What were your favorite challenges?
RB: PR1: post office challenge, grocery store challenge/ PR2: inspiration challenge (take a photo and make a garment), flower challenge, clothes off your back challenge/ PR3: fashion icon challenge, moms challenge, Paris challenge.
Favorite episodes?
RB: pr1: grocery store, finale, post office/ pr2: inspiration, finale, lingerie/ pr3: fashion icon, moms, dogs, paris, finale.
Do you have any behind-the-scenes tales that would interest our readers?
RB: Not to bring up a sore subject to your readers but Vincent had no idea he was being brought back. We kept it secret in order to get a genuine reaction when Heidi announced it at the “party”…
Sidenote: This was planned before we even cast the show all you conspiracy theorists out there. This wasn’t a last minute decision to create drama…
Anyway, the “party” was at this club called the “Pink Elephant”… We had to keep Vincent in an adjacent club called “Crobar” to maintain the element of suprise… About a ½ hour before we were set to shoot, Wallace and Thierry (producers) came to me and said that Vincent was refusing to do anyting until we told him what was going on. So, i work my way through a maze of hallways until I reach Crobar where I discover a racy burlesque show being performed in the middle of this pit surrounded by steep bleachers. Vincent is on the top level of these bleachers, taking in the scene and incredibly distraught. I approach him and he launches into a tirade, telling me that I should “sue” him because he’s not doing anything and that he wants to be put on a plane (this is the g-rated version)… In any case, I start exploring his concerns and it turns out that he was convinced that we were going to throw him into the arms of one of these strippers to humiliate him - a kind of final “f*** you” for being eliminated that would embarrass him on national television. He was absolutely convinced of it. It was one of the most surreal and hilarious conversations I’ve ever had in my life.
Describe your job - a typical day during the filming of PR. Do you see all of the footage? Do you decide which scenes to include and which to leave out? We had many readers comment that the best stuff (the funniest stuff) was in the bonus footage of the website. How do you decide what makes the cut?
RB: I don’t know how to describe a typical day and if I tried I’m afraid I’d bore you to death.
I don’t see every frame of footage but I’m there while everything is being filmed and in constant communication with the other producers about what’s happening.
In terms of deciding what to include and what to leave out, remember that we have to boil 2 – 3 days worth of footage into about 44 minutes so there’s quite a bit that falls to the wayside. This is painful because we often have to discard material we’re in love with but we don’t have the time or luxury to get too attached. We have to make decisions quickly based upon the story we’re telling in each episode and move on. As Tim says, we have to “Go, go, go!”
Going in, we know that a good chunk of the 1st act is going to be setting up the challenge and that acts 4 and 5 are runway acts so with these it’s really about executing in the field and hoping that something dramatic, funny, or otherwise exciting happens. Acts 2 and 3 are typically workroom acts and much looser. Here, we let what actually happened guide our decisions. For example, while we were shooting the “Moms” episode in PR3 most of the dramatic material we captured in the field centered around the conflict between Jeffrey and Angela’s mom (Darlene) so it was obvious that this would be the main story for that particular episode. This was sensitive stuff so the challenge was trying to tell a complete story while representing the various sides (Jeffrey, Darlene, Angela…) fairly… Also, in the midst of telling this story we had to be careful of not losing sight of the other designers so that when their looks hit the runway it wouldn’t be like “Huh?”… This is the challenge in every episode: balancing the need to tell a complete story with the need to track the other designers and their creative process. Oftentimes a lot of funny stuff doesn’t make it because we have to cut it for time reasons or because we can’t wrap our heads around how to make it fit given the story we’re telling in that particular episode. However, your readers should know that everything that’s remotely funny gets seen either on the reunion show or on the web – one way or another we find a way to get it out there.
What makes your job fun?
Rb: working with the enormously talented group of producers I’m fortunate enough to be surrounded by both in the field and in post production. This series is truly a collaborative effort, everyone brings something important to the table. It’s also fun working with Tim and Heidi… Tim’s passion and sheer belief in this endeavor is a constant source of confidence for me - I smile just thinking about him… And Heidi has great ideas and is always singing and cracking jokes on set… She creates a fairly relaxed atmosphere which makes my job easy. Plus, the bonds you form with the designers and getting to see what they’re able to pull off is a constant source of inspiration.
What makes your job difficult?
Rb: when we’re shooting in NYC I’m away from my wife Jen which gets difficult. I’d also say that managing the demands and expectations of all of the different parties associated with the show is challenging at times.
Many of our readers comment that they wish the show were longer - like an hour and a half - especially at the beginning of the season. Any chance of that?
RB: I wouldn’t be surprised. They’ve done it a bit with “Top Chef” this season. I guess you’d have to ask Andy.
What surprised you in Season Three?
RB: The amount of time I spent on the phone with lawyers… Ha, ha… And how well the series rated for Bravo.
Is there anything you wish you could "do over?"
Rb: I’ve always made a point of formally saying goodbye to each of the designers after they’re auf’d. I didn’t catch Bradley and Bonnie before they left this past season so I wish I could do that over…
Do you keep in touch with any of the designers?
RB: Yes, many of them.
What surprised you in the early seasons?
RB: Jay basically telling me to “F*** off” during his very first interview ever during casting outside of the Soho Grande in NYC.
Do you know when the Season Three DVD will be released?
RB: Probably sometime around the premiere of season 4 but that’s up in the air at the moment.
What are you looking forward to?
RB: The New York Knicks making the playoffs! And another season of runway of course.
Congratulations on the Producer's Guild nomination. We are keeping our fingers crossed for you!
Click here to comment.
