Judging from the opening graphic that pegs the day as October 16, 1997, the producers of the CBS science fiction series Lost in Space were indeed ahead of their September 15, 1965 airdate. Check out this introductory shot from S1\E1. Through an unbroken take that clocks in at sixty-two seconds, it sets the mood in an ambitious way that no other show of that time came close to replicating.
All the hallmarks of an Irwin Allen production are on display: Futuristic design, technicians at consoles punching buttons and no shortage of repurposed set dressing (I swear I saw those same flashing-light computers on the Seaview and in the Flying Sub, as well as at the entrance to the Time Tunnel…IYKYK).
This entry was directed by dependable journeyman Tony Leader and photographed by future ASC member and fellow pro Gene Polito. I can just imagine their satisfaction at pulling this shot off: a nice, easy pan-and-boom that shows the entire set, practical lighting fixtures and all. This was quite daring at that moment and I’d love to hear what the old-guard had to say about it after it hit the airwaves.
Full disclosure: Despite the promising start, I hated this show when I first saw it at age eight. As I recall, it quickly went off the rails as the plots veered from the reasonably believable to the absolutely stupid…and never recovered.
Yet, sixty years later, I’m talking about it here. I guess there’s no statute of limitations on a cool shot!
I love the pace and scale change in this shot. The way it takes us from a fairly symmetrical high wide view into a totally different composition at the end.