Portlandia at Work
Last week big signs appeared on the street where we are staying temporarily in Portland: “No parking, Filming Portlandia.” I was over-wrought with excitement. I love the satire about the shenanigans of the proud, kooky locals of this town.
Fred Armison and Carrie Brownstein star in the hilarious, sometimes farther-than-far-out show. Portlandia received six Emmy nominations this year. The winners will be announced on August 24th on NBC.
Fred’s lengthy credits include bandleader on the Seth Meyers Show, writer, producer, voice actor, and former Saturday Night Live comedian. You may recall his acting rants as Obama and other less memorable characters on SNL. Carrie’s credits encompass television writer, actress, musician and cookbook expert. See the charming video of her conversation with David Letterman.
The trucks and trailers arrived at 6:15 a.m. I took the dog for a walk, hoping I’d get picked for a bit role. Or perhaps the dog would win a cameo appearance, but alas, the filming took place inside the restaurant at the end of the block.
Along with the shiny silver trailers and trucks, a large aqua colored box truck arrived, full of retro clothes. I read, with interest about the two female who own Mickle & Mod, a retro clothes shop, which has grown with their notoriety. Now they take their clothes on filming locations. The episode must have required many changes as Fred and Carrie looked very young walking down the street towards the restaurant early in the morning, but returned to their respective cars (parked at our doorstep) with gray hair. They must have had an awful day as they aged rapidly in six hours.
I enjoyed watching the intensity of people in the tent by the truck for electronics. Everyone seemed to carry coffee and doughnuts from the converted school-bus-turned- restaurant. The “Sidewalk Coordinator” carried a Walkie-Talkie and had a cell phone glued to her head. She must have walked miles that day.
We’ve experienced situations where we must scurry and wait, move faster and wait. Watching activity for filming Portlandia reminded me of waiting for wedding music to start or the right song for dancing. About 11:30 they packed up and the actors drove away.
So now I know. The film industry is glamorous, but it’s like any job…sometimes boring, sometimes organized and occasionally you have a winner. Be sure to watch Portlandia, if you like laughing and zany situations. The film crew knows how to capture and translate the utterly outrageous into comedy.
