Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1542296
P H OT O : J AY C L E N D E N I N REPORTING FOR WORK: Nicole Artzer, left, with Bradley Cheyne, right, and assistant editor Michelle Fellner. 38 C I N E M O N T A G E F E A T U R E how — and that's fun to play. CineMontage: How does the framing device influence the cutting rhythms? Sascha Stanton-Craven: I think it's important for all the episodes to have a con- tinuity, because it's the same documentary crew across episodes. One thing that struck me when I started was the commitment to the reality of a two-camera crew. You have to know where the cameras can plausibly be at all times and that your cuts make sense within that framework. If you're in a wide shot, you see that there aren't any cameras in all of that space, so getting from that to a close-up is a bit of a puzzle. There's always a consideration of whether the camera could realistically get to whatever place you're cutting to on a practical level, to say nothing of how aware of the camera the characters would be during more private scenes. As the show goes on, you can be a little looser. It doesn't have to be as strict or realistic as long as it's underpinned by the feeling that these are real cameras in real space, responding in near-real time. CineMontage: How much did you want to try out different ideas and not just riff on what's already been done? Stanton-Craven: I don't approach it as though I had to put my stamp on the show, though everyone has their own preferences for performance and rhythm within what's been established. As Julie said, what's really interesting and vital is watching different characters' relationships to the crew be- come clearer. Ned's a little nervous; he wants to look good and sometimes missteps, then real- izes, "Oh, that was recorded." Esmeralda (Sabrina Impacciatore) assumes the doc crew totally loves her and is entirely on her side. The dissonance between how she thinks she's coming off and how she's actu- ally coming off is another comedic layer on top of the meat of the story. CineMontage: How did you design the show to move and breathe in its own space? Stanton-Craven: Since it's the first sea- son of the show, I think there was a feeling of finding it as we went along, as the writers and actors discover more about who the characters are. The whole show found its character as it went along. There is a pace to the show that is not wall-to-wall jokes, like some other sitcoms that are just bang, bang, bang. It has some quiet moments, or a character moment, or just a physical gag. Part of that is the moc- kumentary style, which often favors longer takes where you can't immediately cut to the next thing. The directors were very good at controlling pace within takes to avoid