EP Carlton Cuse On Telling Katrina Story – Deadline

Five Days at Memorial, the grim story in regards to the disastrous occasions that happened at a New Orleans hospital after Hurricane Katrina, completed its eight-episode run right this moment on Apple TV. Right here, Government Producer Carlton Cuse (Locke & Key, Misplaced), who along with John Ridley (12 Years a Slave) tailored the collection from the nonfiction e-book by Sheri Fink, explains what it was wish to chronicle the story of healthcare professionals like Dr. Anna Pou (Vera Farmiga) and incident commander Susan Mulderick (Cherry Jones), who confronted overwhelming odds to save lots of sufferers at Memorial Medical Heart.

DEADLINE It’s extraordinary how lengthy this has been within the works, clearly beginning with Scott Rudin buying the rights again in 2013. Why do you suppose it took so lengthy? 

CARLTON CUSE I consider it’s an extremely compelling story, however clearly not the simplest story to look at. I believe that scared folks away and perhaps it simply took discovering the correct executives. On this case, Jamie Erlicht and Zack Van Amburg and Matt Cherniss had the temerity to say this can be a nice story and we’re gonna make this. I give these guys monumental credit score for having the type of braveness to make this story, notably at this second in time once we’ve simply come out of a pandemic the place most of the ethical and moral points have been at play. 5 Days at Memorial has nice resonance.

Did you ever attempt to attain Dr. Anna Pou?

CUSE No, we didn’t. We made the choice early on that we have been going to only use the e-book as our main supply. The e-book is extremely properly researched and Sheri Fink spent six years writing it. We talked quite a bit in regards to the kind of picture we have been after, just like the spinning high on the finish of Inception. We wished to attain one thing comparable the place we advised the story from a number of views and gave the viewers the possibility to attract their very own conclusions about what went on. Our notion was that individuals got here away from studying the e-book with totally different concepts about what they thought occurred. Totally different folks will really feel alternative ways in regards to the ethical and moral points in query on this story. .

Since Pou in the end wasn’t charged, did you’re feeling such as you needed to change something within the story to keep away from being sued?

CUSE We approached this challenge with a excessive diploma of constancy to the e-book. It’s an adaptation, a dramatization, it’s not a recitation of info. So within the means of adapting one thing, clearly there’s type of a inventive utility. John and I have been attempting to inform the story with as a lot emotional fact as we might discover. That’s how we approached it. We weren’t considering by way of the authorized facet. We have been considering by way of how can we inform this story with authenticity, with coronary heart, and with a way of conveying the emotional fact.

The quantity of actual life footage that you simply used was unbelievable. Was {that a} delicate stability, determining how a lot to make use of?

CUSE Sure, very a lot. This story may be very metaphoric, however it’s additionally very insular. A lot of the narrative takes place inside this hospital. John and I felt like we wanted to essentially give the viewers context. I keep in mind my expertise at first studying Sheri’s e-book, and I assumed I knew about Hurricane Katrina. I’d watched the protection. After which I spotted, oh my God, I don’t actually know something in any respect, not solely by way of how the disaster unfolded, however the particular story of what occurred at this hospital and the problems that arose there. John and I each felt the viewers wanted to be refreshed contextually about what was occurring. I give nice credit score to our wonderful editors, JoAnne Yarrow and Colin Wealthy and in addition Vikash Patel, who simply contributed enormously to figuring that out.

How did you shoot these scenes outdoors the hospital with all of the water? 

CUSE We constructed a 4 million gallon water tank in Hamilton, Ontario, which is simply west of Toronto. It was a metropolis block lengthy, and we constructed the facade of the hospital, together with the emergency ramp, in that water tank. We had the power to lift and decrease the extent. The water tank was massive sufficient that we have been in a position to crane massive boats into that water tank and drive these boats up and down the road to the hospital. After which across the tank have been gigantic blue screens. We had shot an unlimited quantity of reference images, and we inserted the background from New Orleans. It was a extremely laborious and clever mixture of sensible work with excessive degree, VFX work.

What in regards to the roof that served because the helipad? The place was that and the way comparable was it to the actual factor?

CUSE It was similar to the actual factor. Clearly, we didn’t have entry to the precise hospital in New Orleans, which nonetheless exists. It’s gone again to being referred to as Baptist Hospital. It’s not owned by Tenet. It’s owned by one other hospital firm. The helipad nonetheless exists up on high of the parking storage. We constructed a helipad in Canada. It was truly an enormously difficult process to get Black Hawk helicopters and Coast Guard helicopters into Canada through the pandemic. The Coast Guard actually wished to take part as a result of it wouldn’t be proper to inform the story of Katrina with out together with the Coast Guard’s participation. They have been so essential to the efforts to rescue folks. They moved heaven and earth to get the permission to return into Canada with a Coast Guard helicopter, after which we filmed the helipad. However once more, the helipad was surrounded by inexperienced display. The steps have been a separate VFX component that we constructed, kind of like a stairway to nowhere. After which via the magic of visible results, we stitched collectively the helipad, the stairway, and background footage of New Orleans. I believe we achieved a reasonably shut approximation of what it was like. It was essential for John and I to convey this concept of simply how perilous that journey was. Think about taking sufferers down seven flights of stairs at midnight with no energy throughout the hospital, via a gap within the machine room, up all of the flights of the parking storage, after which up these numerous rungs of perilous stairs to this rickety helipad on pipes that they weren’t even certain was gonna maintain a helicopter? We wished to convey the fear and heroism that it took or these medical employees to get sufferers up there.

How did you pull off these claustrophobic inside photographs? Did you retain it scorching on set?

CUSE We have been taking pictures in Toronto within the summertime in an deserted wing of a hospital, which mockingly was fairly scorching. We had air-con however throughout takes the air-con needed to be turned off, so it might get heat. Early on, John Ridley despatched me as a reference this film King Rat, which is an excellent instance of learn how to convey folks trying very popular and sweaty. Our solid was so dedicated to telling the story. there was by no means any pushback about how they’re gonna look sweaty and never glamorous. I imply, all people was simply attempting to inform the story with a excessive diploma of authenticity and truthfulness. I can not say sufficient good phrases about our solid.

Whereas telling the story, did you and John have conversations about what you’ll do in that state of affairs?

CUSE What John and I mentioned to one another many occasions was how grateful we have been that we weren’t able of getting to make that call. That was actually the underside line for us, you recognize? If there’s a message and resonance for this present, because it carries ahead into the subsequent crises or whether or not it’s the pandemic, which has a number of parallels like who will get on a helicopters, who will get a ventilator, or who will get a vaccine … anytime healthcare employees are put able of getting to decide about who will get care or who will get therapy and who doesn’t, there are simply no good decisions. I hope that if folks be taught something from this present, it’s that we will all be higher ready so our healthcare professionals aren’t able of getting to make horrible selections about who will get prioritized over over another person. That’s an untenable state of affairs.