SYNOPSIS
A rookie screenwriter meets various Hollywood types in a series of zoom meetings and learns the bewildering ins and outs of Hollywood. Development Hell is a sketch series about writers and the utterly confusing Hollywood maze they negotiate try to bring their stories to life. (Watch Here)
PRODUCTION FACTS
The fast paced sketch series has seven episodes ranging from one to two and a half minutes. Each episode finds the writer in a sometimes strange sometimes surreal zoom meeting trying to pitch her project. Over the course of the series, she meets a veteran producer, an inexperienced producer and a shady one; a CE and a VP; a writer and a director round out the cast of characters. Written by Namee Baijal, and directed by Sarah Peterson, the cast includes Zach Steel (A.N.T. Farm), Adrian LaTourelle (The Legend of Korra, Sons of Anarchy), Noa Graham (Paint), Hayden Wilder, Gabriel Levey, Alex Gibson-Giorgio and Garrett Louis. The series was done very much in the DIY spirit of the pandemic and was shot via zoom and webcams during the lockdown. (Watch Here)
PRODUCTION STORY
By Namee Baijal: During the pandemic, I was very inspired by the DIY creativity and resilience of artists everywhere. I saw Bill Irwin’s In-Zoom done for The Old Globe and was inspired to write something that could be filmed on zoom. Like a lot of people, during the lockdown, I too was taking stock of my life. I had also started taking improv classes. These sketches were my way of processing my work experiences. I have spent more time on the other side of the table from writers and this is also me poking fun at myself. I am a huge fan of P.G. Wodehouse and the humor is gentle and hopefully not abrasive.
I had a very clear idea of who I wanted to cast and was very fortunate that the actors were game. Except for one actor, who was was unavailable, all the other cast are actors I originally had in mind. We shot it over zoom over a period of several months with the actors doing their own production design and wardrobe. The multi-hyphenate Sarah Peterson, who directs, writes and acts, directed five episodes from her parent’s home in Colorado and was my sounding board for the two I directed. I had reached out to The Old Globe’s tech team and Paul Peterson and Kevin Anthenill helped demystify shooting via zoom for us. .
The lockdown was lifted right after the first pass of edits. I put it aside for a while thinking I would re-shoot it. I returned to it during the WGA strike. Watching it again, the zoom boxes and the unsophisticated look seemed to me a metaphor of sorts for how writers are hemmed in and how most writers are not great at presenting themselves. So I decided to not just embrace the format and aesthetic but lean into it. (Watch Here)
EPISODES
Episode 1 - THE EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: The screenwriter tries to pitch her script to a veteran Hollywood producer and learns about storytelling by committee and about working on spec. Cast: Noa Graham, Namee Baijal. Director: Sarah Peterson. (Watch Here)
Episode 2 - THE JUNIOR EXECUTIVE: The screenwriter learns about short attention spans and the Hollywood executive hustle. Cast: Hayden Wilder, Namee Baijal. Director: Sarah Peterson. (Watch Here)
Episode 3 - THE DIRECTOR: Hoping to work with a kindred creative spirit, the screenwriter pitches her script to director, but finds a wannabe auteur instead. Cast: Gabriel Levey Namee Baijal. Director: Sarah Peterson. (Watch Here)
Episode 4 - THE ACTOR-INFLUENCER: The screenwriter learns about the self-absorbed Hollywood glitterati when she gets sucked in the orbit of an actor - influencer. Cast: Alex Gibson-Giorgio Namee Baijal. (Watch Here)
Episode 5 - THE REALTOR-PRODUCER : The screenwriter encounters the shady underbelly of Hollywood's indie finance world. Cast: Zach Steel, Namee Baijal. Director: Sarah Peterson. (Watch Here)
Episode 6 - THE NEW PRODUCER: The writer tries to make sense of the muddled notes she gets from an enthusiastic, inexperienced producer. Cast: Garrett Louis, Namee Baijal. Director: Sarah Peterson. (Watch Here)
Episode 7 - THE VICE PRESIDENT: The screenwriter finally gets her moment- a meeting with a studio VP and ends up bewildered. But hopeful. But also bewildered. Cast: Adrian LaTourelle, Namee Baijal. Director: Namee Baijal. (Watch Here)