely suited for a 360-degree experience. The whole idea of that set is to surround you with a wildly kinetic, overwhelming world full of people who urgently need saving and the heroes who are saving them. Hide

[on keeping the focus on the people and their heroism, on, Code Black (2015)] "We took great pains t Show more [on keeping the focus on the people and their heroism, on, Code Black (2015)] "We took great pains to get technology out of the show. You don't see any touchscreen." Hide

[on real-life hospitals in Code Black (2015)] "Right now, there's a code black every episode and tha Show more [on real-life hospitals in Code Black (2015)] "Right now, there's a code black every episode and that really mirrors the real life we experience," Hide

[on Code Black (2015)] "A lot of medical shows want to be about the future of medicine...[but he fel Show more [on Code Black (2015)] "A lot of medical shows want to be about the future of medicine...[but he felt that]...keeps you at arms length." Hide

[on so few variations in this Code Black (2015) genre] "I think people get afraid to tackle somethin Show more [on so few variations in this Code Black (2015) genre] "I think people get afraid to tackle something that's been done before"... "It was so familiar to me"..."They say write what you know, but sometimes you know something so well, you don't want to go near it." Hide

[on the intensity of Code Black (2015)] "I always say that the show needs to be aggressively grounde Show more [on the intensity of Code Black (2015)] "I always say that the show needs to be aggressively grounded but relentlessly human," Hide

[on how the viewer might feel after Code Black (2015)]"By the end of an hour of watching it, you sho Show more [on how the viewer might feel after Code Black (2015)]"By the end of an hour of watching it, you should feel like you had a real experience." Hide

[on viewers and Code Black (2015)] "You get a sense of what viewers can tolerate. They seem to be ve Show more [on viewers and Code Black (2015)] "You get a sense of what viewers can tolerate. They seem to be very adept and acrobatic in the way that they experience storytelling," Hide

[on us wanting more and more...Code Black (2015)] "We have anywhere from five to eight different pat Show more [on us wanting more and more...Code Black (2015)] "We have anywhere from five to eight different patient storylines in our episodes and no one seems to lose track or get confused. In a way, I think audiences have become sort of almost insatiable in their thirst for more; more action, more storytelling, just more overall." Hide

[the overall goal of Code Black (2015)] "I really believe that you can make the audience a witness o Show more [the overall goal of Code Black (2015)] "I really believe that you can make the audience a witness or a participant and I feel like our writing and shooting style goes a long way to making you feel like a participant. If you feel stressed or overwhelmed that's part of the idea." Hide

[on what real hospitals must do] "They can't turn away ambulance traffic. They can't turn away anybo Show more [on what real hospitals must do] "They can't turn away ambulance traffic. They can't turn away anybody." Hide

[on the medical field being crowded] "I don't really pay close attention to those shows. It's like h Show more [on the medical field being crowded] "I don't really pay close attention to those shows. It's like having two parties - you're having your New Year's Eve party and I'm having mine and I don't really care what's happening at yours. I just want my guests to be happy. I tend not to think about it except I want to know what's out there. But I do think about [the series] ER because it was so good and it was a favorite of mine. My hope is that we get compared to them. I watched every season. I thought it was remarkable. I'm not trying to necessarily emulate ER, but I do try to live up to it." [ Code Black (2015)] Hide

[as for what the audience can expect on, Code Black (2015)] "You can't beat the story engine. People Show more [as for what the audience can expect on, Code Black (2015)] "You can't beat the story engine. People show up at the door and they're having the worst day of their lives. ... You think about these 15 hour shifts, and these people coming in at their worst have to be treated by people at their best." Hide

[Code Black (2015) on starting out a little low key] "I had written the part where one doctor talks Show more [Code Black (2015) on starting out a little low key] "I had written the part where one doctor talks the other through the procedure on the phone and then I added that that doctor would be during some surgery at the same time. Then I said, 'hey, let's have another doctor doing something with another patient right next to the surgery patient. Then when we were shooting it, I said, 'let's add another bed here, and then a 4th bed and 5th bed over there. We just kept saying, 'let's do more,' and that's how we amped it all up and got the scene that you see." Hide

[on "Code Black" (2015)_] "The trick is to make it exciting and intimate at the same time. I say to Show more [on "Code Black" (2015)_] "The trick is to make it exciting and intimate at the same time. I say to all the directors, writers and editors, and this sounds counter intuitive, 'you think that your job is to make it exciting but the environment is exciting as it is. The challenge is, how do you make it personal?' You can look at this as a window into a world that's different that yours, but we also have to make it a mirror so that the stories reflect back on you and you feel something." Hide