PALEY CENTER FOR MEDIA, THE: PALEYFEST 2011: 28TH ANNUAL WILLIAM S. PALEY TELEVISION FESTIVAL: COMMUNITY (LONG VERSION ANAMORPHIC)
Summary
One in a series of evenings and special screenings presented as part of The Paley Center for Media’s 28th William S. Paley Television Festival in Los Angeles. Held this year at the Saban Theatre in Beverly Hills, the festival celebrates the excellence and diversity of American television and is dedicated to television’s creative community. This evening celebrates "Community," the comedy series about a group of adult students at Greendale Community College, a small and eccentric institution in Colorado.
Host Becky Levikow (assistant director of development, The Paley Center for Media in Los Angeles) offers opening remarks and brings moderator Todd VanDerWerff (writer, The A.V. Club) to the stage. He introduces creator and executive producer Dan Harmon, who sets up the episode “Custody Law and Eastern European Diplomacy,” which is then screened in its entirety. (For synopsis and credits, see ACCNUM 104957.)
After the screening, VanDerWerff introduces the panelists: Harmon; executive producers Russ Krasnoff, Anthony Russo, Joe Russo, and Garrett Donovan; and cast members Jim Rash (Dean Pelton), Joel McHale (Jeff Winger), Danny Pudi (Abed Nadir), Gillian Jacobs (Britta Perry), Ken Jeong (Ben Chang), Chevy Chase (Pierce Hawthorne), and Yvette Nicole Brown (Shirley Bennett).
The panel discusses topics which include: the thought process behind the show's thematic episodes; the cast's movie-watching parties to prepare for themed episodes; the producers' methods of saving money to finance bigger-budgeted episodes; the chemistry between Brown and her on-screen husband, Malcolm-Jamal Warner; similarities between Chase and his “villainous” character; how the character of Chang has changed between the first two seasons; Jeong’s perception of his season two material as “creatively fulfilling”; Jacobs’ experience playing physical comedy and its reflection of her own “awkwardness”; the “dark but sweet” Christmas-themed claymation episode; McHale’s enjoyment in beating up Chase on-screen; fans' debates about whether Jeff belongs with Annie (Alison Brie) or Britta; plans for an upcoming episode referencing the westerns of Sergio Leone; the “malleable” nature of the characters; Harmon’s repeated worries about the show’s renewal; and a preview of the season's upcoming plot highlights.
Questions from the audience then lead to a discussion of the following: Harmon’s comic inspirations when growing up; cast member Donald Glover's memorable on-set improvisations; if rivalry exists with the program's timeslot competitor, "The Big Bang Theory”; the actors' suggestions for guest stars; how the cast and crew's affinity for social media has affected the show; fan requests for further nude scenes from McHale; Pudi’s attempts not to laugh at his co-stars' antics while playing deadpan Abed; and Rash's last-minute casting as Dean and his newly increased screen-time.
Details
- NETWORK: N/A
- DATE: March 15, 2011 7:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 1:39:20
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: 104758
- GENRE: Seminars
- SUBJECT HEADING: N/A
- SERIES RUN: N/A
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Becky Levikow … Host
- Todd VanDerWerff (see also: Emily VanDerWerff) … Moderator
- Dan Harmon … Panelist
- Russ Krasnoff … Panelist
- Anthony Russo … Panelist
- Joe Russo … Panelist
- Garrett Donovan … Panelist
- Jim Rash … Panelist
- Joel McHale … Panelist
- Danny Pudi … Panelist
- Gillian Jacobs … Panelist
- Ken Jeong … Panelist
- Chevy Chase … Panelist
- Yvette Nicole Brown … Panelist
- Alison Brie
- Donald Glover
- Sergio Leone
- Malcolm-Jamal Warner