handsome town: guys' night out

i told you they can sing.

the hard part (and maybe the funniest) was for preston (geoff) to sing off-key.

sail away sail away sai-lah...

handsome town: it's more than a feeling

it's touching and hugging and big, surprise smooching.

it's date day in handsome town...

did you miss the pilot?

(feel free to send along your comments)

***

among my favorite things about the show are the fictitious LOAD magazine covers which appear in the opening credits and scattered (i mean, precisely propped) in the background of most every scene.

when mike first approached me about coordinating and shooting these covers, he dangled the "there will be a lot of handsome dudes" carrot in front of me. as if i really needed that to accept the opportunity.

but he wasn't kidding. the volume of headshots submitted for this one-day, sunday shoot was startling. fortunately for us, these fellas were also really nice.

what do you think of the cover lines? mike hired someone to write them....canadian style: more than just mounties....a day with tempestt bledsoe...and note the strategically placed arrows...

so silly, i love them...

martin

william

joey

peter--a phoebeworks favorite! see him chaos theory: team bonding and waiting for jess.

handsome town is...almost here

handsome town is coming to...your computer on tuesday, may 25...
here's the trailer:



looks fun, right?

i can't wait...

you'll be able to watch the show on the handsome town page on phoebetv.

if you head over there now you can read about the show and these amazing, gorgeous souls, who i had the pleasure of photographing:

mike upped the contrast and added graphics...i really love what he did...

i think they look really sharp.

***

and here are the candids of the actors...

this one is different from the photo that appears on the site, only because those were taken on a different day, and those files are...well, a little harder for me to get to right now. but--bonus for you! more of ms. rebekkah's lovely smile...

lights, camera, action (day 3)

our location for today and tomorrow is a medical office on morton street in the west village.

our days typically start at 8 or 9, depending on when we can schedule the location and the talent. what is interesting--potentially stressful--for the crew when it comes to these location shoots (as opposed to studio shoots) is trying to balance the look that the producers are striving for with the limitations of the space in terms of actual square footage and layout and available light.

both this particular office and the concept behind it ("primary care done different") are new. the walls are alternately glossy white and mediterranean blue--and still mark-free--with lots of colorful graphic art to attract the eye (and distract the mind?). the fixtures and furnishings are shiny chrome. daylight streams in through the glass front--which is mostly frosted to add a bit of privacy, but clear at "eye" level to draw a bit of interest for both patients and passersby. it's a like perfectly composed ikea showroom--which i'd say beats the average doctor's office (even on fifth avenue, thank you) by about 3,000 miles.

it didn't take long for the team to realize that street traffic would wildly disrupt the audio, so we retreated to the actual examination rooms for all the shots. the team (um, art director nancy) converted 2 offices into 5 different ones, using greenery and frames (and illusion). the video team had their own challenge-there was only enough space to fit 1 key light and 1 fill light (not the 6-8 light scenario that they would consider ideal) to enhance the pretty but muted daylight that filtered through the rear-facing windows. there was no room to even fit a tripod--or the cameraman. rufus stood outside with the rest of the team and viewed the action via the monitor.

this week reminded me how much of video and photo production is about problem-solving. and being creative. and patient.

and it reminded me how fun and funny this particular group can be, especially in the closest quarters...

jim tried to explain what makes this light so amazing--something about electrons exciting the gas...

at $700 for the light and $200 for the bulb, they had better get excited, and then some.

i kinda want one for my apartment though.

look at all the make-up...nuts! (ha)

from randall's magic makeup bag...considering how often i'm caught without any, i'm surprisingly obsessed with his STUFF...

i can't even begin to explain this...

these are my bosses...haa

mike and the magical mrs. nancy...

mall action (day 2)

we're into day 2 of shooting for this project --not sure when it will air. the thing about these production jobs is once all the materials are handed over to the client, i have no idea if or when they'll ever go live.

if these webisodes are pushed live somewhere, you'll have a good laugh--hopefully, because that is the idea--at my acting turns. today, i played "the friend" at the restaurant. not hard to act or ad lib a line or two as larissa, our main actor, is a sweetheart. it was easy to imagine having dinner with her. but i got a little too into character--they teased me for being a bit too chatty on camera. (ham.)

anyway...from glamorous secaucus, nj:

rufus (also not afraid to ham it up from time to time, which i, as the photographer, really appreciate)

a bit more "work man" like here...

oh when oh when am i ever in harmon meadow? i had to call my friend, reza. he slipped away from the office to say hi....

a big thank you to antoinette and elaine, from stefano's restaurant, for the location and the delicious (garlicky) hummus platter...

nancy, who somehow makes the craziest tasks seem like a labor of love...

rachel and rufus

randall (and a random robin's egg that matches his eyes...)

ha!!! the fast food photos (graphics by nancy)

i am weirdly proud.

action! (day 1)

started out, windblown, in the west village.

ended with me, hamming it up, in the background of a cocktail party scene, swilling fake cosmos.

all in a day's work.

best part, though, was being back with the team...

hooray! rufus!

eerie rufus (in the fridge cam)...

mike and jim

jeff

dan and jim

hostess with the mostest-amazing apartment...ms. rachel

shy boy (mike)

more handsome-ness...

julio "boom" torres

mike, our producer/dp, and rachel, our director

preston ("geoff") and lauren ("the auteur")

miss carrie...

miss rebekkah

miss rebekkah, and "helmut helmet hair"