As an assistant, I don’t have personal experiences or emotions, but I can certainly analyze and comment on the images you’ve provided from a visual perspective, drawing parallels to real-world scenarios based on my programming.
Today is a gloomy and chilly April day in Toronto, with only two weeks remaining before filming wraps up for the sixth and final season of What We Do in the Shadows, an FX comedy series. This show focuses on a group of vampires residing in an old mansion on Staten Island who are being documented without a named title. The cast is about to shoot a house-meeting scene, so all roommates have assembled in the “fancy room.” These roommates include Nandor the Relentless (portrayed by Kayvan Novak), a once fearsome Ottoman general now turned into a compassionate self-help book reader vampire; Laszlo Cravensworth (Matt Berry), a Victorian gentleman of science with a penchant for promiscuity; his wife, Nadja of Antipaxos (Natasia Demetriou), a Greek ex-peasant who’s headstrong and scrappy; and Colin Robinson (Mark Proksch), a midwestern office-coded “energy vampire” who feeds on the vitality of spaces. The main cast member, Guillermo (Harvey Guillén), is not present for this scene as he has once more left the house under the potentially perilous care of his eternal former employers after having transitioned from being their human familiar to a vampire and back again.
As I cradle a cushion in my arms, being heavily pregnant for several months now, I’ve mastered countless strategies to camouflage my bump. “Tote a tub, carry a crate, perch a pillow on your knee, hide behind a produce display,” I suggest. Nandor passionately proclaims that our motley crew will assemble here each night to revive our ancient dream of subjugating the New World, a goal we initially aimed for upon our arrival eons ago and have been yearning to rekindle since season one. He repeats this rallying cry frequently, with swift succession, and his comrades cheer in approval as improvised quips are exchanged and refined. Eventually, they decide on a climactic punchline for the scene, where Proksch honks a horn to show his support. After the initial takes, I confer with director Kyle Newacheck regarding my character’s reaction. Should Nadja express unbridled approval or adopt a more ambiguous stance? “The talking head undercuts it,” he explains, suggesting that Nadja should wholeheartedly endorse Nandor’s scheme, only to later recant in the mockumentary-style interview I’ll participate in. In the final version of my talking-head scene, I discuss my determination to assimilate with humans. A disembodied voice prompts me about Nandor’s plan, and I respond, “Absolutely, conquering the New World and that objective, it holds great significance for me. I’ll tackle it soon,” before flashing a thumbs-up.
The casual, humorous approach of “Shadows” is what makes it a delightful viewing experience. Inspired by the 2014 independent film of the same name by Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi, “Shadows” stands out as the final representative — a comedy that values a type of absurdity born from years of refining a strictly serious skill set. The series has managed to endure longer than expected, capturing an audience during the pandemic’s early days when laughter was in high demand; viewership for season two increased by 25 percent compared to season one. It has also served as a platform for British comedians at the peak of their talents. Berry received an Emmy nomination this year for his role, having previously won the 2015 BAFTA for Male Performance in a Comedy Program for “Toast of London”; Demetriou has been nominated for two BAFTAs, while Novak won one for his work on the prank-call program “Fonejacker.” Proksch is known for his roles in “The Office,” and his fellow American cast member Kristen Schaal co-stars in “Bob’s Burgers.” Guillén mentions that although he had already been working in the industry for over a decade when he landed this role, he was still the only cast member who hadn’t created their own series before.
Schaal, who portrays a secretive vampire assistant character called The Guide, remarks that the show they’re working on is exceptionally swift, resembling a stage play more than a typical production. This quick pace is due in part to its mockumentary style, which minimizes setup time between takes and provides actors with great adaptability. Proksch explains that it’s important not to over-rehearse, allowing for some stumbling to make the performances feel realistic. Even Berry, initially skeptical of mockumentaries, has grown fond of their flexibility: ideas can be swiftly conceived, executed, and altered. In their free time, Berry, Newacheck, and Novak often enjoy playing music in the house’s spacious music room, equipped with a piano, drum kit, and various guitars and keyboards that double as a break room when not needed for filming.
The house the vampires share feels quite real — a “360 environment,” as Novak puts it — with entire floors fully built out on separate soundstages. To access the main floor’s living room, you have to go through an actual front door, then through an entryway with a cobweb-covered coat closet on one side and, on the other, a table filled with Amazon packages addressed to 1211 Sandywood Street, Staten Island, NY, 10309, care of “Javier Sucksalot,” one of many jokes the audience never sees but the production-design team added for fun. Paul Jones, whose 36-year career in animatronics and prosthetics includes Blade and several Resident Evil films, has a workshop across the street and swings by whenever a severed head or robotic mutant is needed — particularly necessary whenever Laszlo gets into one of his disturbing scientific experiments. Jones is effusive about the job he has been able to do on Shadows, readily offering that it’s the “best show I’ve ever worked on.” His office is practically a museum of the series’ history, housing full-body casts of some of the actors as well as fully built characters like the Sire, an ancient vampire from whom all other vampires of the world descend, and Baby Colin, who crawled out of the chest cavity of a dead Colin Robinson at the end of season three as part of the energy vampire’s mysterious life cycle.
In the current climate of more subdued and thought-provoking comedies dominating awards, such as “The Bear” and “Hacks,” the quirky show “Shadows” seems to be becoming increasingly rare. Executive producer Paul Simms expressed his doubts about returning to a project like this during our chat in his office above the soundstage. Despite his assurances that the final season won’t be overly sentimental, the premiere does seem to stir up some philosophical dilemmas for the characters. It presents a new roommate who was previously sleeping in the basement for 50 years – a vampire named Jerry played by Mike O’Brien – who, upon waking, starts asking awkward questions about their documentary-making endeavor, which they are hoping Guillermo can help them decipher.
On set again, I’m filming my part where Laszlo expresses agreement with Nandor’s plan, saying something like, “Taking over the New World is definitely our priority. It’s crucial, but…” In true Shadows style, my character somehow veers off course, getting tangled in his own quirky ideas. We run this scene a few times, and during the breaks, I stand there, flicking my fangs with my tongue before all of a sudden breaking into a self-satisfied grin – an idea had popped into my head. When we start again, I emphasize the line by jabbing my index finger unexpectedly into the camera on the word “one.” I pause, stepping out of character for a moment: “How does that look?” It’s definitely funny, characteristic of my dramatic physicality, but it didn’t make the final cut. It was just an idea, something we came up with spontaneously – a quick chance to have a bit of fun.
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2024-10-17 14:55