3. Strong Production Values
With the backing of producers George Lucas and Rick McCallum, and the production assets of Amblin Entertainment and Lucasfilm, The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles wasnt like any other mid-90s-made-for-television series. Having helped forge the hugely successful Indiana Jones franchise, George Lucas was committed to ensuring Young Indiana Jones was given the same high standards as the then-trilogy of films, and this is reflected through the production values of the series. From the outset, George Lucas had a vision of what he wanted to create when making Young Indiana Jones. In a making-of feature, he expresses how the Young Indy character had to be idealistic and naïve and how the series should show his development into the world weary cynic which Harrison Ford portrayed. Leading actor Sean Patrick Flannery explained how he watched the Indiana Jones films twenty five times, in order to capture the spirit of the character seeking to find the way Harrison Ford rode a horse, the way he spins around, the way he put his hat on perfecting the style and aesthetics of Fords character which made him such a popular and recognisable figure. Or maybe he just had a thing for Harrison Ford. Maybe. Or maybe his video machine got stuck in a loop. Im not sure that is entirely possible for a video tape to get stuck in a loop, or I wouldnt have wasted my precious youth rewinding tapes. I digress. Flannerys eye for detail is complemented by the huge production process, from the conceptual designs to the flying of the cast and crew out to real world locations, complete with period sets and costumes. The first series alone saw the production team film in twelve countries, with a further ten added to the list in the second series. One location shoot in Africa was so remote it required an airfield to be specially made to land the equipment, and a camp was set up where the whole cast and crew lived for nine weeks. Producer Rick McCallum, often lambasted for his murdering of the Star Wars franchise, really did good things with Young Indiana Jones and his positive leadership and influence in the project must be acknowledged. I didnt say forgive him for Jar Jar Binks, just acknowledge he produced Young Indy.