With the recent release of the official trailer, we figured it would be a great time to catch up with “Job Guys” director, co-producer, editor and co-star Brook Hubbs to talk about the making of this very unique project.
Q: How did you get involved in "Job Guys"?
A: I directed “Game Night,” a short that Digital Myth produced in 2017. Initially, “Job Guys” was pitched to me as a spin-off on Kevin's character (Kevin Caliber, playing the role of Dominick) and the guys asked me if I was interested in directing. My answer of course was yes. I had a great time collaborating with Kevin and Dave (Beaudrie, writer and co-star) on “Game Night” and was excited to see what the three of us could do beyond making short films. Dave had also expressed his plans for growing Digital Myth and I wanted to be a part of that.
Q: What attracted you to the project?
A: Doing a series, which started at six episodes, felt like something I wanted to accomplish. I've worked on two pilots and a series that only lasted four episodes because eventually people lost interest. The prospect of shooting an entire series all at once was too good to pass up. When I came on board, we ended up expanding to 10 episodes, and later 12, and each episode has its own feel and every scenario gives me an opportunity to flex my filmmaking skills.
Q: What made you decide to direct, produce AND edit?
A: Directing is my primary focus, so when they asked me to direct their project I was excited. I came into it early, so I ended up contributing a number of story ideas and took a bit more ownership than if someone asked me to direct an already completed script. And that's basically how I ended up producing on it. I wanted the best possible results, so I'd buy and make props, buy assets for post-production, license music and reach out to bands I know, etc. I also purchased all new camera gear, which was probably the most fun. Using a gimble changed the way I shoot. I knew we had a minimal budget, and I don't mind pulling double-duty as director and cinematographer. Kevin and Dave are both great at communicating with the actors if I'm ever caught up in the cinematography. I volunteered to edit up front to keep things simple. Although editing took a long time, I enjoyed crafting the project in all three stages.
Q: Of those, what was the most challenging?
A: Everything is a challenge, or at least to get the best results I can. I have to challenge myself. The guys may get frustrated because it can take some time, but when I know I can do better I'm not going to put out something that's sub-par. While editing is the most tedious (I'm not just editing, I'm also cleaning sound, sound mixing, sound designing, color correcting, color grading, creating and compositing visual effects, etc.) I would say directing is the most challenging. You can go into any project with a vision of what you want, but that vision is never going to be 100% fleshed out. I'm talking down to the details: what color shirt is the guy in the background wearing, where should the actor be looking in relation to the lens, what to do about that clock in the background, how do we feel about the arrangement of furniture... all these details are things that someone on set has to do and they're all going to ask you. If you don't have an answer, they're going ask someone else and you can lose control of the set. Communication is a must, but the secret to effective directing, as I've discovered on this project, is decisiveness.
Q: What was it like working with Kevin, Brandon and Leesa?
A: I had worked with Kevin before on “Game Night,” but this project was great because his character had a lot more to do. He's in almost every scene! Kevin is an absolute pro, and he has a keen eye from an actor's point of view that was really helpful not only in getting the best results from him but also communicating with the other actors. Plus, we're buds so messing around until we get something we both like was a lot of fun.
I was really happy to work with Leesa. She was supposed to be in “Game Night” originally, but a scheduling conflict had ruined that. Leesa has this crazy ability to develop chemistry with any actor she's in a scene with. She's very friendly and people gravitate to her. Plus, she's funny as hell and makes it look effortless.
Brandon was my wild card going into this. He was the only one of the three I didn't know beforehand, and I had a different idea of his character before he took ownership of the role. I really loved the way he interpreted the character, and his absurd portrayal may be my favorite thing about the show. Plus, Brandon is a director and knowing that made me stay on my toes so I never felt like I looked unprofessional to him. We've also become friends through this and that's been great.
You didn't ask about working with Dave, so I'm gonna tell you this here: Dave has the best eye for detail of anyone I've worked with, almost frustratingly so. We didn't need a script supervisor when he was around. His writing and sense of humor are unique: It's some kind of a mix of 90's action and a cartoon brought to life. I knew it was going to be funny when we did our first table read. Dave takes it seriously, and he's very supportive of my process and encourages me to go the extra mile.
Q: Any favorite scenes or moments from the shoot?
A: They say your favorite thing is always the last thing you do, and I still get a kick out of a sequence in Episode 5 (‘Star Struck’) where Kevin's character meets his crush, a pop star played by Sara Choi. It was our largest cast in one scene, and we rented a cool studio in Burbank where the lighting looked great. It made my job a lot easier, and Kevin had a lot of great ideas that came out hilarious. It was probably the hottest day though, so not as fun to film but it was great to watch. We have our big fight in Episode 7 (‘Hold That Thought’) where the actors choreographed their fights with the stunt guys while I was shooting other scenes. So I got to see the awesome moves they came up with and figuring out how to shoot the action was so much fun.
Q: What would you like to see for the project moving forward?
A: I really just want people to see “Job Guys!” Visibility seems to be the biggest thing plaguing talented filmmakers these days. I've spent something like 15 months making this project... that's over a year of my life! Of course I want people to like it, to find it funny, but even if they hate it I'll just be glad they watched it. Alright, enough pleading... I'd love to see “Job Guys” take off. I'm down for a second season, after a bit of a break. I know Dave has ideas, and I'd love to take the characters in an all-new direction. But in the meantime, I'm excited that this is finished and I'll be working on some new, exciting projects. I'm co-producing a film with Kevin, and Brandon and I are working on a new project. Through “Job Guys,” I was able to create my own production studio Wild Abandon Films, and I'm looking forward to growing my own brand. I couldn't have asked for a better project to launch it.