STBD Profile: Erik Schark (aka Rich Mathis)

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Actor Erik Schark explains what it takes to create the unpredictable persona of Rich Mathis. (2:00)

Age and Acting

Hans Rosemond (aka Lloyd on STBD) turned 30 this weekend, which -- as is expected around "major birthdays" -- led to a bit of soul-searching on his part. Having recently turned 30 myself, I know the drill:

1) Realize Orson Welles directed Citizen Kane when he was 25.

2) Realize you haven't, and you're 30.

3) Drink a lot.

Old Is the New Young

Traditionally, actors tend to be a few years older than the characters they portray. The conventional wisdom here is, "You have to have lived THROUGH something in order to convince OTHERS that you're 'living through' it." (This would explain the careers of many Hollywood actors, who portray teenagers well through their first real-life divorces and / or plastic surgery mishaps.)

On Something to Be Desired, our cast also plays characters whose age differs from their own -- but not always in reverse. In fact, Ann Turiano (Caroline), Shaun Cameron Hall (Dean) and Will Guffey (Leo), among others, are all a year or two younger than the characters they portray.

However, the ambivalent passage of time on STBD means that the characters' ages are always a bit vague (i.e., Caroline may have graduated college in 2003, but that doesn't mean she's 26 now). Meanwhile, the actors still keeping aging like clockwork. This means that Ann Turiano is now likely older than Caroline, despite having been younger than Caroline when she began playing her.

And you thought The Simpsons had questionable chronology...

Don't Confuse Age With Experience

Just because an actor is a certain age, it doesn't mean he or she is naturally able to inhabit "younger" characters. Likewise, just because an actor is younger than a character on paper, it doesn't mean he / she can't play older.

The dividing line isn't age; it's experience.

On STBD, I was confident that Ann Turiano could play an older role, so Caroline was created with Ann's "mature" side in mind. Meanwhile, Dean and Leo have never been paragons of responsibility and common sense, so casting actors a year or two younger than the characters themselves seemed appropriate.

(Full disclosure: The characters of Dean and Leo were written as being 22-24 years old well before we actually considered casting. When I realized that the actors I could collaborate with were primarily college students, I resisted the idea of "younging up" the characters to match the actors' ages. Instead, I trusted that their skill would carry us through to believability.

I think we've done well thus far.)

And, if you need further proof that age is nothing but a number, think back again to Citizen Kane: Orson Welles may have been only 25 when he directed it, but he portrayed the title character throughout 60 years of the man's life. Now that's convincing acting. (And great makeup.)

Jack Boyd Cameo?

The good news: on my way home from business in Connecticut, I'm staying overnight at the home of Dan Stripp (aka Jack Boyd on early seasons of Something to Be Desired).

The bad news (for STBD fans): There will be no Jack Boyd holiday cameo filmed here. Sorry.

Unless you're REALLY good.

But even then, probably not.

Maybe.

STBD 5-10: Revealed!

The "Light-Up Night" episode was a great opportunity for us to showcase Downtown Pittsburgh in all its festive holiday glory... and to wrap up a loose end or two.

The Making of "Light-Up Night" involved:

- 7 scripted pages

- 5 improvised scenes

- 60 minutes of raw footage

- 2 shoots over 24 hours

- 2 voiceovers

- 12+ hours of editing

Fun Facts, Scene by Scene:

* Caroline (aka Ann Turiano) is wearing a pierogi t-shirt, courtesy of a soon-to-be-launched Pittsburgh apparel company who shall remain nameless for the next week or two... (Ask Mike Woycheck for details.)

* All of the dialogue between Tim (Ryan Ben) and Leo (Will Guffey) was improvised from a basic outline, as was the idea for them to play a carnival game. Tim accidentally winning a one-armed bear? That was serendipity; the woman working the carnival booth asked Ryan to choose something from a shady box they kept under the counter, and he accidentally took a damaged prize.

* Improvised as well was the scene between Caroline and Todd (Matt Pavlosky) on Mount Washington. Matt happened to be drinking there with friends and we plucked him from the bar (Redbeard's) for an impromptu scene, hours after Light-Up night had concluded.

* If it looks like Leo is burning his S'mores beyond repair, that's because he was... More surprisingly, Ryan Ben (Tim) had never had a S'mores before, and wasn't sure how to make them. (Hopefully he didn't study Leo too closely...)

* To save on downtown parking hassles, Ryan Ben (Tim), Will Guffey (Leo) and Ann Turiano (Caroline) all carpooled down in director Justin Kownacki's car. While Ann and Rick Hertzig (Rick) were filming the final downtown scene of the night, Will was in charge of getting Justin's car out of the parking garage and navigating the traffic / pedestrian / construction hell of Downtown Pittsburgh during Light-Up Night. (Remarkably, he found streetside parking one block from the "big freaking tree," on 6th and Penn.)

* Although Dierdre's arrival under the "big freaking tree" is the last scene of the episode, it was the first scene we filmed. That's because Lacey Fleming, who plays Dierdre, had to race home to Ohio to prepare for a family wedding the next day. That scene was actually filmed 90 minutes before the Glenn / Caroline scene that immediately precedes it.

* All music included in this episode actually comes from Ed Roberts's incredibly useful Podsafe Christmas podcast, which returns with all new music immediately after this year's Thanksgiving! Thanks for the great finds, Ed!

* Several hours' worth of editing on this episode took place on an Amtrak train between Boston, MA, and Bridgeport, CT. Did you know Amtrak has power outlets for every seat on its trains? The STBD laptop (and its 1 hour battery) thank you, Amtrak...

STBD Shoot at Light-Up Night This Friday

Several of the STBD cast members will be on-hand for a live, semi-improvised shoot during Light-Up Night this Friday in downtown Pittsburgh. Rumor has it that veteran podcaster C.C. Chapman might be in town from Boston that night and making an STBD cameo appearance as well.

If you'll be downtown for light-up night, keep your eyes open for Caroline, Tabitha and the rest of the STBD cast! Say hello (and buy us hot drinks - it'll be about 35 degrees that night)!

Two Episodes Left...

... until our next hiatus. (Time flies when you're creating a weekly web series.)

In the interim between 10-episode arcs, we'll still be posting a new video every Monday. But instead of actual episodes, these will be interviews, behind-the-scenes stuff, and the occasional ultra-brief (one minute or less) "microsodes."

In that spirit: what would YOU like to see during our "break"?

Which cast members would like to see interviewed?

What questions would you like answers to?

Which characters would you like deeper, one-minute glimpses into?

Leave suggestions in the comments or email jkownacki [at] somethingtobedesired [dawt] com.

STBD 5-5: Revealed!

This week's episode of STBD was a drastic departure from the norm. How so? Read on...

The Making of "Pittsburgh Politics" involved:

- 3 scripted "PSAs"

- 9 improvised sequences (of which, 5 made the final cut)

- 30 minutes of raw footage

- 1 shoot in 1 day

- 6+ hours of editing

Fun Facts, Scene by Scene:

* This entire episode was filmed in one day -- the Sunday before the epsiode went live. (Actually, filming only took three hours, including driving time.)

* The PSAs were scripted. Everything else was improvised by Erik Schark (aka Rich Mathis) and Courtney Jenkins (Tabitha), with minimal direction from yours truly.

* We purposely diverged from the standard STBD "look" to obtain a more "documentary" feel, which necessitated the removal of the opening credits sequence.

* The piece of cheesecake Rich devours really did cost more than $8...

* This episode is only the second, ever (that we're aware of) that DOESN'T feature Leo, Caroline or Dierdre in some capacity. (The first? Episode 4-28, which revolves entirely around Tim's romantic duel with guest stars iJustine and Matthew Ebel.)

STBD 5-1: Revealed!

On Tuesdays this season, we'll be revealing some of the behind-the-scenes commotion involved in the making of each week's episode.

The Making of "Rich's Little Problem" involved:

- 7 versions of a 17-page script (eventually trimmed to 14)

- 2+ hours of raw footage

- 7 different shooting days

- 18+ hours of editing

- 3 unused (or severely edited) scenes

Fun Facts, scene by scene:

* The stoplight that opens the episode was filmed at the corner of Murray and Forbes, in Squirrel Hill. However, Rich and Caroline's car is stopped on a dead-end street in Highland Park.

* The audio in the opening scene is dicey because there were cicadas chirping near Rich's window and children on a trampoline near Caroline's. That background noise was reduced as much as possible.

* Courtney Jenkins (aka Tabitha) was late to the "lunch" shoot... because she got pulled over on Bigelow Boulevard for speeding... because she was late for the "lunch" shoot... (Cost of ticket: $55)

* Rich's "Umbrella" line was improvised.

* The "manuscript" Caroline is editing at her desk is actually a play that Ann Turiano (Caroline) is evaluating for a local theatre company.

* Rick Hertzig (Glenn) and Ryan Ben (Tim) were never in Affogato at the same time. Their shoots took place on completely different days.

* Ryan had to grow a beard for his role as Jesus in a play for the New Works Festival. The festival ended the week we were filming, but we couldn't time the shoot to coincide, so Tim had to be bearded for once.

* Caroline and Pryce had a completely scripted "date" that was cut due to time constraints.

* Rich's "Mathis 4 Mayor" sign was hand-scrawled on the back of an Amanda Across America poster, which we were sent by mistake when Blip.TV sponsored PodCamp Pittsburgh 2 in August. We hung the banner up, only to realize afterward that they sent it to us by mistake (they meant to send one with the Blip logo). After Dina Kaplan at Blip assured us she didn't need it back, we decided to pay homage to it in the episode.

STBD Cast in New Works Festival

Ryan realizes the time for beards is soon over...
STBD cast members Ryan Ben (aka Tim) and Trent Wolfred (aka Pryce, aka "that guy Caroline bumped into at the wedding but was never named on-camera") can be seen onstage in this weekend's New Works Festival.

According to the Post-Gazette, Trent dazzled in one of the first night's best plays, while Ryan does a killer version of... um, Jesus. Just goes to show, we know how to pick 'em here at STBD.

More details at Pittsburgh New Works.

Blondes Have More Fun, Eh?

Ann Turiano (aka Caroline) has a new haircut for Season Five.

And she's now blonde.

And she's getting hit on by guys on the street, now more than ever.

... And she's kind of offended.

To paraphrase her: Are men somehow wired to react to blondes differently?

Where Have All the Yinzers Gone?

One question we hear a lot from current AND former Pittsburghers is: "Where are all the yinzers on STBD?"

For those of you who've never graced our fair city, "yinzer" is a term lovingly applied to a subsection of the local populace. It's based upon the colloquialism "yinz," which is Pittsburghese for "y'all."

Yinzers tend to be hard-working, blue-collar, lifelong diehard Steelers fans (or "Stillers," if you speak the lingo). The most defining characteristic is the dialect, and it's that accent that's as inseparable from local Pittsburgh culture as the linguistics heard in Minnesota, Buffalo, Texas, Boston, Los Angeles... really, in most other major population centers.

So: where ARE the yinzers on STBD?

Simple answer: we've never had one, and we probably never will. At least, not on purpose.

Believe it or not, most of the STBD cast are native Pittsburghers. And yet, you've never heard Leo, Caroline or Liz utter a drop of Pittsburghese. That's because they never picked it up during their formative years -- and, even if they did, they lost it during dialect classes in college.

About the closest we've come to a "yinzer" accent comes from Rob Stone, who plays Rich's infrequently-seen lawyer Alex. But we're not going out of our way to play up that angle, mainly because we refuse to believe Pittsburgh should be defined by its dialect. It's the same reason some folks thought Fargo was a negative reflection on the northern midwest: people trapped in that speech pattern tend to come across as "yokels."

We like to think STBD represents a more universally engaged version of Pittsburgh. We think we can accurately portray the denizens of the city without resorting to accents as cultural shortcuts.

Now... if we could only do something about the diversity of our cast... (Though, some might argue, a lack of diversity is also, sadly, an accurate depiction of Pittsburgh...)

The Incredible Shrinking / Expanding Cast!

When STBD began, we had 8 cast members.

4 years later, we have over 25.

On one hand, it's incredibly gratifying to know that so many talented actors want to be a part of the STBD experience. On the other, it's daunting to juggle so many cast members (and their schedules), because it makes focusing on a condensed (and achievable) story that much harder.

When we surveyed our fans back in February, we learned what we pretty much expected: Caroline, Dierdre and Leo -- our three longest-running characters -- resonate the most with the audience. Of the newer characters, Rich and Tim seemed to stick in the audience's minds the most. The rest are seen as "supporting characters" -- at least until they have more opportunities to shine.

Off-Season Switcheroo

When we return with new episodes of Season Five in September, several of last season's cast members won't be returning. Most have moved away from Pittsburgh, which is hard to argue against (since we're not paying them). Series-wise, their absence may actually be a blessing in disguise, because it dulls the fight for screen time and allows us to focus on the characters the audience is already responding to.

Meanwhile, we're adding at least one new recurring character and expanding the role of another significantly. Why? Because we appreciate the value of two elements on STBD:

A) The continual need for "fresh blood," and

B) The need to be able to tell certain types of stories.

So we looked around and said, "What character TYPES are we missing?" And then we evaluated the actors we've underused, or those who've been patiently waiting off-camera for a chance to act on the show, to see who might be able to fit our potential needs.

The (Too) Big Picture?

Under these circumstances, it's far too easy to have a cast balloon to unmanageable proportions. It's doubly dangerous because, unpaid, there's no guarantee that actors we've come to rely upon to tell our story will actually be there for the long haul. This makes telling a concise story with a reliable payoff quite dicey.

If you're evaluating potential actors, or merely wondering how many roles you CAN include in your story, stop and ask yourself a more pertinent question: How many roles do you NEED to tell your story?

In web video, as in all things, keeping it simple will save you acres of headaches later.

(And, as in all things, always be open to taking a chance. You never know what casting choice or character invention might pay off in unexpected ways.)

The Trouble with Beards...

We were supposed to resume filming this week for STBD, but there's a hiccup -- Ryan Ben (aka Tim) -- informed me that he's been instructed to keep a "poorly assembled beard" for his role in a stage play that runs through August.

Neither of us likes the idea of Tim with facial hair -- especially because I hate seeing characters change appearances for one episode, seemingly for no reason -- but we can't NOT film with Ryan until September, since we're due to have 3 episodes under our belt in the next month.

What to do?

I mentioned this to Rick Hertzig, who plays Glenn, via email when I explained we would NOT be filming tonight. His response?

Tim could be...

- preparing for his role as the apostle Paul in the church choir's upcoming cantata.

- trying to impress a girl who belittled his suspected inability to grow facial hair.
- preparing for an upcoming family camping trip: he has a list of things he's going to do to prove to his family that he is a manly man after an embarrassing episode last year (wet his sleeping bag, got lost in the woods and was found crying, screamed and ran from a chipmunk, etc.)

- trying to disguise himself, hiding from someone... someone from his past, a creepy guy on the bus who keeps coming on to him, an ex-girlfriend from vacation bible school who is now stalking him?

Leave it to the cast to solve my problems...

Glenn Goes Digging

Rick Hertzig (front left) and his crew after a day in the mines.
Rick Hertzig, who plays Glenn (aka "the writer who sits in the corner of the cafe") on STBD, worked on a National Geographic production this past weekend. He portrays the leader of a work crew that escapes the flood which trapped the Quecreek miners a few years ago.

You may also have seen him in this recent Carlow University commercial, or on the set of the upcoming Spike TV miniseries Kill Point -- where he worked as an extra for 16 hours yesterday and received one official meal...

Hmm... Flooding mines and starving extras? Who says acting is all glamor?

Pig Heart Saturday

I'm sitting in the Quiet Storm cafe, where Ann Turiano (aka Caroline) and Kevin Ford (aka Tom Simmons) from STBD are performing in a student film for a friend.

The sequence is fairly simple: Kevin's character realizes Ann's character no longer loves him, so he gets up and leaves.

The twist?

On his way out, he turns back and says, "I guess this is yours" -- AND TEARS OUT HIS HEART, leaving it (beating!) on the table.

Apparently, the Quiet Storm forgot they agreed to let this sequence be filmed here, so now the crew is trying to race through the shot while creatively hiding the ACTUAL PIG'S HEART (and "blood" tubes) from the Saturday brunchtime patrons... which include lots of kids.

I love independent film.

The Case of the Mysterious Child

Like Caroline, you may be wondering why there's a child in the apartment in this week's episode.

Easy answer: it's Dan Stripp's (aka Jack Boyd's) daughter. He and his family came to Pittsburgh for a visit and he told us he had time to film a quick cameo. But his wife and daughter had no place to hide while we filmed, so the quick solution was to explain her away as a babysitting favor on Dierdre's behalf.

Which begs the question... who would trust Dierdre with their child?....

The ONE Campaign

Kellee Maize (aka Celeste) will be performing live at Creative Treehouse this weekend, along with a number of other musicians and DJs. The cause? A fundraiser for the ONE campaign to end poverty.

(Note: If you've never seen Kellee perform, you're missing out. She's one of the best -- and endlessly proactive -- hip-hop artists in Pittsburgh.)

Some of the STBD cast will be on-hand to cheer Kellee on... and probably do some filming. Suggested donation: $5, which goes to the ONE campaign. Care to join us?

The STBD Cast Comes Alive!

Our cast is gigantic. They all do lots of things besides STBD. Every so often, we like to let you know what's up.

* On Saturday, April 21st, STBD creator Justin Kownacki co-hosts BootCamp Pittsburgh, a one-day "bare basics" guide to blogging, podcasting and social media. The event is FREE to attend, and will occur at The Art Institute of Pittsburgh from 9 AM - 5 PM.

To register, and see the packed schedule of sessions, visit the BCPGH website.

(In addition, STBD cast members Erik Schark (aka Rich) and Ann Turiano (aka Caroline) will take part in a session focused on "Finding Your Voice.")

* Also on April 21st, Ryan Ben (aka Tim) and Clare Fogerty (aka Chloe) will be performing in a One Act Play Festival for the University of Pittsburgh from 10AM until 1PM.

Josh Hansen (aka Brent) will direct one of the plays. And it's also free.

* ALSO running April 19-21st: The final weekend of Run for Your Wife, directed by Teresa Trich (aka Gloria) and performed at Stage Right of Fox Chapel.

(Everyone else in the cast has something going on, too, but we don't want to overstimulate you all at once...)

No Sex in the Champagne Room

Brent and Chloe have some 'splaining to do...
Here at STBD, we like to think we make it look easy.

The truth is, creating this series is consistently one of the most UNsexy -- and sometimes unintentionally hysterical -- processes in modern media.

To wit, these recent behind-the-scenes tidbits:

April Showers Bring Sub-Zero Wind Chill

The opening scene in this week's episode, featuring Caroline and Dierdre taking a leisurely walk around the Cathedral of Learning on the Pitt campus? Filmed in 7 extremely speedy takes because it was approximately 30 degrees out. Ann (Caroline) and Lacey (Dierdre) battled runny noses and numb limbs to nail the script before hypothermia set in.

Is That a Lamp Neck in Your Hand, Or... ?

The orgasm Alexxxis enjoys at the end of Episode 23, while Caroline and Dierdre view her webcam? Recorded while Lindsay (Alexxxis) was standing beside the camera, holding a flourescent light for the scene and moaning. (Three takes.)

Dex May Not Be Home, But...

While filming Episode 22's Chloe-Brent pseudo-sex scene at "Dex's place," production had to break for 45 minutes. While director Justin Kownacki was away from the location, the actual owners of the house -- who had no idea we were filming there -- came home. Meanwhile, Clare (Chloe) and Josh (Brent) were lounging upstairs in "wardrobe" (or lack thereof), and had to re-make the bed and bolt from the room while ensuring everything was in its proper place and no condoms were left behind.

Ironically, that scene was originally supposed to be interrupted when Dex returned home, but was changed at the last minute. Sometimes, life imitates art in real time...

Head Games

The entire episode in which Dierdre counsels Tim as he meets his "online penfriend"? Filmed while Lacey (Dierdre) was recovering from a splitting migraine that caused her to skip work. (This likely helped her react properly to most of Tim's dialogue...)

The Man Who Wasn't There

When Caroline is reading Glenn's notebook in Episode 24, only to be interrupted by Leo, she carries a conversation with him from the couch until he sits down. Except, in real life, Will (Leo) overslept and had to rush across town to complete the shoot on Ann (Caroline)'s lunch break... which meant Caroline started her conversation by interacting with no one.

Although, in retrospect, that's not unlike most conversations with Leo...

Birthday Girl

With a cast as large as STBD's, there's a birthday to be celebrated every couple weeks. But Ann Turiano (aka Caroline) celebrates hers this weekend -- which also happens to be Easter / Passover, which means it's easy to get lost in the meta-holiday shuffle.

So, if you dig Ann's work on STBD, drop her a comment -- or a birthday video link!

(Note to self: perhaps we need a public STBD calendar, so everyone can follow our cast's various stage performances, independent films, charity work and, yes, birthdays...)