Prior to CSI: Crime Scene Investigation‘s premiere in 2000, it’s safe to say viewers had no clue what the inside of a human body looked like–at least what it looks like after being struck by a bullet. Twelve years later, CSI has introduced viewers to a smorgasbord of fascinating and intricate technical shots, thanks in large part to Co-Producer Brad Tanenbaum. Since CSI‘s inception, Tanenbaum has helped mold the look of various visual effects seen on the show and, for the past several seasons, take on more of a commanding role serving as one of the show’s in-house directors. With his thirteenth credit coming up this Wednesday, Tanenbaum chats with CSI Files’ Shane Saunders about challenging effects, how technology on the show has changed, and tease his latest episode. (Spoilers after the jump!)

CSI Files: This week’s episode “Tressed to Kill” is your third episode this season and also one with a huge void – the absence of Catherine Willows. What immediately went through your mind when you found out you would be directing the first episode after Marg Helgenberger‘s departure?

Director of Photography Crescenzo Notarile (left) and Director Brad Tanenbaum (center) prep a scene on 'CSI: Crime Scene Investigation' (photo: Brad Tanenbaum)

Brad Tanenbaum: It was hard for everyone when Marg decided to leave. I have been working with her for twelve seasons. I thought she went out in a very classy way. I have been lucky enough to shoot some very memorable episodes with her.

It was weird, we actually started this episode while she was shooting her last one. On day one we did a scene with Eric [Szmanda, Greg Sanders] and George [Eads, Nick Stokes] in Catherine’s office. Not to give too much away, [but] it looks a little different now. The Art Dept had to redress the set the way it lives now and redress it back with Catherine’s dressing for her to shoot in it the next day. It was very strange walking in there knowing that this is no longer going to be Catherine’s office.

CSI Files: Did you have any worries or concerns when prepping the episode? Anything particularly challenging about this episode compared to your previous installments?

Tanenbaum: Every episode has it own challenges. That is the great thing about working on CSI. No episode is ever alike.

I was pitched this story last season. Ed Whitmore (the writer) and I worked together on an episode called “Unleashed” last season. He told me the idea for this story then. I was lucky enough to get it. When I read his outline, I immediately saw the teaser in my head. Almost shot for shot. I pitched my interpretation to Carol [Mendelsohn, Executive Producer], Don [McGill, Executive Producer], and Ed and they liked it. The most challenging part was, where it took place. The opening needed to be filmed in a shopping mall, and we shot this episode right before Christmas. We were lucky enough to find a mall that allowed us to get in and out very early in the morning. We were also able to shoot around the Christmas decorations and the tree.

CSI Files: The CSI team is dealing with a serial killer who has an obsession with hair and makeup. What else can you tease about the episode?

Tanenbaum: This episode takes creepy to a whole other level. This is my second creepy crazy serial killer episode this season. I also Directed “Tell Tale Hearts,” I guess that is my calling this season.

This serial killer has a lot of crazy obsessions that all unfold before your eyes. The cool thing to look forward to is the emotional roller coaster that Russell [Ted Danson] will go through. Ted really delivers an amazing performance. He is backed up by everyone else’s, including a stellar guest cast.

CSI Files: Roger Bart plays a hairdresser in the episode and the actor is excellent at giving creepy, chilly performances. Was he your first candidate for the role?

Tanenbaum: Roger is great in everything he does, from Broadway to TV and Movies. His character Fitzgerald will be memorable. We looked at a couple of people, Roger seemed to be the right fit. We have an amazing guest cast. Brianna Brown who plays Paula delivers a great performance as well.

CSI Files: In Catherine’s absence, who steps up to the plate to fulfill her duties? Will there be any mention of her from the team?

Tanenbaum: Catherine will definitely be a presence in this episode. Her void will certainly take it’s toll on our CSI’s. Because of the escalation of this killer, this case becomes a must solve for our CSI’s. Everyone must fill the void. Russell will find a nice confidant in the end.

CSI Files: You have a long history with the show and have served in multiple capacities. From visual effects coordinator to several producing titles and now serving as a director since Season Seven. How did the evolution of your involvement with the show begin?

Tanenbaum: CSI has given me a lot to be grateful for. From a dream come true career to a wife and two kids. I owe everything to Carol Mendelsohn.

I got a job in the spiring of 2000 on a pilot called Crime Scene Investigation, I was the Executive Producer’s assistant. Jim Hart is his name. When the show got picked up,  Jim put me in charge of all the computer graphics, and the coordinator of the Visual Effects. I wanted to Direct and Produce and he said I needed to be able to carry myself in an Editing room to be able to do that. The show was in such an infant stage at the time. We were all just trying to stay on the air. A lot of us, especially me were doing things we had no other experience doing. It was really like going to Grad school.

As the scripts came in, they started to really write these very complex visual shots. It became my responsibility to get what the writers and directors wanted on screen. CGI was at it’s infant stage, when it came to television. So, along with our VFX supervisor we took on a very complex task to Produce, Direct and deliver these shots on a television schedule, television budget week in and week out.

As the years went on I have had the pleasure of Directing and Producing some of the most memorable shots on CSI. One day it’s shooting an apple at 10,000 frames a second with a gun, the next day it’s doing a two and a half minute single shot of our entire cast frozen in time as robbers are stealing a body in our morgue. That shot took months of planning, four days to shoot, and landed our VFX and Special Effects team with a much deserved Emmy.

CSI Files: From a director’s standpoint what big changes have you seen transpire over the years?

Tanenbaum: The biggest changes I have seen as a Director is technology. CGI has grown so much over the years. For an example, we don’t have to go to Vegas as much. We lay Las Vegas in the background in almost every episode. When we scout for locations we look for matte lines to lay in the skyline. We are using the Canon 7D camera a lot now. We still shoot the show on 35mm film, but the 7D gives us more flexibility to put the camera in some hard to reach areas.

CSI Files: You have thirteen directing credits to your name. Is there one you’re especially fond of? One you found to be more difficult than the rest?

Tanenbaum: They are all special. The most special will always be my first, “Lab Rats.” That episode wasn’t suppose to be more than a clip show for the miniature killer storyline we did in season seven. It was our first attempt to be funny. Our subject matter usually doesn’t warrant any humor. The challenge of that episode was to follow a group of Lab Techs, whom we knew very little about and they were to solve the miniature killer case behind Grissom’s back. Wally [Langham, Hodges], Liz [Vassey, Wendy Simms], Jon [Wellner, Henry Andrews], Sherri [Rappaport, Mandy Webster], and Archie [Kao, Archie Johnson] never even met each other. When I read this script I thought they were setting me up.

It really was like shooting a pilot. For the first time since the pilot we did a table read, and we saw what worked and what didn’t. And on day one, one of the first scenes we did involved all of the Lab Rats all together in Grissom’s office. The cast all knew the episode was suppose to be funny, none of us new how far to push it. We did the master shot and then broke for lunch. I was suppose to stay on time and budget, so I was expected to go into coverage after lunch. I told my AD, that after lunch I needed to reshoot the master. The writer [Sarah Goldfinger] and I all sat with the cast and defined each characters own inner dorkyness. We reshot the master, and the rest is history. That group of actors will always be very special to me.

CSI Files: The season is winding down, but you have one more episode that you’ll be directing. Do you know which episode you’ll tackle? Are you aware of what the episode will entail?

Tanenbaum: I do have another episode that I will direct, which will be Ep. 1219. I start prep in two weeks. I am going to work with the writers tomorrow. So stay tuned.

Thanks, Shane for all that you do for us. Thanks to everyone for watching!

Shane Saunders is a freelance writer and reviewer. His work can be seen on EDGE Network and ShaneSSaunders.com. Twitter: @ShaneSSaunders.

Click to see each image full-sized:

Anthony E. Zuiker‘s reputation as a creative genius has long been established thanks to his work on the most-watched franchise in television history CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, CSI: Miami, and CSI: New York; and with his new deal at ABC, his résumé is soon to become even more impressive. One of the top innovators in the movement to introduce new platforms for consuming entertainment, Zuiker is hard at work creating groundbreaking projects for his new venture at Google while working concurrently on television development at ABC. The executive producer discusses his upcoming development slate and the future of the CSI franchise with CSI Files’ Shane Saunders.

CSI Files: It’s a new year, new projects. How is 2012 looking so far for Dare to Pass?

Anthony E. Zuiker: It’s looking great. We’re very excited to be at ABC and working on our development for the year, and also Chameleon. We’re off to a great start. I can’t believe that it’s almost February.

CSI Files: What’s in development at ABC that you can talk about?

Zuiker: I’m writing the script for Chameleon. It’s basically an undercover show about a female agent who does different costume changes to take down the bad guy, so I’m writing that as we speak. We have other shows I can’t quite get into for next season that we’re developing. We have a roster of five-to-seven projects for next season that we’re just starting to get into now.

CSI Files: Your memoir Mr. CSI has been out for a couple months. What kind of feedback are you getting?

Zuiker: Pretty good feedback. I think people are happy to read an autostory to kind of get some perspective on a person behind a show. It’s a human rags-to-riches story and a real story that I think people can relate to. I’m very proud of those efforts and I’m very proud of that being left behind for people to read and enjoy. A lot of people ask me, “How do you do what I did?” and I think the great metaphor about the book is one great idea and a little bit of luck can turn into something fantastic. Everybody can have the same opportunity I had.

CSI Files: The way you came into the business is a rather interesting story and you touch on it in the book. Do you think it’s harder to get into the entertainment industry today than it was in 2000? What advice do you have for those trying to break in now?

Zuiker: I don’t think it’s necessarily harder, I just think it’s different. The advice I have for young people or whoever wants to get into the business is it all comes down to the same core principles: talent, perserverance, networking, luck, and opportunity. I think those are the five things that matter whether you’re a producer or a director or a writer. The great thing about being a writer is it’s relatively inexpensive to write a piece of intellectual property that can be shopped around town. Hollywood is a beast that needs to be fed in terms of material and as long as that’s the case, everybody has a ticket to play it.

CSI Files: Your background is in writing, but you also directed the first two installments of the Level 26 series. Are you planning on getting more involved in directing?

Zuiker: Sure. Primarily I’m a writer, so we have a lot of work to do in that area. Eventually, as things open up, I think I’ll direct more. I do enjoy it. But my primary focus right now really is writing.

CSI Files: The final installment of the Level 26 series came out last month. The digi-novel concept was quite a success, but is there anything you would change about the next series?

Zuiker: I think we probably would putforth more efforts to make sure that the app version of the book topped the last one. I believe that Dark Prophecy pretty much is a blueprint for the future of publishing. If we did more books, we would want to progressively make that app better and better. I’m not sure there’s anything we can do much more on the novel side; you try to write the best novel you can and direct the best videos you can. It’s in the app space that things get very interesting. We would focus more on making sure that we kept topping ourselves in the app space.

CSI Files: There isn’t an app for Dark Revelations–are you planning on developing one?

Zuiker: Not at this time. We really put all of our efforts inside Dark Prophecy. If we do embark upon a new venture for the digi-novel, we’ll probably hit the ground running and make one for the book launch.

CSI Files: Your new company BlackBoxTV will be making its way to YouTube later this year. What genres are you looking to tackle?

Zuiker: We’re doing horror, thriller, and Sci-Fi. We’re very excited. As we begin to embark on a new level of storytelling under the Google umbrella and YouTube, they’ll allow us to do more original content as a company and dabble in the interactive space. It’s very exciting and could lead to what the future is in our business.

CSI Files: Is there talent booked for any of the projects that you can reveal?

Zuiker: I’ll tell you we have A-list talent that we’re about to close. We’re definitely going out for top-level talent going forward.

CSI Files: I want to segue a bit over to CSI. How do you think the franchise is doing? Is it looking like one of the series may be in its final season?

Zuiker: I don’t think so, I think the franchise has never been stronger. I feel like all the shows are having banner years. Ted Danson [DB Russell] has done a remarkable job stepping in for CSI and we’re looking forward to Elisabeth Shue [Julie Finlay] going forward. The episode the other night was fantastic and I just feel like to have this kind of staying power in Season Twelve, Ten, and Eight for all three shows is remarkable. This could be, arguably, one of our strongest franchise seasons yet.

CSI Files: Have you discussed doing another project with Marg Helgenberger (Catherine Willows)?

Zuiker: I have not talked to her personally about that. I mean, obviously, she’s someone that we always keep on the tip of our tongues, so if she’s willing to do something else for television, it definitely has my interest.

CSI Files: Were you involved at all with the casting of Elisabeth Shue?

Zuiker: We talked about it. I think that is a phenomenal choice. Elisabeth Shue is a very special actress. I’m a fan, obviously, of Cocktail and Leaving Las Vegas. She’s very selective in what she chooses to do. She’s someone that I think is hard to get for television, but to be able to say ‘yes’ to this franchise and work along Ted Danson is something I’m looking forward to watching. To me there is no better choice than Elisabeth Shue. I just think she’s that type of special actress.

CSI Files: In Season Nine the show went through several transitions as well: William Petersen (Gil Grissom) left, Laurence Fishburne (Ray Langston) and Lauren Lee Smith (Riley Adams) came in; do you think the show will approach the changes more smoothly than it did a few years ago?

Zuiker: Look, the thing is the fabric of a TV show has changed. Sometimes the change is abrupt and sometimes change is slow going, but I think the way things rolled out this year is the appropriate way to roll it out. We introduced Ted Danson and he had about ten-to-fifteen episodes under his belt before we introduced the exit of Marg Helgenberger and the ease of Elisabeth Shue. I think the audience is tolerant of change when they understand why there’s a change. The writers have done a great job of making sure character-wise, it makes sense why characters are exiting and joining the show. As you can see from Ted Danson we’ve never missed a beat, and it’ll be the same way with Elisabeth Shue. Marg Helgenberger can never be replaced or forgotten, and we believe Elisabeth Shue can help evolve the show.

Follow Anthony E. Zuiker on Twitter: @zuiker

Shane Saunders is a freelance writer and reviewer. His work can be seen on EDGE Network and ShaneSSaunders.com. Twitter: @ShaneSSaunders.

Next, check out more than 20 photos of the cast and crew of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, which can be found after the jump!

Producer Jerry Bruckheimer shared a picture from Marg Helgenberger’s (Catherine Willows) final scene on CSI. Director Jeffrey Hunt and director/Line Producer Frank Waldeck shared a bunch of pictures from the set, including shots of Elisabeth Harnois (Morgan Brody), Wallace Langham (David Hodges), Jon Wellner (Henry Andrews) and Ted Danson (DB Russell). Click to enlarge!

Sources: TV by the Numbers and CBS Press Express

Tonight, Marg Helgenberger‘s run as sexy, smart, and sassy crime scene investigator Catherine Willows will reach its conclusion. A twelve year tenure with more than 250 episodes under her belt, the actress has decided to pursue other opportunities and is bound for more success, whether it be a Broadway show or returning to film. Though her departure will surely bring tears to the show’s audience, the cast and crew of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation are looking on the bright side, reflecting back at their time on the show with the universally adored actress. CSI Files’ Shane Saunders caught up with several of the show’s cast and crew from past and present to talk about their colleague’s departure and favorite memories during a remarkable run.

I could go on and on about Marg as the powerful actress she is, and as a colleague on the set, and as the personifcation of both leading lady and team player.  However, I’d like to share an impression of Marg that comes to my mind every time I think of her: the first time I saw her with no makeup.  It was 5:45AM, and she had just arrived at the studio, hair still damp from the shower.  I was there to talk about a scene in that day’s work, and intercepted her on the way to the hair and makeup trailer.  For a moment, I was completely thrown by how naturally beautiful she is: perfect skin, glistening eyes, no sleepiness – ready for the day and looking forward to it.  She was -and is – stunning.  And it’s not a trick of camera magic.  It’s the real girl.

Whenever I wrote for Catherine and Sam Braun, I loved watching her work.  She gave those scenes such depth – it was a complex character relationship – and she really committed to them. I’ll never forget filming “Built to Kill” on location at the Golden Nugget in Las Vegas.  Catherine, furious with Sam, had to march up and confront him in front of the slot players.  Their confrontation climaxed with Sam slapping Catherine.  It was a rough scene, and in take after take, to the astonishment and delight of tourist onloookers, Marg gave everything to the scene.  It was very gratifying for the writer, and, eventually, the audience.

Marg is sorely missed here at CSI. Her charm, beauty, talent and kindness will never be forgotten. I loved working with her and learned so much and hope I’ll get the chance to act with her again soon.

When I went to do my research trip in Vegas, I watched an autopsy. The ME and staff there told me that out of all the guests they’d had, Marg was the biggest trooper. It’s saying something when I mention that I wasn’t at all surprised. Marg is virtually unflappable. She’s a broad, in the finest sense of the word. She was the first person I worked with when I joined the cast of CSI, and I will forever be grateful to her for making the new girl feel welcome. That show will miss Catherine a lot; the cast and crew will miss Marg even more. I wish her huge luck in her undoubtedly bright future.

I’m a huge fan of Marg’s and feel privileged to have worked with her… great gal.

The three-episode story arc leading up to Catherine’s exit has been “intense”, Helgenberger told TV Guide. “These episodes were hard,” she explained. “But I’m happy with how it all went.” Despite the fact that Catherine inherited casino land from Sam Braun, the character will take a different path when she leaves the crime lab. “An offer to join a federal task force seemed more professional, like a promotion,” the actress revealed.

Catherine’s new job will provide the perfect opportunity to feature her in upcoming storylines. Executive Producer Carol Mendelsohn “said that if they were to write an episode to entice me back, it would be easier given that I liked the idea [of Catherine joining the Feds],” Helgenberger explained. “And I am open to returning at some point. Just not right away.”

There’s much more in the original interview, which can be found on TVGuide.com.

“Willows in the Wind” airs this Wednesday at 10:00pm ET/PT.