Arrested Development Archives

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ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT An Affectionate Look Behind-The-Scenes (Season 3) Part 3

If you haven’t read part 1 or 2 yet, you can find them here and here.

EDITING ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT

When shooting wraps on an episode, the toughest part of the work is just beginning. Each episode of ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT seems to require about twenty hours of intense editing work from Mitch and he often wants me to be a part of it. Why? Because I was there for the shooting, so I know all the footage and I also know where the good takes are.

This is more complicated than it sounds, because you rarely get a perfect take all the way through. You get good pieces. I find myself saying “I liked it when he said this line in this take and I liked this reading of this other line in this take…”

It requires a lot of patience.

October 25, 2013

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ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT An Affectionate Look Behind-The-Scenes (Season 3) Part 2

If you haven’t read part 1 yet, you can find it here.

THE MAGIC OF RON HOWARD

I discover that the Ron Howard voiceover is what makes ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT possible.

There is so much story in a single episode of ARRESTED that there’s simply no way to cover it in full-length scenes and still have a 22 minute show. Instead, we write jokes and fun set pieces and use Ron’s voiceover to quickly connect the dots for the viewer. Months later, in editing, we will be constantly rewriting the voiceover to accommodate the changes we make based on different cuts of the episode.

October 23, 2013

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ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT An Affectionate Look Behind-The-Scenes (Season 3) Part 1

GETTING A JOB ON ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT

I’m Executive Producing and occasionally directing the Damon Wayans show MY WIFE AND KIDS when it gets abruptly cancelled. Luckily, my good friend, Jim Vallely, introduces me to Mitch Hurwitz — the creator and show runner of ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT.

We hit it off. Mitch is funny and likable and I love his show. He asks if I’d be interested in working on season 3 as a writer/producer and I jump at the chance. Who wouldn’t? It’s ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT — one of the most admired series of the decade!

But I’m terrified.

October 21, 2013

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FITNESS CONFIDENTIAL: Behind the Scenes

Part One: Writing with a Bat

(Part one of a two-part series about writing and publishing FITNESS CONFIDENTIAL — the new, hit book by Vinnie Tortorich and Dean Lorey.)

Firing Vinnie Tortorich was the best thing that ever happened to me.

I was not a healthy guy. ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT had been cancelled and I was traveling the country, visiting schools, happily promoting my NIGHTMARE ACADEMY series, but my diet and lifestyle had caught up with me. I was a good thirty pounds heavier, felt terrible — slow, lethargic — and wanted to stop feeling that way. So, on the recommendation of friends, I hired Vinnie as a personal trainer and was ready to do anything necessary to get in shape, as long as “anything necessary” didn’t involve changing my diet or having to exercise. I guess I thought that the very act of hiring someone would just “miracle” the weight off. Didn’t happen. It wasn’t Vinnie’s fault. My mind wasn’t right. I didn’t lose a single pound or get any fitter. I wanted to quit.

Which is when Vinnie discovered he had leukemia.

August 5, 2013

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Vinnie Tortorich and more…

Hello, again. As usual, I was determined to keep up with this blog, but life got in the way. So a few quick updates…

ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT

I finished my work on the new season and it’s now in the hands of Mitch Hurwitz. We want to preserve surprises, so I’ll only say if you liked the other seasons, I think you’ll really like this one.

BRONX WARRANTS

I shot a pilot for a new cop comedy for the FX network with Denis Leary, Jim Serpico and Tom Selitti — my producing partners on the project. I love it. We’re waiting to find out if FX is planning to move forward with it. We shot in NY (my favorite city) and had a great time. Fingers crossed.

December 19, 2012