The ’90s were not, in fact, only 20 years ago, no matter what you might think and as the creative team behind CBS’ “ NCIS: Origins ” knows all too well. We are as far away from 1991, the year the freshman series is set, as 1991 is from 1958. This is, for everyone keeping track, the year “Vertigo” hit theaters.
But in terms of technology, it might as well be 1858. Sure, fax machines and outdated computers are there for the taking. But getting them to work? That’s a whole other story.
“It’s dead technology, so you need to skin it and change the button that says copy, and you can only use a bottom loader instead of a top loader where the paper goes through,” Pat Russo, the series’ head of props, told IndieWire. “So, it’s complicated.” Complicated is an understatement.
“NCIS: Origins” is both a prequel to the beloved “NCIS” (about Gibbs’s early days at the fledgling NCIS Camp Pendleton office) and a period procedural, which means the attention to detail (and period accuracy) is paramount. Every now and then, things might get fudged for the sake of storytelling (don’t get Russo started on dot matrix printing; he luckily convinced everyone that laser printing, which did exist in 1991, was the right choice for audience comprehension). But for the most part, the team behind bringing each episode to life is dedicated to being as accurate as possible.
Like with military uniforms. ”That’s where the authenticity becomes really important,” cos.
