By Ashley Phinney
When Rebecca first approached me about directing That Kind of Worked, I was immediately hooked on the concept. Knowing Rebecca and Samantha, the idea of pitting these sisters against one another while giving them an impossible time limit and asking them to compete at tasks they are woefully unprepared for sounded like a recipe for the best kind of chaotic comedy. I was sold on the project before she even finished her pitch.
Laying the Laugh Track: Pre-Production
Pre-production is a critical stage of the production process. We all know this. But the truth of it is that every production handles pre-production differently. Rebecca and I were highly focused on making the shooting days go as smoothly as possible so she could concentrate on being the on-screen talent. As the producer, Rebecca did a lot of the heavy lifting during this stage, and as a team of two in the beginning she wore many different hats. While Rebecca talked with Bell, organized craft and locations, found and hired judges, drafted call sheets, and made sure the budget was budgeted, I was able to focus on understanding how the run of the day would look, as well as communicating with our excellent technical team and outstanding team of judges regarding what the final challenges would look like, and how we could safely go about them.
During this time, Rebecca, Samantha, and I also did site visits and had several meetings to ensure we were all on the same page regarding the production and that we had not missed anything significant in the planning process. Overall, the work and the love we put into pre-production set us up for success.
Comedy Unscripted: Navigating the Chaos of Reality Show Filming
On-set is my favorite place to be. The set for That Kind of Worked was no exception. I remember how nervous I was the night before we shot our show’s first episode. We had wanted to begin with the Wilderness Survival episode, as we were shooting over the late fall and early winter, and none of us wanted to be outside shooting once the snow came. Everything depended on whether the weather cooperated and all of our plans worked out.
One of the most complex parts of filming an unscripted series is knowing where you want things to go and ensuring they get there. There is a balance between letting things roll and seeing where they take you while also knowing when to reel things in or push them in a new direction. This is where a lot of uncertainty can come from as a Director, as the overall control is less in your hands, and becomes a more collaborative effort. This experience is particularly unnerving the first time around for any new project. Thankfully, with all the leg work we put into pre-production, there were minimal hiccups, and everyone had a clear vision of what was needed and where we wanted to go. Thus, we could stay on track and get everything we needed, which is always great.
Though cold, it was as nice a day as we could have asked for. That was the beginning of what turned out to be a set of very successful shoots.
A few behind-the-scenes highlights for me were:
Watching the judges/assistants get comfortable on camera and show us their personalities, they were all lovely to work with.
Watching Rebecca lug two huge chunks of a tree into her shelter, just to watch Samantha walk off with one of them.
Generally, watching the chaos unfold, Samantha and Rebecca are hilarious even when the cameras are not on them.
Pearl the shop chicken (that’s all I will say about that; you’ll have to watch the show 😂).
The Team that Laughs Together: How the Crew’s Bond Helped Shape Our Show
Filming That Kind of Worked was a wild ride, in the best way. I want to give our FANTASTIC crew the biggest, most heartfelt shout-out. Jon, Ty, Tibor, Jared, Brit, Evan, and Josh - wow, you folks really showed up for these shoots. Extra special shout out to Jon and Ty, who filmed the competition segments on RONINS, capturing all the action in one fell swoop (sometimes while RUNNING through the WOODS!). We could not have asked for a better team.
One of the most unique aspects of this show was the crew’s involvement. We knew that most of our locations would be impossible to avoid interacting with and occasionally seeing the crew working away in the background. So, instead of that being a negative, we leaned into it. The crew is a large part of what makes this show so magical. They allowed us to showcase even more of the fun and inviting personality of this wonderful province, specifically the Fredericton community, by including these raw reactions and golden moments with everyone on set.
Raw into Reality: Post-Production and What’s Next
While Rebecca works away at crafting the final episodes, I eagerly await what she sends me. She is a true creative force when it comes to editing. So far, I have seen the first draft of one episode, which is hilarious. My main job at this stage is to be another set of eyes, to offer my perspective, and to help her in any way I can to cut these into the best episodes they can be. Any day now, I will get the links to the current drafts of each episode, and we will begin shaving them down to meet our required time.
Make sure you check out That Kind of Worked this summer on BellTV1!
