Film, Interviews, Local

Westward Bound: A Missouri Native Works to Make it in Hollywood

Posted: June 28, 2013 at 12:41 pm   /   by   /   comments (0)

The result is a funny, fast-paced 16-episode series (each episode lasts 3-4 minutes) that has some of the humor of another web series, “Red Vs. Blue,” and the cast synergy of the tv show “The League.” The show was shot on a pretty tight budget, but the story flows smoothly, and the dialogue is colloquial enough to be believable; there are some clever lines, but the characters never appear to be pulling one-liners from a written script, unlike some series.

Blue Collar Beginnings

Life in show business wasn’t always as glamorous. As Brian can attest, sometimes it’s a thankless, difficult job. His first job, while he was still a student at Mizzou, was as a casting assistant on “America’s Next Top Models.”

“I was basically forced to socialize with drop-dead gorgeous models while they were waiting to be called into the casting room,” Brian laments.

“Tough gig.”

Tough, indeed.

Tough, indeed.

Still, despite a brutal workload his first time out, his vision remained undeterred. And so, after graduation, he made his way out to LA, where he dug in as a production assistant on various television shows, as well as the seminal Jason Reitman film, Up In The Air. Being a production assistant taught him a little bit about adaptability and juggling multiple tasks at once. “The set PA is the glue that holds the production together. The production assistant works with every single department,” he explains, then lists some examples of the tasks he performed. “One minute you’re helping the art department make a mud pit, and then the next you might be helping the grips raise a banner, then you might have to set up lights/cameras rather quickly so then you can go through the crowd and get them to sign talent releases for appearing on camera…Obviously every show is different, but there’s always constant fast-paced, non-stop action.”

Moving Forward

Brian and some of the cast from "the Series" From left to right: Shaun Fletcher, Brian, Al Gerschutz, Ivy Miller, Jacob Frith

Brian and some of the cast from “The Series.” From left to right: Shaun Fletcher, Brian, Al Gerschutz, Ivy Miller, Jacob Frith

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

With the shooting for Season 1 wrapped up (16 episodes have been produced, 12 of which have been released), Brian’s taking a break from “The Series” to work on some side projects with friends, producing, writing, and shooting some comedy sketches. He’s also planning a documentary.

Still, “The Series” remains his bread-and-butter, and he speaks with pride when discussing his vision for the series. “Everyone has gone through a messy breakup, a lot of people are currently involved in long distance relationships, a lot of people have been in situations where they are trying to adapt to a brand new environment, and pretty much everyone has worried about where their career is going or if they will ever have a long and successful one. I wanted to write something that everyone could relate to and hopefully take away that they aren’t alone in experiencing these hardships & dilemmas, and they don’t have to be alone when dealing with them.”

As proof, he offers up the work he and the cast/crew of “The Series” have done so far.

“It’s virtually impossible to do everything by yourself, but once you find a group of people that you can trust and are as passionate & hard working as you are, then there’s no stopping what you can accomplish together.”

To watch “The Series,” as well as other videos by Perfect Situation Pictures, click here.

Follow “The Series” on Facebook.