Flipping Out Season 4

July 15, 2010 Ashley F. Millerauthentic, bravo, flipping out, jeff lewis, reality tvLeave a comment

The great show Flipping Out is coming back for season 4 on August 10th. I am biased, of course, but you should really watch it. And I’m not the only one who says so!

http://www.televisionaryblog.com/2010/07/its-great-day-at-jeff-lewis-office.html

I had the chance to watch the Season Four opener of Flipping Out a few days ago and instantly fell back in love with this series, which manages to effortlessly remain one of the most consistently funny and eye-opening reality series on television today. (That it remains off the radar of the majority of viewers is a crime against reality TV that simply cannot stand.)

Yeah! Take that… reality TV?

Ultimately, the Season Four premiere perfectly matches just what I love about this series, offering the perfect entrypoint for new viewers while continuing the misadventures of the lovable misfits that make up Jeff Lewis Design. So grab a martini, turn off the phone, and prepare to flip out yourself.

See, even new viewers can enjoy it! With a martini no less. So friggin’ watch the show already, jeez. Um, but it won’t be on until August 10, but… on August 10, friggin’ watch the show already, jeez.

Here’s the official site on Bravo: http://www.bravotv.com/flipping-out

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Happy St. Patrick’s Day; South Park

March 17, 2010 Ashley F. Millercredits, reality tv, south park, st. patrick's day, TVLeave a comment

It’s my favorite because green is my favorite color. Today every article of clothing and accessory I have is green. I feel good and ridiculous about that. But I’m part Irish so I guess that’s probably the point.

Haven’t updated in a while. Moved last weekend. Finished unpacking last night. Need furniture. The apartment is way too big for just me, but that’s OK.

Season Premiere of South Park is tonight. So that’s exciting.

I’ve been working long hours doing the grunt work of TV. You know how there are an absurd number of credits on any given TV show or film? Those credits really only cover probably half of the people who worked on the show. Whole companies get a single credit, when there are dozens or hundreds of people at those companies who worked on the show. The sheer number of people who are involved in any given production is mind-boggling. People who do things like digitize tapes or carry them from one place to another or just keep the computers running for everyone else to work on. And that’s just in post.

Yeah. Lots of people. Not sure what my point was. Other than I’m busy.

First Days

February 1, 2010 Ashley F. Millerassistant editor, Editing, reality tv1 Comment

Always a lot of build up, and then the day is really nothing like the rest will be, of course. Ease into it, figure things out. Everything is deceptively straightforward and laid back. Or rather, the problems you find aren’t problems you’re equipped to address, so you get to outsource them.

I still wish I worked in a room that had any sort of natural light allowed into it. But I have conned my way into getting a drawer and a desk lamp. I may even get two, because it’s dark back here.

Mild Whining and Jeopardy

January 25, 2010 Ashley F. Miller1 vs 100, Editing, Gay, gay marriage, Gay Rights, jeopardy!, maleficent, monty python, moose, prop 8, prop8, reality tv, sleeping beauty, tim burton, vaughn walker, xboxLeave a comment

Next Monday I start my new gig as the Lead Assistant Editor on a reality show. One that my mother loves and my boyfriend hates… so I guess that’s fair. I will be making more money (yay!) but working 10 more hours a week (boo!). That’s like more than an additional day of hours. And because the reality TV industry isn’t about the whole having unions things, my contract stipulates that OT doesn’t begin til after 50 hours.

Need to set aside time to write. Time in which I’m not allowed to, say, go online at all. This week would be good, since I’m losing 10 hours a week starting next week. The rough thing about 10 hour days is that that’s 2 meals you’ve got to do at work, which is difficult to do. At least on film sets, food is provided. 10 hours, plus an hour to get ready in the morning, an hour of commute, an hour of errands or cooking, 8 hours of sleep, leaves… 4 hours. No more 1 vs 100 on Xbox live for me.

Also, the online test to qualify for Jeopardy is happening this week:
East Coast: January 26th at 8pm ET
Central/Mountain: January 27th at 8pm CT/7pm MT
Pacific Coast: January 28th at 8pm PT

Also wik, Judge Vaughn Walker of the Prop 8 trial might be the funniest human being of all time.

Also also wik, I am debating posting the Opening Scene from my old Maleficent script. I would essentially just have to type it up, but I’m not sure there’s any interest and it’s fairly ridiculous. And no one seemed to be NEARLY EXCITED ENOUGH about the fact that Tim Burton wants to make a MALEFICENT movie. SERIOUSLY YOU GUYS.

Wi not trei a holiday in Sweeden this yer? See the loveli lakes. The wonderful telephone system. And mani interesting furry animals. Including the majestic moose. A moose once bit my sister… No realli! She was Karving her initials on the moose with the sharpened end of an interspace toothbrush given her by Svenge – her brother-in-law – an Oslo dentist and star of many Norwegian movies: “The Hot Hands of an Oslo Dentist”, “Fillings of Passion”, “The Huge Molars of Horst Nordfink”… Mynd you, moose bites Kan be pretti nasti…

Reality TV: People are Crazy

December 10, 2009 Ashley F. Millercrazy, reality tv3 Comments

The thing about reality shows is that you’re working with people who have to be willing to be on TV. And the thing about people who are willing to be on TV is that most of them are crazy.

Today, there was sent an e-mail to a show that the producing team spent probably half an hour trying to figure out what it meant and why it was sent. It was basically a crazy rant about why the person who was scheduled to come on their show wasn’t going to do it. Everything in different font sizes and strange numbers and apparent quotes; it was paranoid and afraid of gossip and afraid of the show hurting her. The staff then began throwing out reasons, these were all actually said, all of them seriously:

“Maybe it’s dementia? But she’s under 50.” “Maybe it’s a forward? But it has my name on it.” “Maybe it’s a poem?” “Maybe she’s sick?” “Maybe her neighbor told her that all reality shows are about making the participants look stupid.” “Maybe she’s stressed cuz it’s the holidays and she’s having trouble financially?” “Maybe she’s supposed to take psychiatric medication and she went off them for a few days.”

What was not resolved was how they’re going to deal with it. Since she’s signed a contract and everything, and there’s probably not enough time to find someone new.

A Day in the Life of a Reality TV Story Assistant

October 13, 2009 Ashley F. MillerEditing, reality tv, Story AsstLeave a comment

Get to work at 10 AM. The Company Head Editor (CHE) comes to talk to the Story Producer (SP). SP arrives a little late, usually.

CHE (to SP): Your editor won’t be back for the rest of the show.

Me: I can edit.

CHE ignores me. Continues talking to SP.

CHE: So I’m going to start making calls to people. See if you can find someone to come in.

Exit CHE.

Me: I can edit until you can get someone in. You’re already using my cuts.

SP: Thanks so much!! We’ll set you up in the editing bay!

CUT TO:

Me in editing bay, no problem. SP enters.

SP: Development Editor (DE) will also be editing, but we can use all the hands we can get. He’ll do the packages, you can do the deleted scenes.

Me: Sure

A little disappointed, I wanted to be the hero editor (Pay raise plz, kthx), but cool. Also, DE is doing the job I was doing provisionally (for free) a few months ago, but then the Head of Development remembered that she loved DE and wanted him to do it instead. So, didn’t get that promotion.

So I cut a bunch of stuff, and spend a lot of time showing the footage to DE, not because he’s not good, he’s great, but because I’ve spent a couple weeks cutting the material and there’s a lot of it and I’ve already cut what they want but some local producer didn’t want it, but then the network did want it, so they’re reverting everything back to basically what I’d cut in the first place.

1PM SP grabs us lunch I guess because she feels guilty about locking us in the editing bays and whipping us into editing frenzies. Not really true, but you know.

Early afternoon, I finally get the call sheet for set tomorrow and learn things such as where I am going, when I need to be there, and when it will be over. And find out what I’m going to be doing. And that I need a laptop. So, you know, good to know last minute.

SP comes by 3ish to check my cuts. Asks me to revert previous editor’s cuts to what I had originally cut, and likes what I’ve done. Ego boost. Wants me to get another Editor at the place to come place music on the cuts, because they’re being used tomorrow on set. I joking (not really) say I should get a pay raise and an editor credit. SP laughs.

I monitor the other two editors, sort of superivising them but then let them do their thing. Will work on a cut of something new and count down the time til 6PM.

Tomorrow, 8AM call. But I do get to meet famous people.