Knowing that Gene and Morgan were playing those roles made it much easier to put the script together-we knew who we were writing it for. It took some mystery away.

- Stephen Hopkins

I had no special effects, no monsters running around, nothing blew up; those things are all things I've done so many times that they lose their allure after a while.

- Stephen Hopkins

I directed 24's pilot. I felt we should follow the characters around as if we were a documentary crew, using available light, hand-held cameras, split screens, sound that isn't always what it should be, to suit the reality of the premise.

- Stephen Hopkins

24 isn't like other shows, where you set the look once and you're done. The show started at midnight, then moved to a pre-dawn look, and now we're at dawn and we're warming up the day.

- Stephen Hopkins

When I was thinking of casting this, I thought, What roles would Sellers be playing now?

- Stephen Hopkins

We use a lot of source music on some shows and none on others.

- Stephen Hopkins

We shoot double episodes in 15 days in Los Angeles.

- Stephen Hopkins

To be able to rely completely on the actors was a very simple process for me.

- Stephen Hopkins

It's rare that scenes last more than 2 or 3 minutes, so sound helps segue from one scene to another.

- Stephen Hopkins

It's been exciting to be able to go forward with stuff without 10,000 people saying, It should be like this.

- Stephen Hopkins

I've always been a bit of a sound freak in the movies I've done.

- Stephen Hopkins

I had a birthday one night on a farm we were shooting on. I walked into the tent, and there were 150 people waiting for me, all wearing masks of my face.

- Stephen Hopkins

Because of all the concurrent stories going in 24 and its fast pace, it can be complicated in terms of the story, so I thought sound could help with the storytelling.

- Stephen Hopkins

There were no previews; we made the film we wanted to make.

- Stephen Hopkins

Everyone was going to play their part honestly, and not try and pretend to be good or bad guys.

- Stephen Hopkins

Dark impulses certainly exist in me and, I think, in most people.

- Stephen Hopkins

There's no attempt to manipulate the audience. We made our choice at the start.

- Stephen Hopkins

I wanted to make a film that was sophisticated and emotional, but for a wider audience.

- Stephen Hopkins

Each environment has its own signature. Sound tells a story: You make choices about what you're hearing, where to look, how you want to feel about what's going on.

- Stephen Hopkins

If people aren't in sync, things won't work out well.

- Stephen Hopkins