Young Adult TV Show

I just finished emailing the entire YA Team to let them know some really unfortunate news. The Argonaut, a wonderful bar/restaurant in the H Street area, where we filmed many scenes for the pilot episode of Young Adult was hit with a devastating fire on June 20th. Fortunately, NO ONE was hurt. For more detailed information about the fire, check out the THIS LINK from the Argonaut blog.

Scott and the entire Argonaut crew were extremely nice to us while we filmed there. Not only did they let us film there for free, but Scott came several hours early to let us in. On top of that, they also generously donated a gift certificate to our fundraiser party in November. We couldn’t have asked for a better bar location for filming.

TONIGHT is a benefit for the Argonaut. Below are the details. I encourage everyone who can come to go!

$20
5pm – 11pm
ALL PROCEEDS to benefit The Argonaut

http://www.ticketalternative.com/Events/11659.aspx

Complimentary Cocktails

If you are interested in donating to a silent action please contact myself at
steve (at) rockandrollhoteldc.com
or 202.388.7625

Again, 100% off all proceeds will go to the Argonaut.

Upstairs @ The Hotel Bar
Rock & Roll Hotel
1353 H St NE
Washington, DC 20002

http://www.rockandrollhoteldc.com/

Rockstar (literally) Brad Pugh sings and slams a mean guitar for the band Practically Einstein. They provide the theme song for rockstar character Johnny Blizzard (Roberto Carmona) with their single “Soldier Girl”. I chatted with Brad about his musical experiences, and I look forward to seeing him at the Young Adult screening on April 28th!

1. How did you get involved in music?

Well I’ve had music nearby since I was a little tyke. My father played, and still plays guitar and sings, so I had that influence from early on. I took quickly to listening to a lot of pop and rock music from an early age as well. I was going to concerts by age 11 or 12 (I won’t tell you which ones since that will date me). I started taking clarinet lessons around that time when I found an unused clarinet at my grandparents’ house. But after I realized I wasn’t rocking out enough on that thing, I officially started taking lessons on the guitar after I convinced my mom to take me to Sears, of all places, to get me a beginner’s guitar. And then down the road I realized that getting a job in some office wasn’t for me, so I decided to pursue music more seriously. And bought some better guitars.

Brad Pugh of Practically Einstein

2. What’s the latest on Practically Einstein?

Well I have just come back from a short solo tour of Denmark. That was an exciting, but hectic trip. We are getting ready to properly release the new single (“Soldier Girl”) along with a B-side, “Fool Her”. We are off to the Jersey Shore this weekend…and also getting ready for some cool local shows coming up, at the Rookery, IOTA and at some Nats games.

3. What was the creative process behind recording “Soldier Girl”?

We wanted a bigger rock sound for this song than some of our previous recordings. There are a lot of guitars in there. We also wanted a bit of ‘80’s influence, but to of course avoid having it sound too dated. We used some keyboards inspired by Dio’s “Rainbow in the Dark”! It’s very tricky to get cool key sounds without having it be extremely cheesy…hopefully it worked…

There are also some sound effects, which is a new thing for us. The idea was to add some atmosphere and a sort of cinematic setting to be visualized.

War (J. W. Crump) and Johnny (Roberto Carmona)

4. What are some of your favorite television shows?

Since my schedule is a bit erratic, I don’t get to be a regular viewer of too many shows in the traditional time slots. But I do really like “The Office”. Usually I watch late-night shows on the Science or History or Discovery Channel. I like “Survivorman”, “How Things Work” and “FBI Files”. Also reruns of “Family Guy” and “Futurama.”

5. How old is a ‘young adult’ and why?

I think a young adult is anyone that is seeking out their place in the world. So really this depends on the person, I would think the age can vary. It takes some people a long time to get settled, and for good reason this day and age…but hopefully they are not living with mom and dad too much past the age of 30!

Brad Pugh (guitar and vocals), Rob Kuczynski (guitars), Dave Moran (drums), Phil Saraceno (bass)

We were lucky enough this week to land on page 7 of the April 2010 issue of OnTap Magazine. Look for the entertainment mag all over the DMV area! Below is a thumbnail of the article; click on it for the full image!

Michael Grew

Numbers of Tickets

1 $5.00 2 $10.00 3 $15.00 4 $20.00 5 $25.00 6 $30.00

Name of Purchaser

After many months of hard and creative work, we are ready to screen our spec TV pilot to an audience for the first time.  We sincerely hope you will join us on Wednesday, April 28th (9PM) at E St. Cinema for the show!

Anastasia Wilson and Matt Melnicoff

Location: E St. Cinema, located at 555 11th St NW, conveniently near the Metro Center and Gallery Place/Chinatown Metro Stations.

The whole cast!

Time: The show starts at 9PM. It’s suggested to be there by 8:45PM to pick up your tickets at the will-call table provided and to snag a drink and some snacks.

The Logo, as seen in the opening credits

What You’ll See: Several trailers from other production companies of their upcoming projects, the award-winning short film Inertia by Merge Films, a feature presentation of the Young Adult spec TV pilot as well as a behind-the-scenes interview special.

Lauren Abramson, a sock, and Mike Morsey

Tickets: To purchase tickets, please use the Paypal link below. Each ticket is $5 to help offset the cost of theater rental. Each ticket purchase also enters you in a raffle for prizes to be given away at the screening!

Tickets are also available at the door, but there is limited seating so it’s suggested to buy early!

J. W. Crump, Nick Gay, and Matt Melnicoff

Indigo Line Productions went overseas to find our talented Music Supervisor/Composer, Rob Neary, who hails from England.  Rob recently completed his work for the pilot, and so I asked him some questions so fans could learn more about him.

1. How did you get involved in music?

My father bought me an electric guitar and lessons for my 16th birthday as Eric Clapton’s father did the same to him, and the rest is history. Over time I evolved from chasing the hit record to using my passion for movies and television by writing music for film/TV and have had many successful placements in commercials and media projects worldwide.

2. What are some programs/films/shows where we can hear your music?

My music features in the soundtrack to the Golden Globe winning film The Wrestler. Films this year featuring my music include Jeffie Was Here (makers of Hoodwinked) and The Way.

You will be able to hear my music in the Smithsonian Network TV documentary The Rivals due to be broadcast in Fall 2010. My track “Skater Punk” was used in the US National TV spot for the DVD launch of the hit film Couples Retreat (2010). I have also had music used in corporate websites, TV, Radio and internet adverts as well as audio media, toys and computer games.

3. What was the creative process behind selecting the music for Young Adult?

Everyone that knows me won’t deny that I have a creative and large imagination. I am very visual and see music in a scene, and this process helps me tie the two together. I always try to think outside of the box as well a use tried-and-tested means for a scene. The question a music supervisor should be asking [in the spotting process] is “Do we really need music?” as it is easier to add too much music and harder to limit it to only where it is needed.

4. What are some of your favourite television shows?

Well, being English, I love the old comedies like One Foot in the Grave, Father Ted, and Fawlty Towers. For US shows, I love LOST, Desperate Housewives, Fringe, and Heroes. I am a big animal documentary fan too.

5. How old is a ‘young adult’ and why?

Maybe in the UK it’s 20-24, and I guess in the US: 24 upwards? I guess a young adult is someone fresh on the market, doing their first job, and has a large group of friends. These are the days that shape your life.

Rob has done great work for the show. To see (and hear!) more of Rob Neary, check out the links below:

Rob’s website: www.robneary.com

Rob’s Production Music library: www.license.robneary.com

Also, Rob always has new tracks coming out. Click here to follow him on Twitter!

For YA is still around. I know it’s been a while since the latest blog post, but things have been truckin’ along. Let’s make a funtastic list that concludes in the first screengrab from the rough cut of the show!

1) We filmed the added minute-long scene featuring Roberto Carmona, J. W. Crump, and Susannah Wells. Our lovely extras from the day included Raven Bonniwell, Erin Cunnane, Syeita Lowery, Michael Marcan, and Steve Petersen. Our editor now has it in his hands to add to the show.

2) Our Opening Credits Editor, Cameron King, sent us the rough cut of the opening credits. Long story short, I squealed a little. You can see more of Cameron’s work on The Video Makers.

3) We’re currently researching venues for a late April screening. We will post details here (and everywhere I can humanly post) as soon as we know them for sure.

4) We’ve officially selected the songs to be featured in the show. Look out for a blog post detailing all of the bands.

5) Check out the bonus screen shot from the episode!

What's with the sock? Find out soon!

During one scene of Young Adult, the boys watch a show within our show. We needed some people to play the voices of the characters of that show, so I called in some of my all-stars.

Susannah Wells

Susannah Wells and I have worked on several projects together, including at least one other TV pilot. Her big, expressive eyes and fiery red hair make her a favorite actress to work with. You can catch her in a short film by Ishu Krishna debuting soon where she plays a government agent as well as in the cast of Work Place from Director Nick Gay.

Ryan Gillis

Ryan Gillis and I have performed live together as improv artists in Slow News Day during last year’s Fringe Fest. This is when I discovered Ryan’s natural comedic timing as well as his willingness to do anything to help a project. He also did Props for YA as well as appearing briefly as an extra.

Derek Jones

Derek Jones recently returned to acting after many years in hiatus. I’ve never met anyone with such an outstanding mix of sardonic and goofy humor. He will be joining Susannah and I in Work Place and Stacy Wilson and Lauren Abramson in the sketch troupe Won’t Play in Periora.

Michelle Murad

Michelle Murad and I have been in at least four projects together (we counted the last time we saw each other at an audition!) including one where I smothered her with a pillow. She has extensive credits on IMDB as well as a gift for learning new things quickly. I’m thrilled to include her in the YA family.

Mike Blejer

Mike Blejer and I have met on the set of a short film where we shared two scenes together. Since then we’ve been on different projects, but are reuniting as I direct the web series pilot of his popular standup routine, Symbology. I snagged him to provide some voice work for the show before he gets too big for me to afford him.

Let’s talk about the latest from the cast and crew of Young Adult!

We are close to achieving picture lock and we have reviewed the rough cut of the project. The rough cut is basically a version of the episode that an editor puts together for people to view and comment on. Often, as with ours, the rough cut hasn’t yet had color correction and other fine details completed.

We have sent music details to our composer Rob Neary, who works out of London. He is putting together a variety of original music to amp up the show. We are also signing paperwork with the local DC bands and artists that we will be using for additional background jams. We’ll make sure to write up a special blog post about them once all those ducks are in a row.

We’re adding one small scene (it’s pretty hilarious and helps tie up the plot) which we are filming on February 20th. Roberto Carmona, Susannah Wells, and myself will be reprising our roles from previous scenes. The plan is to shoot that in the morning and then some b-roll during early afternoon.

More of these two jack-offs

Tomorrow we’re recording some new VO lines with actors Susannah Wells, Ryan Gillis, Michelle Murad, Derek Jones, and Mike Blejer. It’s a great excuse for me to hang out with five of my favorite actors. We’d also like to welcome our post-production sound guy, Drew Kennedy, to the team.

And speaking of new team members (wow, this post is getting long), we’d also like to welcome Cameron King who will be editing our opening credits and has already started work. You can see some of Cam’s work on the web series The Video Makers.

As a bonus, check out the original oil painting that Susannah did for Scott Chism, who bid on it at the YA fundraising party. He described colors, themes, and ideas he had, and she created her interpretation of his thoughts on canvas. These pictures come courtesy of Gabriel Mellan.

Full size

On the wall!

Ishu and I met Lauren an as actor in another spec TV pilot filmed in DC.  We all quickly took to one another, and we were very happy to offer her the role of “Vikki” in Young Adult.  She has an uncanny ability to make a mundane line into a hilarious one.   I sat down with Lauren to ask her some questions about YA and herself.

Super Professional Lauren Abramson

1) What was it like being in an on-screen couple?

There is always the fear that an-on screen couple scene would seem contrived or inauthentic, however in some respects I thought it was one of the easier scenes to shoot. Mike Morsey (Abe) and I established a good rapport in the little time we had to get to know each other behind-the-scenes. This was invaluable to the on-screen chemistry between our two characters. Moreover, I found it easier to employ method acting. I simply thought to myself, if Mike were my boyfriend, how would we touch, joke, look at each other, etc? It was easier for me to attach concrete emotions/actions to dating someone than say, “think of a time when you were happy/sad/insert emotion here.” … It also helped that we didn’t have to recreate Halle Berry-Billy Bob Thornton Monster’s Ball scene. We would at least had to have had coffee before that.

Vikki and Abe (Mike Morsey)

2) Did you feel a comradeship with the cast and crew?

Absolutely. I feel very fortunate to have met the YA people on both a professional and platonic level. They are all extremely talented. While some are in “the biz” and some are not, we share the common bond of love of performing and producing a product you would willingly show friends. This is a quality I respect tremendously. Not a single person on the cast or crew has failed to make me laugh. I look forward to (and am currently) working with several on new projects.

3) Do you have a favorite moment from the process to share?

By Take 13 of this particular scene we were shooting hearing the words, “oh no, I left the focus off. We have to do it again.”

Lauren enjoying craft services on her first production day

4) How much are you like the character you play?

Actually, when I first read Vikki’s character description I thought “hmmm this sounds strikingly similar to me.” (don’t let that statement diminish your opinion of my method acting). We are both very down to earth, dedicated girlfriends. I think we are both equally as fond of the moving-in process.

5) What’s one of the biggest ‘acting tips’ you learned while doing YA?

Short shorts are even shorter on screen.

The shorts Lauren changed into after the shorter shorts were deemed too short

Along with filming the opening credits sequence and makeup scenes, we had a wonderful photography named Chip McCrea come to our shoot to take promotional photography of the entire cast.  Below is a pic Nick snapped with my BlackBerry from my photo session (notice my freezing hands clasped firmly in my pockets).

Somewhere in Clarendon

You can check out more of the photography all over the site, but especially on the Character page.  We’ve got a brand new editor working hard on the footage, and our sound mixer and composer are standing by ready to get to work!

- J. W.