'The Studio', Production Designer, Julie Berghoff

0:09Jawad MirWelcome back, everyone, to another episode of Kingdom of Dreams Podcast, The Making of Stories. I'm your host, Joad Neir. Today, my guest is Julie Berghoff. She is an art director, and she served as an art director on the Apple TV hit series, The Studio, with Seth Rogen, which has already been, commissioned for season two. And, we really t… had a great conversation about her work in, on this kind of production where there's a lot of oners, a lot of long take, and how she creates that world in that context as opposed to being, you know, close-ups and cutaways and you can move the set around here and there. But in this particular case was very different. So without further ado, here's my conversation with Julie. Enjoy. You'd love the series, The Studio. I remember when I saw the trailer, I mean, I'm in the industry, so it's very relevant and very, you know, kind of you were able to relate to it. But…

1:00Jawad Mir... Really amazing series. And your job as a production designer, in something like that where there's never-ending takes must have been very interesting.

1:13Julie BerghoffIt, I mean, it was, I don't, I… when I read scripts, I don't know, I've always kind of tried to do long oners as a production designer in my mind with the way I build things so that it gives… ... Directors options. You know what I mean? Because…

1:30Jawad MirRight

1:31Julie Berghoff... And maybe I wasn't even, you know, 'cause I don't think completely like a DP. I think in movement through a space. So, but yeah, that was an early on discussion and it definitely influenced the way that I built the interior offices for sure. You know, but I do love to do two story builds for that reason. A lot of the, a lot of my sets are two story builds. Like my first big build was like the Conjuring house, that was a two story build. You know, and also options to look downstairs because I think it's,... I mean, in filmmaking we wanna be surprised, we want, you know, everything has a story behind the story. So with The Studio it was like, okay, these executive offices, I almost wanted everyone to be able to see each other. And then if you were on the second floor you could look down on the first floor and watch people, and that was actually something that Seth had referenced when we were designing it. He was like, "Yeah, there were so many times when I'd be sitting in the lobby and the CEO would like look over, down on me," and it, he said it was so intimidating and scary.

2:39Julie BerghoffSo I think, you know, it's like I just try to be open and take in as much as I can and then just inject it into the design and hopefully it works for everybody.

2:51Jawad MirYeah. No, and that's one of the things I loved about it, right? Like, I mean, there are 10 episodes we can talk about one or two or all, but just to kind of, you talked about the office, you know, that there's that s… you c… you are able to, you know, normally when you're working on a TV show or even movie, like you'll have, you know, even if it's one building in the film, it may be different locations, different sound stages, you know…

3:15Jawad Mir... Give and take. But here the environment was all 360 and you would know whose office is where in respect to the stairs and where is the meeting room, and that's something that really I find, kinda pulls the audience out, I think, if it's not there. That's just me personally.

3:34Jawad MirAnd…

3:34Julie BerghoffThat's interesting

3:35Jawad Mir... Seeing that three-dimensional space, like you know where everybody sits and you are there with them, right? You know if the office of the CEO was next door, if he or she is listening on. And there was a scene like that when somebody was walking by, I think it was the first or second episode, one of the, one of the characters was freaking out and, I think it was, I don't think it was Seth Rogen's character, but the, his best friend.

3:58Julie BerghoffWas it Ike?

3:58Jawad MirYeah.

3:59Julie BerghoffIke?

3:59Jawad MirIke.

3:59Julie BerghoffYeah.

3:59Jawad MirHe walks by and he's like, "Oh, what are you up to?" So it does a lot of stuff in the film, in the series that people don't realize, but it does make a big difference.

4:09Julie BerghoffThat, well, thanks for sharing that with me. I, for me it was more, it was also just like the, there's so much like inner kind of stories in, you know, like there, the assistants are the ones who know everything. It's almost like the valet. So it was like putting the assistants outside their offices, then they can almost see what the other assistants are doing, which is kind of like it bleeds into also the scripts of like them watching each other or, you know, Quinn stealing the keys off of Juan and, 'cause knowing every movement. And then for me it was like putting the CEO at the end was allowing him to look over everybody, like literally. He could see into the conference rooms, he could see into the offices, he could see even down to the lobby area near the fountain. And so it was intentional when I was designing it that it was built like that.

5:02Jawad MirYeah. No, and it, and it shows. So again, like, you know, when you watch a movie or it's the production as a whole or show that makes it the way it is. If it works it's not just because it's good script or good casting or good cinematography, but, you know, the environment which ev… where everything is taking place. I know most of the time it gets very much overlooked by people unless it's like film like Gladiator or, you know, some period piece. So, yeah, I just wanted to convey my thank you to be so immersive and involved with, and in getting your audience involved in that. I love the series. I absolutely love the series.

5:41Julie BerghoffOh, thank you. I'm so glad you had a good time. It is very fun. People say, "Oh, it's super stressful," and for me a oner or two, the l… the oner, I saw it like three times in a row and I was like, wow, yeah, it's, it's, it's so… It's a testament to Adam Newport-Berra, and Seth and Evan, and everyone for how we choreographed that. You know, we scouted the house. We really thought about... Every location is an interesting scout. Like, we… they read the scripts and we walk through the space, you know? You know, first I... L… let me back this up. First I pick it for, like, story, like, character, aesthetics, you know, what does it say? And as Seth talks about in a lot of,.. He talks about how, you know, when he went to go visit, you know, like for Patty, the first time we see her she's in this house that's literally almost has a 360 of Los Angeles. And she's into architecture and fashion and, you know, arts. The arts, like period. And so it was really trying to find those special locations that would identify, kind of connect to each character.

6:46Julie BerghoffSo, you know, Kelly Lynch was very j… gracious to allow us to shoot in her house, which was, you know, which is on top of the world over in, you know, the Griffith Park area. And it... Literally I've never seen a view like that. It was... When we were scouting, a lot of times the… there was more people than usual because I think everyone was just in awe with all of our locations. It was like an architectural tour of LA. And you know, we shot in three John Lautner houses, and that's kind of a dream for any production designer to shoot in one. So, I feel really blessed to have been allowed in all three of these homes, and I think that they connected really well with each character and each story point. You know, the one-er being, n… you know, it was very, you know, courageous of Adam, our DP, to wanna shoot in that house, 'cause it was all glass. And as you know, it was really hard for him to get the light, consistent for the days we were there and, but he mastered that.

7:47Julie BerghoffAnd then, you know, Seth's character, Matt, living in the smaller of the Lautner houses. But it was, like, so, it was so quirky and so Seth. Like, you know, the main thing Seth always wants is, like, you know, beautiful architecture but a good coffee machine. And, like, you know, and, you know, just clean lines, you know? And that house has it. It's almost like a boat, that house, you know? It's, it's, it's incredibly built and every piece of the house has, like, a purpose. And that's the thing I love about, you know, architects from, like, mid-century and pre-mid-century, is they really studied the earth and the light, and they used a lot of natural materials, and their color palette also leaned in that direction. And that's kind of what we did on the studio. We just really looked at the history of Hollywood, what, you know, the history of Los Angeles and filmmaking and we just really, I think, tried to touch as much of that as possible and bring that into our, in… into all the scripts.

8:53Jawad MirYeah, no. And you talked about the locations, right? Obviously the locations do make a difference, but again, going back to the story and the script, you notice the locations and the architect and the production design for a little bit. L… I'm just speaking for myself.

9:09Julie BerghoffOkay.

9:09Jawad MirBut you, because the characters are so cool and so relatable, even if you're not a movie executive, maybe I related to it. You forget about everything around it, right? Like, you're just in that world and that space.

9:20Jawad MirYou appreciate the architect and production design, but you move on from it because the story is being served and everything else is around it, which I found really cool. Yeah, no, you guys did a fantastic job. I can't wait for season two. I really can't. It's gonna be exciting.

9:36Julie BerghoffMe too. I was like, "Are we gonna make the Kool-Aid movie for real?"

9:40Jawad MirI, you know, in 2004 I did a student film, and it was called Passion of Jim. It was literally over-the-top comedy about a filmmaker who thinks he's Spielberg but he's not, and everybody in the crew is just over the top, but he... You know, it's just one of those that…

9:59Julie BerghoffThat's funny

9:59Jawad Mir... That's one of the things I appr… I appreciated that because, maybe it brought that back up, but overall it was really well done and scripted. And you know, my wife and I were watching the last episode two days ago and she said, "It's crazy how all these characters mess up everything, but somehow in the end they conquer it all," right? Which is, which is lovely to see and hear.

10:23Julie BerghoffAnd I mean, there, it's just real life. I mean, it is sometimes…

10:26Jawad MirYeah

10:26Julie Berghoff... I think Seth even quotes, like, "People in film somehow fail upwards." But, and I loved, I just loved how much this show is about filmmaking and the passion for filmmaking.

10:41Jawad MirYeah.

10:41Julie BerghoffAnd all of us are passionate filmmakers or film admirers or love film in some aspect. You don't have to make film to love it. And…

10:50Jawad MirYeah

10:50Julie Berghoff... And you know, at the end when they're all cheering on movies, it's like that's something in our hearts as filmmakers that we've all been cheering for because of the n… I love doing television. It's also a big part of my life and there's a lot of, you know, storytelling that can evolve in television. But, you know, doing a feature is, that's where we all started or, you know, in longer format. And it's a hard... It gives you, it makes me realize how difficult it is to tell a good story in an hour and a half, you know?

11:24Jawad MirYeah.

11:24Julie BerghoffAnd do it well. And the thing that happened on this show is that th… everyone was so cohesive, starting with the writing, and then, you know, I'm usually one of the first people on, and Cameron in costumes. You know, she and Seth had talked about a really earth-toney color palette and that influenced, you know, my color palette inside. I mean, we were r… already leaning into Frank Lloyd Wright, but every single person kind of added to it. You know, lighting, and working with Russell Haber, and Adam and how he wanted to move the camera through the space, and through all the spaces. And we just kind of like were really cohesive in sharing and, like, and that's what filmmaking is f… it's like this, we're all adding to this… Part of making something and it's, it is kind of stressful along the way, but I mean, it's also like a creative energy stress. Like everyone talks about anxiety, that it's such a bad thing, but anxiety actually can be something that like spurs you forward. It's a creative energy. It doesn't, it's, it's, it creates magic.

12:28Jawad MirIt does.

12:29Julie BerghoffAnd that's, and that's, and that's what we all, I think we all contributed and added and our magic in. And that I think is, I mean, obviously Seth and Evan are our leaders, and the writers, were also really there every day. And everyone just added their magic, and I think that's why the show shines so brightly.

12:50Jawad MirCouldn't have said it better. And you know, you talked about passion for movies even if you're not in the business and you're a moviegoer. There's this, I don't wanna name his name, but he's a, he works at Apple at a really high position, and I communicated with him a few times. And we were very kind of like, you know, when you talk to each other the first few times, you're just kind of reserved and everything. And this, three weeks ago, I was in California in San Francisco, and there was an event, and he was there. And we, there was this awkward thing, and all of a sudden I discovered that he loves movies, and all gloves were off. And it was just like we became two completely different individuals because of that share of, you know, love for movies. Yes, I am in the business, but that doesn't matter because he loves movies. We were talking about the movies from the '90s, the directors, you know, the music… music composers, the art directors, all of that stuff. So it's, it's true that, you know, I don't know about you, but definitely for me, when I start talking about movies, I'm a completely different person as I am right now.

13:51Jawad MirBut ... But in, you know, in other cases, not that I'm not different, but you know, you have to be serious about life and take things a little bit differently. There's personal stuff and, but movies really ta… brings out the best in people, I think, and, stories, even books, I think. You know, it's just one of those things.

14:07Julie BerghoffI mean, it derives from there, right? I mean, it, I think it's an opportunity. It's like music, right? M… music and movies can bring you back to a moment.

14:15Jawad MirTrue.

14:16Julie BerghoffAnd we can be, we can connect through a moment that is, that we've shared even separately from someplace far away, and then we can also be vulnerable. We can laugh, we can cry. And so if all those emotions can, I mean, it's just like that's, that can connect you to a complete stranger in the middle of anywhere.

14:35Jawad Mir100%.

14:35Julie BerghoffYou know what I mean? Like the airport or anything. So I find that's really cool that you have that experience, and like I think we just have to keep remembering that, and praying that movies continue to be made.

14:51Jawad MirThey will. They will. And great movies…... And entertaining movies and fun movies continue… ... To be made of all genres. You know, speaking of that, let's go back in time. What ki… I was going through, going through your IMDb, and please correct me 'cause sometimes IMDb is wrong. Most of the time…

15:08Jawad Mir... It has been wrong about a lot of people. You know, you worked on Saw, you worked on a bunch of other TV shows. What was that moment in life where you decided that this is what you wanna do? That bug, was it a film? Was it a theater play? What started it all?

15:26Julie BerghoffWell, I mean, I didn't know about filmmaking probably until my early 20s. I was living in Chicago. I'd gone to art school, and I met this model builder who was like making these oversized like Snickers bars for TV commercials 'cause Chicago is a big advertising city, and I was like, "What is that? That is so cool." And I was a sculptor and did fashion and multiple things, and I just was hooked. I just was like, "This is the coolest thing." So I actually started as a model builder in, my favorite, you know, I was making like oversized Mini Wheats and, you know, peanuts and sculpting them, and Happy Meals toys and stuff like that. And so, like I started as a mold maker, caster working in kind of like a specialty. And then I did this Coca-Cola commercial that was stop-motion animation, and I was like hooked. I was like, "Wow, this is the coolest thing." So I really wanted to do stop-motion animation for years, and I moved to Oregon to work.

16:33Julie BerghoffAt the time, before it was LAIKA, it was Will Vinton Studios. And I worked there and helped develop this series called The PJs that had, Eddie Murphy on it. And it was a brilliant show. And it was, I was sad when it, when it went down because it was so raw and edgy. It was like Nightmare Before Christmas went sideways, you know, and took place in the ghetto. And I did that for like over a year, and then I came down to Hollywood to s… try to see if I could, you know, do what's next. And there wasn't a lot of stop-motion in Hollywood, but I found my way. And, my first like production design job in Hollywood was the Kenny Rogers Christmas show.

17:21Julie BerghoffSo and then I traveled with him all through like the Grand Ole Opry, and it was very theater, you know? So it was, it was like, you know, I painted a backing and like, you know, worked with all these guys, and we would set it up every night. And it was really just, I realized that I loved to work with my hands. I loved every aspect of painting, and I could draw, and somehow architecture and all that stuff just came kind of like naturally to me even though I didn't go to school for it. I just really understood building.

17:51Jawad MirSure. Sure.

17:52Julie BerghoffIn some just like past life situation, I don't know. And I just from there, like just w… worked in commercials for years, which was a great platform for learning because you don't have a chance to go back and get anything. You have to get it all out of the gate, and it really taught me to design quickly on my feet and, you know, ev… I did every job. Like so… You know, their, everyone has their different way of getting where they are. I would say that I've touched... I'm, I'm like the master of many things. Or what's the word, what's the terminology? I'm good at…

18:25Jawad MirMaster of every… Master of all, something of none. What was it?

18:32Julie BerghoffI don't, I don't know if that's a compliment, but I do little, for myself, I do little mini dissertations of every project I step into, you know? So it's like I r… like from The Old Man, I learned about, you know, Af… you know, America and Afghanistan in the '80s, you know? And had to recreate, you know, Afghanistan villages. And you know, on the studio I had to research the Big Five and the history of filmmaking. And I knew it, but I didn't really know it, you know? And so then I was re-watching, you know, Alfred Hitchcock and Buster Keaton and, you know, screwball comedies, and I just, you know, I had to do it in a super condensed time, which was very stressful 'cause I was like, "Wow, who gets the opportunity to design an entire history of a movie studio?" Like I was like, "Me, right on." So you know, that was, you know, that's kind of my approach to things. I really wanna know everything I can about other people who've done it or the history of something, and I wanna try to stay as true to something.

19:35Julie BerghoffYou know, like I did a movie in 2022 called The Strangers Case, which was about, the Aleppo war and, in Syria, and I never really knew that much about Syria and the Middle East. And I had to do a refugee camp in Turkey and people, like Syrian refugees came up to me and they were crying and they were like, "This is exactly what it was like." And I was like, "Okay, I don't know if that's a good thing," you know? 'Cause it was…

20:05Jawad MirYeah

20:05Julie Berghoff... So heartbreaking to see how people were living, you know? So I want to be authentic to the, to the, whatever project I'm working on and whatever, aspect of it. And also give like, put my heart and soul into it. And like I, hopefully I'm not, hopefully I'm doing the right thing and giving people great, actors a great place to like kind of jump off from. You know? To feel that they're in the environment that I've built, that, as, you know, can connect to their character and elevate their character, you know?

20:43Jawad MirMakes perfect sense. And you know you were… Before you even talked about stop-motion, as you were talking about being in Chicago and seeing things being built, the first thing that came to my mind is shouldn't you be working with Aardman? And then you talked about stop-motion. Because I love Wallace & Gromit, Chicken Run, and you know…

21:01Julie BerghoffYeah

21:01Jawad Mir... Shaun of the Sheep. I mean, they are like the masters. This Ja… Ja… Jack of all trades, master of none, by the way. They're, they're the masters of that. So have you ever considered, 'cause, DreamWorks in early 2000s or late '90s teamed up with Aardman for a couple of films, The Curse of the Were-Rabbit, Wallace & Gromit, and Chicken Run. Was that ever an, a thought in your head, or even now like, "Maybe I need to be there"?

21:27Julie BerghoffI mean, I would never say never. Like Michael Johnson did, what was it? Caroline…

21:35Jawad MirYes

21:36Julie Berghoff... I think.

21:36Jawad MirYes.

21:36Julie BerghoffRight?

21:37Jawad MirCaroline. Yeah.

21:37Julie BerghoffSo I worked with Michael on the PJs, 'cause there was like five or s… there was like 10 directors that were dipping in and out. And I, it's just such a, it's such a, you know, particular medium, and I think you almost have to be living in that medium to really get back into it.

21:56Jawad MirYeah.

21:56Julie BerghoffLike, you know, and it's, it's like London is really where most of that is happening. And so but it would be, you know, I'm always like, you know, asking my agent like, "Are there any scripts floating around with stop-motion animation?" 'Cause I would love to do it again. It was, it was, I did look at everything in a miniature world after our, I was, when I was working on the PJs and afterwards. Like you're like, "Oh, can I turn that thimble into a light, a lamp?" Like you start to think like in this really weird way, look at everything if you can modify it. Because it did have to have, like it was like in low budget, it was lots of craftsmen and people and incredible artists, like from, you know, the builders, the sculptors of the cus… you know, the characters to the set builders, to the animators, to the voices. You know, it was really, again, everyone adding their magic to it to make it happen. And I feel like, I feel like it's still out there and still happening, but probably just like, you know, it's its own wor… little world

22:57Jawad MirYeah

22:57Julie Berghoff... In, you know.

22:59Jawad MirI mean, Tim Burton, Tim Burton has done quite a few, right? Nightmare Before Christmas, Frank Winie. I think he produced James and the Giant Peach if I'm not mistaken. I, if my memory serves.

23:08Julie BerghoffHe did. Yeah.

23:09Jawad MirYeah, so there, I, and I think there's a lot of now animation's kind of evolving, right? I mean, you see Spider-Verse and even though it's not stop-motion I do think that there is more, 'cause there's just something about, I even made a short, with a t… I teamed up, I directed like this short like two-minute stop-motion. There's just something about it, that feel, that texture that you're actually building something from scratch and you're taking a photograph. As tedious as it is, but it's just one of those most rewarding feelings I think. You know, and then for you to be able to do that at some point in more depth, that would be really cool I think.

23:46Julie BerghoffYeah. I'm open if there's anyone out there who wants a, you know…... Designer who loves stop-motion animation, I'm, I'm available.

23:54Jawad MirYeah, and you also talked about Aleppo and S… Syrians and refugee camps. It, I d… it's right here, this poster. S… where is it? This one.

24:04Julie BerghoffOh, yeah. Yeah.

24:05Jawad MirCi… Citizen of Moria. That was a feature documentary I directed inside an actual, in Afghanistan and in a refugee camp

24:13Julie BerghoffOh, wow

24:13Jawad Mir... Slash detention center in Greece. And I know that feeling that you're talking about because you almost feel guilty for being there. Like here I am, you know, in my proper attire and…... Able to eat three meals or two meals properly, and here there are people. You know, you know what I mean? Like, it's just, it's just such a bizarre thing. But, if they related to you know, they said to you that you created something that reflected their home, that's the greatest compliment you can get. In the most bizarre situation, I do get that.

24:45Julie BerghoffWell, they were also, like, extras in the love of filmmaking, you know what I mean?

24:49Jawad MirYeah.

24:49Julie BerghoffSo it's just, like, so interesting how they would inject themselves back into an environment that was probably PTSD, you know? And just because they love filmmaking, and also want their stories to be told. It was, it was a beautiful project to work on, to, like, tell, like, to learn about the Aleppo war, to learn what the people went through, to work in the Middle East. I was in, Amman, Jordan for, I think two months, maybe three months, and then in Turkey, and it was a really beautiful experience.

25:19Jawad MirI'm supposed to shoot a film in Amman, part, 70% of the film in the next couple of months, so that would be interesting.

25:25Julie BerghoffOh, good luck. It's really, there's really great people there and…

25:28Jawad MirYeah

25:28Julie Berghoff... I was introduced to, it was during, Ramadan, and, that was, tricky to film during holidays and things. But I was invited into a few of their, you know, ceremonies, and brought to the mosque with women, and it was, it was like, it's memories I'll have forever of such beautiful people. Yeah.

25:54Jawad MirAmazing. What year were you there?

25:56Julie Berghoff2022.

25:58Jawad MirOh, so just very recently, not too long ago.

26:00Julie BerghoffYeah, very recently. Yeah.

26:01Jawad MirYeah. Awesome. That's really cool. Let's come back to the studio.

26:06Julie BerghoffYeah.

26:06Jawad MirWhat... I'm, I'm always fascinated by people's journey because, you know, we all, we don't think about that more often, I find. Like, you know, what did you do on this film? Okay, that's great, but how did you get here? So that's why I asked you that long kind of question/answer…

26:21Julie BerghoffSure

26:21Jawad Mir... Because I'm just very fascinated with that. Back to studio, what was, in any of the episodes, you can just pick one or two, what was the most difficult thing or challenging thing, I would say, to do, in terms of, you know, the camera movement or whether it was trying to get a certain look but it wasn't getting there, and how was, how did you and your team overcome that?

26:52Julie BerghoffYou know, there was, I wish that I could have given... I mean, the hardest two sets were the executive office and the Golden Globes, and both of those, the reason why they were so hard was time mostly.

27:07Julie BerghoffWe, they wanted to film the executive offices first, and usually your set builds are on the end. So I designed that in, like, two to three weeks, and we built it and decorated it in seven, really.

27:24Jawad MirWow.

27:25Julie BerghoffIncluding set designing it. And, it was, I wish, the DP didn't come on as early enough in the prep, so I was pretty far along in the design when he came, and then he needed a lot of modifications of the set to be able to do his, to use…

27:44Jawad MirLighting. Yeah

27:45Julie Berghoff... To, more the shots. The…

27:47Jawad MirOkay

27:47Julie Berghoff... It was more moving the camera because of the way that they were gonna use the little mini cranes and then pass the camera and keep it continuous shots. So I was, then I was like, ha… I was cutting into the set to give them, you know, to like, have walls move and things like that. So that was tricky, because it was, the executive offices were built on an 18-inch block. So if you did, if you changed anything, y… it changed everything. So that was really tricky, and there was a big scramble as we were set designing it and building it to redraw the door, the doorways and things like that. But my team was incredible at just, they understood the, w… what it was. It was just, and also just time. So we laser cut pieces, we CNC'd pieces, and we also cast pieces to get those blocks. So that was, we were using all three methods so that we would be able to get it done on time. And

28:46Jawad MirWow

28:46Julie Berghoff... And also, I like plaster a lot. That's kind of one of my little secrets that I use in almost everything because it has depth and you can mix color into it. So you can, so I had, I cut out paint by tinting all of the plaster and adding different colors and things to the plaster, to be want-finished. So then all we did was seal it, and we didn't, like, paint on top of it. W… so that also helped, 'cause usually you're painting for two or three weeks on a set like that.

29:20Jawad MirSure.

29:21Julie BerghoffBut, and the other one was the Golden Globes. We had no time. We had 12 hours to decorate the outside and three days to decorate in, the inside, everybody, including lighting. And that's, those are huge spaces and very important, intricate spaces. So basically, I treated it like a theater set, and I pre-built everything in the mill, and we pre-li… we worked with the gaffer, Russell Ire, and we, like, pre-lit everything and tested everything and got the color temperature and worked with my scenic to get, like, the alabaster paint job. Like, she painted all that. And 'cause I was like, "Oh, alabaster, it's probably gonna be really expensive." And so, you know, we're always hacking everything or like, you know, figuring out…

30:10Jawad MirOf course

30:11Julie Berghoff... How can we make it look like that without spending that kind of money? So we… it was just really, it… and it, we almost rehearsed how to load in for the outside and we s… we built a little scale model and we, you know, we all stood around and talked about how to shoot it, how to light it, and who was going where. And so like every step is… gets us closer to getting there, and not having time allow… made us do so much, you know, work ahead of time to get everyone aligned so that we could just, it would just flow, and it did. It just, everyone, you know, this s… just the outside of it was so fun to do and I was so proud of everyone and all the materials we learn… used. And I learned a lot about how to do a variety show. I've never done a variety show. And, I'd spoken to the designer who does the Golden Globes and he was like, "Do everything neutral and lots of light and shiny things." I was like, "Okay." So that's, those were the two challenging ones and also to make it look real inside was hard because we couldn't p… you know, have 1,500 people.

31:22Julie BerghoffWe had 500 people, which was already huge for Cammy to d…

31:26Jawad MirYeah

31:26Julie Berghoff... To dress 500 people. And ev… she just killed it. Like, she just, she's an amazing costume designer. And, anyway, so, and hair and makeup, like, you know, I can't say enough about Vanessa Price, like with Kathryn Hahn's, you know, hair and I know I'm going off on other people, but…

31:50Jawad MirNo, you're fine

31:51Julie Berghoff... It was just, it was really just, you know, sometimes you... I get to know people as the show goes on because I don't spend as much time on set 'cause I'm before camera, at camera for like, just to say, "Hi, here it is. Hope you love it," and then I'm off, you know? So, you know, as time went on, I got to know everyone. Obviously, especially hair and makeup, I don't get to know as well. And I just, when I saw Kathryn Hahn like swinging her ponytail in the, in, you know, in ep… I think one oh two with Ron Howard, and like it was, she was almost like using it as a pointer, I was dying. I just was... It was just, it was, it just, I, again, she elevated, you know, she gave Kathryn Hahn something to use as a prop almost. And I really, I just have so much mad respect with how, their process, you know? And I learned so much from them, watching them on this show.

32:42Jawad MirYeah, no, that's, that's amazing because, you know, again, we've talked about this all the time, it's a collaborative effort, right? And it's, and everybody, y… you plan so much, but there's always something on the set that goes completely according to the, not according to the plan, and then you kinda improvise and maybe you add your own little flavor, like the example you d… gave. No, that's really cool. What's your favorite episode, if any?

33:08Julie BerghoffI would probably... It's funny, like I like two episodes. Well, I love the pilot. I mean, it's…

33:16Jawad MirYeah

33:16Julie Berghoff... It's so tight and it's so cool. And I loved, I loved when Bryan Cranston... I mean, I loved when, I just loved the whole thing with the, Bryan Cranston in the beginning, and then when, Scorsese's, you know, is talking about how the movie he wants to make and Seth's like, "Like the red, like the red drink?" You know? It's just hilarious. Visually, for me, the Golden Globes was probably my favorite 'cause it was so elegant and beautiful and Zoë Kravitz cracked me up with her, and, you know, Seth, it, he like literally made me cry at the end when he was in the limousine by himself. Like, that episode was the most emotional for me. Like I was really like, "Oh, he went home after the awards and they won," you know? It was really... And that's real, you know? People, sometimes are connected with people at work and sometimes their passion just, it's separates them somehow. And he's the boss and like you just real… he starts, you know, he's realizing, you know, that being the boss isn't everything, it's, it's meant, you know, chalked up to be.

34:24Julie BerghoffSo, that one I think was probably my favorite episode.

34:29Jawad MirYeah.

34:29Julie BerghoffAnd Seth. Ike Barinholtz is hilarious. He's hilarious on set. He's, he's such a big personality and it was just hilarious to see, you know, him getting all that acknowledgement, you know? And getting teased the whole episode and I loved, how when Seth goes and talks to Ted Sarandos in the bathroom, it's just... And all those, you know, Seth will say like these are all like real moments that he just didn't know for sure if Ted would go for it, and he was like so ha… you know, he was like, "Oh yeah, I'll do it." And we just, we had to like recreate those scenes for his schedule. And so, but it paid off. Like I don't think anyone knew that we were somewhere else and not at the Golden Globe, I mean, not at the Hilton, so.

35:16Jawad MirYeah. Which, you mentioned Ted because that, when, in that episode, there was three or four times you see him on the screen. And my wife is like, "Oh, he's..." And I'm like, "No way. They probably just got this from stock footage and they played it on the screen." And then boom, he shows up, and I was shocked too because I did not expect him to be in there, which is, which is, which makes it s… extra special, which really makes it extra special.

35:42Julie BerghoffI know, really, all the cameos were, I think, really stressful for the guys to get. Like they, there was al… we were like, "Who are we getting?" And it was like, "Maybe this person, maybe that person," and it really, that says a lot about, you know, Point Grey and James Weaver…

35:56Jawad MirYeah

35:56Julie Berghoff... Seth and Evan for like being able to pull that kind of talent in Hollywood. And I think it was just like literally the, everyone getting to play themselves or a different side of themselves. It's, you know that, you know, Ron Howard, you know, throwing his hat and throwing a temper tantrum. I don't, you know, he's, he's Opie. He doesn't get to be a dick, you know? So…

36:17Jawad MirYeah

36:18Julie Berghoff... So it was really as… As a filmmaker also just it was really, I really connected to all the scripts and it was really fun for me to create all these little vignettes also, like the, you know, the Cabin in the Woods and the zombie world and Chinatown. I mean, it was, i… it's not very often that you get to dip into so many different genres in one show.

36:43Jawad MirYeah. No, it's really cool and I thought Ron Howard and Scorsese were the best cameos, not because they're Ron Howard or Scorsese but, you know, the whole thing with Ron Howard episode, the last 30 minutes of the film that he makes and everybody's raving about it, and then they go in private and they're bashing it and, which is Hollywood, which is how movie business is. I mean, I guess it was a little over the top. And Scorsese just, you know, making a Kool-Aid movie and how his script was bought off for 10 million and… Yeah, and he's, you know, he talks about the... The irony with that for me was I don't know how many people know that how he's com… I'm not a fan of superhero movies, with all due respect, and I think he made a comment that they're not cinema. And then he was making a Kool-Aid movie, which kinda contradicted to his, you know, his actual beliefs. So I thought that was really cool, too. No, it's, it's all in all, Julie, it's awesome series and I really appreciate you working on it. What's next for you, if there's anything that you can talk about?

37:42Julie BerghoffI'm on a film right now with Nick Stoller. I worked with him on Neighbors and Five-Year and it's great to be reconnected with him. See, I worked on, you know, The Studio and then I see Nick, I haven't seen him in years, and it just, it's really about connecting again. Like, you're on a flow with people and then you kind of go your separate way. Sometimes it's hard to get back. So anyway, so I'm working on that. I'm, I'm on here, I'm here for three more weeks. It's been a, an amazing experience. And then season two, we're gonna start back up in the fall, and so I'm looking for something in between, either commercials or something small, waiting to go back and work with everyone again.

38:24Jawad MirThat's awesome. That's really cool. Yeah, you know, that's, you talked about everybody goes their separate ways. I saw this interview of Kevin Bacon on Howard Stern, and it's something that has al… I have always thought about, too, and I couldn't believe he actually said that. He's like, "You know, it really bothers me that, you know, you work with people for five, six months, and you're like the best of buddies and then everybody disappears."

38:45Julie BerghoffDisappears, yeah.

38:47Jawad MirLike, nobody stays in touch. Like, it's very rare, which is, which something I wonder about, too, like how is that possible? Like, you spend so much time and then you're gone. And then you reconnect maybe at another production or see somebody at a party or an event. Yeah, it's, it's, it's weird how that works, but it is the way it is.

39:05Julie BerghoffI mean, we're kind of dysfunctional circus, right?

39:09Jawad MirYeah.

39:10Julie Berghoff'Cause we come together, we almost put up a tent, we work crazy hours, then we take the tent down and we kind of go our... And I'm in, my work, the people I work with I've been working on and off with for, you know, an over a decade. So, like, they do become your second family, and sometimes you need a break from your family.

39:28Jawad Mir100, that I, that I agree with. But then to be completely disappeared is another interesting discussion to have why people do that, but it is the way it works and that's... Because, you know, it's also because you disappeared, too, because you get involved with somebody else, something else, like some other project. So all in all, everybody's, you know, as long as we're all getting work, that's all that matters, and we're telling stories.

39:51Julie BerghoffI think that there always be a special connection with people when you make a project, and no matter if it's successful or not, and there's great memories with that or horrible memories that you're like, you know, sometimes the projects are really hard and…

40:05Jawad MirYeah

40:05Julie Berghoff... You don't wanna think about it. But with, if I w… I can't imagine with Kevin Bacon being a star, like sometimes I feel like we give, we don't wanna bother them. You know what I mean? Because they are probably bothered by so many people, and maybe that also is the opposite of what they need, like staying closer to the people they work with who are a safer place or something that they know, you know? But…

40:31Jawad MirYeah

40:31Julie Berghoff... I mean, I know working with all, with big Hollywood stars, like I don't even, I don't even have a picture of Seth and I together. Like I don't know why I don't ask him for like a photo, which is just like you feel like, oh, everywhere we go, people are always asking him and he always gives out photos with people. So I'm almost like, "Oh, maybe he gets asked too much. I'm not even gonna go there."

40:52Jawad MirYeah, because I think what that does is, I'm guessing maybe that's the reason you're not doing it, because you're working with him professionally, right?

40:59Julie BerghoffYeah.

40:59Jawad MirAnd then there's that, if that fandom kinda kicks in, as much as he would love to do it, but it kinda changes something, I think. It may change something between two people, unless you're really close friends…

41:13Julie BerghoffYeah

41:13Jawad Mir... That's, that's different, right?

41:15Julie BerghoffI think it's just, I just feel like it's, it's, he's, he's very generous with his time with s… with his fans, and I just want, I work with him. Yeah.

41:24Jawad MirYeah.

41:24Julie BerghoffTotally.

41:24Jawad MirYeah.

41:25Julie BerghoffBut next one, on the next premiere, I'm getting one.

41:29Jawad MirYou should, you should do something where he asks you, "Can I take a picture?"

41:34Julie BerghoffYeah. I'll make a cutout of him like...

41:40Jawad MirYeah, no, I get it. Awesome, Julie. This has been great. Listen, I would love to talk to you again about your next production and definitely season two, whenever that comes up. I'm guessing probably next year or later next year. But

41:53Julie BerghoffYep

41:53Jawad Mir... Looking forward to it. Thank you so much for your time and for your work.

41:56Julie BerghoffYou're welcome.

41:56Jawad MirReally appreciate it and really love to see it.

41:57Julie BerghoffIt's so nice to meet you. All right, good luck with your film in the, in the fall.

42:01Jawad MirThank you so much. Appreciate it.

42:02Julie BerghoffAll right. Take care.

42:03Jawad MirTake care. Bye-bye.