Rob McElhenney Shares Details on Upcoming 'Mythic Quest' Quarantine Episode Shot on iPhones

[MacRumors]

Apple on Friday will release a special quarantine episode of "Mythic Quest: Raven's Banquet," which the cast and crew shot using iPhones. Ahead of the premiere of the episode, show creator and star Rob McElhenney did an interview with The Hollywood Reporter where he shared some details on how the filming was done.

According to McElhenney, he came up with the idea for the quarantine episode three weeks ago when bored while stuck at home. He pitched the idea to his bosses at Apple, who were "immediately on board." Apple's Cupertino team sent 40 new iPhones and 20 sets of earbuds later that same week, and McElhenney teamed up with David Hornsby (who also stars in the show) and Megan Ganz (the show's co-creator) to write the episode.

It took just three weeks to write the script, shoot the new episode, edit it, and get it ready to air. Despite the short filming time, the producers at Apple liked the episode so much that it's being submitted it for Emmy consideration. "It happened very, very fast," said McElhenney.

It was important for the episode to "feel like it was a shared experience" without recycling content. "We knew right away that we can't just get away with doing Zoom jokes for 30 minutes," said McElhenney. It was also important to get the episode out while it was still something that was going on in the moment, and McElhenney was surprised Apple agreed to the concept.

Honestly, I thought they were probably going to say no because it's just technically difficult. There are a few shows that subsequently have come out. Parks and Rec had not [aired] when we conceived of this, but I found out that Mike [Schur] was doing it, and I called him and asked him a bunch of questions. I thought, "If we're going to do it, I'd like it to look and feel as if this was a creative choice, not a choice that was created by limitation." That's what Apple responded to. Once I walked them through it, we shot a little test and said, "This is what it could look like and sound like and feel like." They pulled the trigger, and we got to work.

All of the actors in the show were forced to get into the "minutia" of details they're not normally concerned with. There were no people on hand for filming, no makeup artists, no hairstylists, no one to adjust the sound, and so on. Everyone had to consider lenses, applications, sound quality, frame rate, and other aspects of filming that actors normally don't do.

During filming, the crew used Zoom to communicate, with five to 45 people on the call depending on the scene or situation. Each actor had three iPhones, and one iPhone was used at a time. After a scene wrapped, the phone was sterilized, packaged, put in a secure area, picked up by a courier, brought to the editorial team, sterilized again, and then footage was uploaded for the editors who were working from home. When asked why three iPhones were used, this is what McElhenney had to say:

To get [footage] through to editorial as fast as possible, because we wanted to get this episode done and out while we were still in quarantine. The way we'd do each scene is they'd take their laptop/desktop cameras that you would see normally for a teleconferencing thing and they'd put the iPhone directly in front of that camera, so I essentially had video village from my house. I could see what every actor's camera is picking up and you could also see the readings for the audio. Mike, the cinematographer, could double check all the settings and make sure that everything was running at the right revolution, frame rate, etc. Then we would run the scene, and the actors would be talking to one another the same way we're talking right now [by phone], through our AirPods.

The quarantine episode of "Mythic Quest: Raven's Banquet" features pandemic-related plotlines such as Poppy struggling with forced solitude and C.W. struggling with teleconferencing technology, while Ian Grimm, in his lavish house, has a hard time understanding everyone else's struggles.

There's also a storyline about a charitable donation, which is being replicated in real life, with the show raising $600,000 to date for the global NGO Mercy Corps COVID-19 relief program. The episode will air this Friday.

Article Link: Rob McElhenney Shares Details on Upcoming 'Mythic Quest' Quarantine Episode Shot on iPhones

 

[japanime]

I see the teaser photo, and all I can think of is, "You get a ring, and you get a ring, and you get a ring!"

 

[lunarworks]

The logistics to get this done are a whole lot more complicated than they would seem.

 

[Art Mark]

I enjoyed that show. Watched it all in a sitting or two. Looking forward to more.

 

[macfacts]

The "shot on iPhone" idea

"He pitched the idea to his bosses at Apple, who were "immediately on board." Apple's Cupertino team sent 40 new iPhones and 20 sets of earbuds later that same week,"

 

[btbeme]

I detest watching TV. Haven't watched more than 5 minutes at a time in the last 11 years. For real.

But I watched the first episode of Mythic Quest while trapped at a friend's house. Pretty funny and quite smart.

 

[AlexGraphicD]

How the heck is an iPhone considered to be a TV or Cinema tool when it cannot do long zoom or shallow depth of field with bokeh like professional grade cameras do? Total cringe.

 

[Tech198]

so anyone can read something from home,, splice in a few screenshots and/video and you have yourself a "TV show" ?

Doesn't the idea "on-set" mean anything anymore? Many shows make the mistake during this crisis, to lower their game, just to still get ahead. to those shows that have stopped.

It's not worth it, and the turn out will be halved.. You can't say a show shot on iPhone is just as good as the real thing, because we don't see people in their bedrooms. I don't think I can get beyond that

 

[Takeo]

How the heck is an iPhone considered to be a TV or Cinema tool when it cannot do long zoom or shallow depth of field with bokeh like professional grade cameras do? Total cringe.

Yah but I mean, I don’t think Apple was going to send out 40 RED digital or other complex / expensive / high end gear for the actors to have to learn and shoot themselves with. And even if they could learn that gear, they’re not DPs. It would be wasted on them. The iPhone approach is easy and user friendly and makes sense on a bunch of levels. And it’s just a fun little special / bonus episode. I don’t expect it to be studio quality. I’m really looking forward to it! Hilarious show.

 

[Mr. Awesome]

I wonder if Apple would send me 40 iPhones and 20 pairs of AirPods if I said I was making a quarantine TV show episode...

 

[tharitm]

The way we'd do each scene is they'd take their laptop/desktop cameras that you would see normally for a teleconferencing thing and they'd put the ‌iPhone‌ directly in front of that camera

so even Apple knows they have potato cameras on their Macs.

 

[The_Joker13]

Good lord. Really don’t understand the hate in some of the comments. I think it’s a pretty damn cool idea and am looking forward to more mythic quest.

 

[macduke]

My wife and I actually really liked this show and are looking forward to the next season. So what season will this be a part of? Very strange times right now.

 

[nitramluap]

I'd really like to know where the 'revolution' setting is on the iPhone. Might come in handy soon.
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[smoking monkey]

so anyone can read something from home,, splice in a few screenshots and/video and you have yourself a "TV show" ?

Doesn't the idea "on-set" mean anything anymore? Many shows make the mistake during this crisis, to lower their game, just to still get ahead. to those shows that have stopped.

It's not worth it, and the turn out will be halved.. You can't say a show shot on iPhone is just as good as the real thing, because we don't see people in their bedrooms. I don't think I can get beyond that

Hollywood is bloated. This is actually showing them that sometimes less is more. All you need is great sound, great script and as long as the rest is passable then the audience will be totally fine. Now I'm not saying that MQ:RB had a great script, because it really didn't.

Hollywood will have to adjust and become more creative in how they produce content.

 

[precogincog]

I can't believe that I am in the minority in that I found this show annoying and was done after 15 minutes.

 

[FightTheFuture]

How the heck is an iPhone considered to be a TV or Cinema tool when it cannot do long zoom or shallow depth of field with bokeh like professional grade cameras do? Total cringe.

iPhone has been used by academy award winning directors. A note to creative professionals - don’t let gear limit you.

 

[noraa]

How the heck is an iPhone considered to be a TV or Cinema tool when it cannot do long zoom or shallow depth of field with bokeh like professional grade cameras do? Total cringe.

Well, considering it IS being used to create TV shows at the moment, that essentially makes it a TV/Cinema tool whether you like it or not.

Times are very weird right now, it is nearly impossible to have a full production set going for any TV or movie - so studios and producers are doing what they can. In this case, that means allowing actors to use the tools they can easily use (such as an iPhone).

Also, as is often stated in photography: "The best camera is the one you have with you." The same can be said about video cameras.

 

[zoomcrypt]

can't wait. love MQ

 

[GreenLightLuke]

I think some commenters need to get off that incredibly high-horse when it comes to what makes or doesn’t make a TV show.

Anyone could read something from home, film it, edit it, distribute it and it would be a TV show. And they could use an iPhone to do it.

Don’t let your prejudices get in the way of creativity. The future of TV and what makes TV are sat at home creating content on their devices - iPhone or not.

 

[ThunderSkunk]

I can't believe that I am in the minority in that I found this show annoying and was done after 15 minutes.

I went in expecting that reaction but was pleasantly surprised, liking it more and more as it went on instead.

Seeing F Murray Abraham just bouncing off the walls is an absolute delight.

 

[FrankieTDouglas]

Hollywood is bloated. This is actually showing them that sometimes less is more. All you need is great sound, great script and as long as the rest is passable then the audience will be totally fine. Now I'm not saying that MQ:RB had a great script, because it really didn't.

Hollywood will have to adjust and become more creative in how they produce content.

To be more creative, the solution is to over-complicate the filming process and still have a lowered standard of quality?

Alright.

 

[mw360]

How the heck is an iPhone considered to be a TV or Cinema tool when it cannot do long zoom or shallow depth of field with bokeh like professional grade cameras do? Total cringe.

That's the kind of snobbery I've never seen from an actual DoP, despite working with dozens of them. It's always about the right tool for the job, and in this story, told from the PoV of the characters' phones and webcams, anything with a long zoom and bokeh is the wrong tool.

 

[alpi123]

How the heck is an iPhone considered to be a TV or Cinema tool when it cannot do long zoom or shallow depth of field with bokeh like professional grade cameras do? Total cringe.

Even without depth of field (although there are external lenses for this), the overall quality is the best for a smartphone right now. Did you even see the video? It looks hella good for something shot on a phone, if they didn't mention it was shot on an iPhone nobody would've ever guessed it.

 

[triton100]

Such an unfunny show. No laughs at all. Nothing clever or witty about it. I’m very surprised there’s so much love for it. But on the flip side I’m happy about that as I want Apple TV to do well. But what a terrible unfunny show.