Comedy Central is airing a documentary tonight showing how Matt and Trey put together a typical South Park episode in less than a week. It is on at 10 PM EDT. I’m looking forward to it. DVR is set.
As am I. Thanks for the heads up.
oh yeah thanks for reminding me. I’m looking forward to it
So who actually watched it? I really enjoyed it, and wished there was more. Would have loved to have seen a little more of each day to get a better feel for the entire process. But as is, I really enjoyed it.
And is it just me–or perhaps the way it was edited–or does it seem like Trey Parker does way more than Matt Stone?
I think they were very frank about that. Matt Stone himself essentially said the same thing. I don’t even think it’s subjective; I think Trey is objectively the boss and does a lot more for the show.
I liked it. I felt sorry for the women who work there. Not that it’s deliberately misogynistic (it might be, I dunno, but it wasn’t in the documentary), but I think the women who worked there were uncomfortable with all the shit and fart jokes. Obviously they could get different jobs and they choose not to, but I could see it being grating after a while. Then again, the entire deadline-driven environment seemed like it would get old fast for anyone.
I wonder if T&M think the show has gotten worse as it’s gone along, or what episodes they consider to be just shitty.
That is the way it has been positioned when I’ve read about it - that Trey is the driver / Johnny Carson and Matt is like Ed MacMahon - providing support and a foil. I’ve never quite understood how that works, or how it leads to equal billing - but that’s not my issue and they seem totally cool with it.
I wonder how Book of Mormon worked collaboration-wise with the additional teammate?
Did he? Matt mentioned that Trey is the story-driver, but there are many more aspects to making that Matt could contribute to in his own way. I was surprised that wasn’t the case. I mean, it appeared that Trey literally writes the actual entire by himself–I wonder what Matt is doing during that time?
It was great to see behind the scenes, and how much culture has adapted to South Park. It was as chaotic behind the scenes as I thought it would be. However, I wish they would take more time with the stories, and get back to some of the humor they used to have. Excessively vulgar can only go so far before it fails to shock.
The whole six-day thing is just their way of countering their own laziness. If you can’t come up with a dozen great non-topical (this season premiere had hardly any recent references) stories in the off season you have no business writing a TV show.
They need to deal with their stalling issues rather than rationalize them. It’s not a question of deadlines, it’s all about startlines.
The stupidest part of the whole thing: They finish the episode, copy it to disc, race the disc to a satellite farm to transmit it (in real time!) to CC HQ in NYC.
Um, there is this thing called the Internet folks. No need to put it on media, drive somewhere, race up stairs and transmit it over a satellite. Takes just a few minutes and it’s done. No need to leave the office.
I tried to watch it, but it quickly developed that it would center on the Human Centipede episode. I hardly think I’m prudish to be sickened just to know about the film, and I skipped the episode when it aired in the first place on the grounds that Stone and Parker themselves have proposed: if you don’t like it, just don’t watch it. It’s the only episode I’ve ever skipped on such grounds. I didn’t watch it, and I won’t watch the documentary. I just wish the documentary had dealt with any other episode.
The most surprising thing to me was the fact that SNL’s Bill Hader is apparently a writer on the show. I had no idea. Given South Park’s crazy 6-day schedule, though, he must only work on episodes during weeks when there is no new SNL episode being produced, I guess.
It was proof of my belief that any efficiency produced by faster computers will be consumed by lazy bastards.
In the 15 years that South Park has been on the air, computer technology has gotten faster and faster, enabling Matt and Trey to push it to the very limit. I saw a whole office full of people wasting their weekends, literally falling asleep at their keyboards, because the “creative team” couldn’t buckle down and crank out enough fart jokes.
I thought it was interesting the way they work. I don’t expect all episodes to be gems, but last night’s episode was pretty solid for 6 day deadline. I can’t imagine how they made the **Imagination Land **trilogy in the time they had.
I’m sure they have developed their work habits in response to the most important fact in their lives – the less time they spend writing and producing their shows, the more time they can spend with hookers and blow in hot tubs.
There was an article in EW or TVGuide or some rag recently where they listed their favorite and least favorite episodes. Trey considers the entire first three seasons unwatchable garbage. Clearly, they feel the show is better now than what it used to be.
The grind on the artists must be hellish and my heart goes out to them. The narrow window to work, the last minute changes that must be accommodated, and the speed you need to develop. It probably helps that the show retained the cardboard cutout quality and the down time between breaks, but it’d still probably be easier if they could spend three weeks on each episode.
I didn’t catch the head count on the number of artists. I really hope it’s high enough to make the load bearable.
I dunno, seems like a cushy life to me. If they spent 3 weeks per episode, they could easily fill an entire year with work weeks, maybe a few weeks off like any other American worker, and have little to no ability to make a topical episode.
The way they do it, as long as they get a salary as opposed to hourly pay, they get the same money by only working a dozen weeks a year. A dozen grueling weeks to be sure, but hell yeah, sign me up for that schedule.
Put another way: 2 months hard labor, 3 months off, 2 months hard labor, 6 months off, lather, rinse, repeat.
I agree, but it’s a bit more than that, no? They make 14 episodes per season, presumably at the rate of 1 per week. That should be 3 months of work minimum.
Still a great work schedule that I’d be happy to have.
Matt and Trey do they majority of the voices and seems to be the main creative force of the writing. If Matt and Trey aren’t around, these is no need for the animators to be hanging around.
It may be three months of work maximum. Then all these talented animators have to go find other work until Matt and Trey come back.
They look like they use recent graduates and interns, people anxious to get a credit on their resumes. I’m probably biased because of their politics, but I think it’s reasonable to assume they don’t pay people to sit around when they’re not making episodes.
The first four seasons. Which just baffles me as I thought season 7 was just pathetically bad. It actually made me stop being a regular watcher.