The constraint exposed in The studio is not always a device. Right next to the chaos camera to cringe from the teeth in which the director of the Seth Rogen besieged film is launched, the creative team has undertaken borderline masochistic shoots – while juggling with a Camée A -List circus.
“The greatest pressure I felt was that we convinced all these people to come to our program,” explains Rogen, the star and co-creator of Apple TV +comedy. “Some of them, we know very well. Some of them did not know at all. I just wanted them to be satisfied with this experience. ”
Adding to this pressure, most of the guest stars presented themselves in the first season of the Hollywood satire to play in increased circumstances. Zoë Kravitz overwhelmed on psychedelic mushrooms. A Martin Scorsese that cried collapsed in the arms of Steve Buscemi. Ron Howard being a cock. The CO-PDG of Netflix Ted Sarandos even appeared in a urinal to reveal that the talent of his streamer is contractually forced to thank him in their prize speeches. (“If it was me, I ask Apple to pay for a consideration campaign for Ted,” said Rogen about the well-revised performance of Sarandos. “Let us be a nomination of one of his own shows.”)
Both a love letter and a brutal shipment of Hollywood, The studio Rogen Matt Remick follows as he realizes his dream of becoming the chief of the fictitious continental studios, then looks at this dream deflate under pressure to offer a shlock adapted to consumers. Griffin Mill, CEO of Continental, played by a Bryan Cranston tanned and crazy from Batshit, is particularly hot for a Kool-Aid film. During the first season, the Matt enigma ends in a trip to Las Vegas for Cinemacon, where the future of the independence of the company – Amazon reflects on a hostile acquisition – depends on a perfectly executed presentation of the continental slate to theater owners. Unfortunately, most of the staff and half of the talents are still raised on the drugs they took the previous night.
“It was the craziest days of our lives,” said Evan Goldberg. The co -creator of the series, which produced the 10 episodes alongside the employee in series and childhood friend Rogen, shot the two episodes of the end of the season – “Cinemacon” and “The Presentation” – at the same time. “We left the Venetian once, to get an outward blow from Seth, it is almost a heat stroke of 110 degrees. In addition to that, it was the casino, the casino, the casino… ”
Rogen, illustrated on site in Las Vegas, explains his concept for the show: “It’s”, what are the 10 episodes, 10 big comic ideas, which build and crescendo in 10 different ways? “”
With the kind authorization of Apple TV +
There was almost no casino to use. Las Vegas hotels are very picky on the types of projects to which they open their golden doors. A group of emissaries, including the director of the Stacey Brashear location, the line producer Jesse Sternbaum and the production designer Julie Berghoff, made the big land on the site, which had a stipulation.
“We would really run them and show that they were going to be shown in a good day,” explains Berghoff, “that’s why we had to stage with Matt by buying the drugs for the party before his return to Vegas.”
Returns the “Cinemacon” opener and you will see that the drugs are carried out in Las Vegas but not acquired there. The purchase of Matt mushrooms, the care of the Dave Franco dealer was shot in Los Angeles to the Valet Book of the Smoke House restaurant in Burbank.
“I try to never stay in principle,” says Rogen. “If there is an easy demand to execute, even if philosophically crazy, I will ignore the fact that it is crazy and that I note. This was easy.” Does he remember that the characters are literally on drugs in the casino, stealing gondolas, becoming incredibly high and rubbing the Nacho cheese on everything? Nope. We could not buy the drugs there. “
Before The studio Could deliver its Sin City debauché final, the production must first recreate Hollywood – although slightly modified which is a little more romantic, almost retro -futuristic. Continental Studios needed to look like a real film management building that could be found a lot. And the various executives who populate him should resemble their real counterparts, but perhaps not with the persistent and post-pandemic embrace of athletics.
Zoë Kravitz (his back to the camera) played by guest for the last three episodes.
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Sal Sperstein by Ike Barinholtz, the VP production of Continental, dresses the most like a contemporary studio director. That is to say that he should probably add some additional costumes to his rotation and certainly be presented to a tailor. Chase Suis Wonders, whose quinn hackett has just been promoted by the assistant’s office, needed to seem to have tried to go up his clothing game. And for Matt, Rogen didn’t want him to repeat a single outfit. A character who consumed to present his wealth would never be. Costume designer Kameron Lennox worked closely with the co-showrunner to develop an almost nostalgic aesthetic: double chest relaxed costumes with large reverse.
But none of the looks for the regulars of the series approach Kathryn Hahn for the exaggerated audacity. Above the zoom, Lennox gave one of his original emails to Goldberg and Rogen about his inspiration for Maya Mason, the flamboyant Marketing Manager of Continental: “This woman is obviously in the forties or in the early 1950s and not wearing adapted to age.
Hahn looks even more out of step when you drop it off The studioThe primary whole, the continental sequence C, or the numerous location shots – which are all leaning in the middle of the century. “We wanted a monolithic-Slash-Tomb temple for the continental office,” explains Berghoff. “And you had to be something that seemed to come from an architect of this golden era, so I looked at Frank Lloyd Wright and Philip Johnson. I grew up in Chicago, so they are both very great influences on my life.”
Inspired by the Imperial Hotel of Wright in Japan and the County Civic Center in particular, Berghoff and his team shaped both a facade and a sprawling interior for the two -story building (Read: Cher). The office also needed a glass wall against the outside so that everyone could watch Matt, increasing the tension that has become instantly The studioCall card.
Matt’s growing stress in each episode of The studio is amplified by the percussive and jazzy soundtrack by composer Antonio Sánchez. “It is simply a question of finding the right instrumentation that will constantly amplify tension,” explains Sánchez, whose drum score Bird was actually used as The studioTemporary music even before he obtained the post.
The increase in the anxiety of the soundtrack is particularly effective in the “Golden Globes” episode, which anyone involved in the series will tell you is the most stressful to shoot.
“In general, we are not guys who are like:” It must be exactly like that or we are becoming crazy, “explains Goldberg. “But it was the only time of our lives where we really threw. It had to be at Beverly Hilton to capture the energy of what it is to be in this room. And if you were in this room, I think we nailed it.”
“My only problem with the episode of the Golden Globes is that I felt bad not to answer each guest star,” explains Evan Goldberg (right, with Adam Scott).
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“The Golden Globes” finds Matt in another difficult situation, fearing that he was not thanked if Zoë Kravitz wins for a film he enlightened. Join Kravitz to get an intensive course in the Frenetic filming style of the series in the episode, to name just a few, Quinta Brunson, Adam Scott, Aaron Sorkin and Ramy Youssef, playing the crowd of the fabricated globes. The script of Alex Gregory, another co -creator alongside Peter Huyck and Frida Perez, plays the policy of the seats painting – nominated for their film 50/50 In 2012, Golberg remembers having been seated on the sidelines of the Arctic of the ballroom while Rogen obtained a first table by the scene – and ensures that each winning actor and writer thanks Sarandos in their speech.
“The corner in which we painted, which was good, was that we wanted there to be no suspension of disbelief regarding the celebrities you see in the series,” explains Rogen. “But it was a lot to strive. I hope the others find it so funny, but the worst arrives at the worst, it was right.
But if it’s an interior joke, many viewers seem to be on this. On May 6, before the last three episodes of The Freshman Run, the series was renewed for a second season. Among some ideas, they say they plan for the season two THR ‘S Round tables. One thing they are sure, however, is that they will not have to be called cold for the cameos – as they did with Olivia Wilde, Jean Smart and many others.
“Thank goodness, tons of people ask to be in the show and to make came up,” explains Goldberg. “It was one of the most difficult parts of the first season, so it is an incredible change. But people did not throw us as many ideas as I expected. Now, people are like:” Oh, it could go directly to the show. “”
Rogen agrees that there has been a change now that the first season was released in the world. “I think that when people told us stories, they didn’t think we would really use them,” he said. “Now they know we will do it.”
“Please everyone,” interrupts Goldberg. “We would always like to hear your stories.”
A summer shoot in Vegas forced Catherine O’Hara to film with three -digit heat – although at least she was not covered with wool like Rogen and Bryan Cranston
With the kind authorization of Apple TV +
A version of this story appeared in the May 21 issue of the Hollywood Reporter Magazine. Click here to subscribe.
