PRODUCTION THE STUDIO
piece some parts together. We shot the majority of the episode handheld. It’s the most responsive, dynamic and intuitive way to capture scenes.” Towards the end of the episode, Matt and Sal return to Matt’s car and hurriedly drive off, which required lots of planning. “There’s a moment when we were moving through the space, in a pan we stitched into a Ronin shot as they were moving outside,” details Newport- Berra. “That Ronin shot took us out the door into the driveway. We then tracked around alongside the guys running to the car, and there was a hood mount on the car that had electromagnets on it. Once the Ronin was set on that hood mount, there were two metal plates that landed together. Someone flipped a switch, turning the magnet on, and then the guy carrying the gimbal could run off and hide around a corner among some bushes so the car could drive off. Then we had somebody operating that Ronin head from a car ahead of the picture car. I was in that car alongside the operator, the AC and Evan, and we were basically just leading that car down the driveway.” For Newport-Berra, the most rewarding scenes were the numerous comedic moments throughout the show, which were all meticulously choreographed. “It was about finding the timing between the camera and performances; that’s where the real artwork comes into the show. For example, when Matt trips and falls in the oner episode, it’s almost easy because we know it’s going to be funny and WE DID lots of takes OF THESE SHOTS, BUT THE ACTORS WOULD TUNE IT AND try out different things ”
surprising. We found a way to single out that moment and make sure we had the right people and tools in place to let that unfold. We found stitch points to get in and out of it so we could carve that out.” The camera was constantly up close to the actors and in the heart of all the action, so ensuring it could spin 360° in any direction was an integral aspect of the shoot. “It’s designed to feel that way, and I think that’s a testament to the actors. We were always riding this line of being really precise, well planned and choreographed, but with the chaos of really great comedic actors who will always inject something new. “We did lots of takes of all these shots, but the actors would always tune it and try out different things in each take, while always knowing they had to hit the same marks and have the same timing. The camera would also do something slightly different in every take, since it was handheld. There was this volatility to the camera and actors that lent itself to the show feeling like it was on thin ice.”
Working in this way ultimately meant lots of takes ended up on the cutting room floor. “We would get really close to nailing something, then one little element would veer off course and it would immediately mean the take was unusable,” explains Newport-Berra. “When it did work, though, it was really magical. I think this approach can become sterile and clinical if you’re too prescriptive with it or too specific. There needed to be a breath of air inside of it, so that during a given take someone could make a small improvisation or something unexpected could happen and the camera would catch it. I don’t love the camera being so prescriptive that the cast have to work inside a box.” Newport-Berra had a blast working with the numerous guest stars who came on throughout the show. “Seth and Evan created a fun and positive environment that wasn’t intimidating,” he says. “However, I think the way we were shooting was maybe intimidating for lots of the guest stars. There were a
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