Standing on the Shoulders of Humans - Interview with MTV’s Human Giant

AA: Aziz Ansari, 24, LCD Soundsystem - Sound of Silver. I usually don’t dream, and I can’t remember ones I had, sorry for such an uninteresting response, hopefully Rob and Paul came through.
PS: Paul Scheer, 31, The Pipettes - We are the Pipettes. Hanging out with the cast of Goonies (not the actors, the characters).
RH: Rob Huebel, 34, I agree with everything Pitchfork says. When I sleep at night I dream about my own shortcomings in terrifying and humiliating ways…

PS: The name Human Giant was taken from Shutterbugs (Episode 2). A Character refers to Michael Clarke Duncan as the Human Giant. Aziz and I thought that was particulary funny because we were working on a film with him at the time and the name stuck.

PS: It’s the Taste Kids Love & Mom’s Approve Too (shit I went over five) How about these 5 words: Hippos, Death-Mask, Grapes, Dentistry, and Solange.

PS: Shutterbugs, Clell Tickle, Shittiest Mixtape and Illusionators will all be on the show in some form. The biggest changes in these pieces occur in adapting it into a running time that is acceptable for TV. Also certain legal matters like rights, clearances, and language. prevent pieces from airing they way they did online. So watch them now before they disappear forever.
AA: We shot a bunch of new stuff with the Bugs and Illusionators. Mixtape we had to change some of the songs, because apparently Paula Cole and Gloria Estefan don’t want their music associated with a short called “Shittiest Mixtape.” What’s a bummer is I’m sure the Miami Sound Machine could have used some of that hefty check we would have had to pay for “Conga.”

PS: 102 was a great place to show shorts and it also gave you a deadline to work towards, that show really made you proactive, if you let it. After Shutterbugs Aziz and I wanted to do a new video about Magicians (The Illusionators) we originally where going to debut it at 102 but the scope became too large and we didn’t want to compromise it, so we opted to play it around the city at different venues instead.

PS: Each of the them was a different amount of time. We didn’t have a set system with Post or Production. We just spent as much time was needed on each piece. Illusionators (the 12 minute version) took about 3 weeks where as Shutterbugs took a weekend . We really didn’t have a goal for the group immediately we just wanted to make shorts and play them around NYC.
RH: When we first started shooting stuff (Shutterbugs/Illusionators) it was mainly because we liked working together and wanted to show stuff around the nyc comedy scene. Back then our director, Jason had all the time in the world to edit and tweak stuff and really make it great. We never thought we’d get a tv show out of it.

AA: MTV approached us based on our live performances individually (me as standup, Rob and Paul as improvisers) and our work in the videos we made collectively. They were really excited to get the project running and really wanted to move fast and not leave us sitting in development for months and months.
RH: They [MTV] saw our stuff online and new all of us as comedians around NYC. So we basically never pitched them. They asked us to do a pilot…we did one a year ago…and blammo here we are.

RH: As far as sheer numbers are concerned it’s probably been a combination of a bunch of Internet stuff. Definitely YouTube, MySpace and people blogging about them and sending them to their friends - that all built awareness for us. Coming from UCB and being able to test-screen stuff there for live audiences - that also helped a lot in the development of the show.
PS: I think it’s a combination of all those. Basically bored people at work are the people we should be thanking, they can make you or break you with just one click of a mouse.

PS: Before MTV we were the only creative people involved in the project. However we always lets anyone we cast improvise around their lines, we really trust everyone. We even continued that during the actual MTV show.
RH: We used to write loose scripts for pieces…then we’d improvise a lot while shooting and then Jason would edit out all the crap and keep all the good stuff. Once we went into production at mtv we were able to have some of our friends come in for a bit and pitch ideas and help solidify scripts. We worked a lot with Jon Glaser, Brian Posehn, and Dan Mintz. All really funny dudes. We also worked with Chad Carter, Patton Oswalt, Kristen Schaal, Morgan Murphy, and Ian Roberts. We’re lucky to have friends with similar sensibilities that all could help out. Our show runner, Tom Gianas was amazing. He’s an old friend and writer from SNL and Tenacious D. We couldn’t have done it without him.

PS: We have a strong scene idea and a tight script but when we get to set we kinda just throw it out the window and see what else we can find.
AA: All our scripts were treated very loosely and we improvised a lot around them. We usually always found great jokes on set. Also, all the guests on the show were friends of ours who are super talented and great improvisors, who also added a ton to the show with what they brought to their characters.
RH: We did tons of improvising. That’s where a lot of our best stuff came from.

PS: Before the show, it was the 12 minute Illusionators. For the show, my favorite might be something called Spacelords, I watched the rough cut yesterday and I think it’s really funny.
AA: I am pretty proud of all our pre-MTV work. Shutterbugs will always be a little special since it was our first thing. The 12 minute Illusionators we made on our own will also be one of my favorites, due to how ambitious it was and how we pulled it off the way we did without a crew, permits, etc. Of the new stuff, I love the new editions of Bugs and Illusionators and a lot of new stuff - Let’s Go, Spacelords, Camping Weekend, Moving Company, SeaLand Psycho, Lunartics, Mosh Pit, Escalating Interview, Dick on the Face, Re- enactment, etc. That use of etc. makes no sense, since you don’t the rest of the sketches I would list.

PS: The biggest difference was the sheer amount of work. We went from having 6 shorts online to having to write, produce and star in 90 pieces.
RH: It was fairly similar. MTV never said to gear stuff more for a younger viewer or anything like that. We never wanted to go too ‘broad’. We like to keep things short and fast and sometimes weird and violent. We just had more people involved in the crew for MTV. We owe them a lot.
AA: At first, it was strange having a large crew with us all the time, we used to just have Jason and maybe someone holding a boom. With MTV, we got a huge crew of people, who were great in they could help us be more ambitious with props, locations, etc. However, we still did a large chunk of the show with a ’skeleton’ crew that was reminiscent of our old days so we could be faster and find new bits on our shoots. That’s what we found to work best - a mix of both.

PS: We never tried to censor ourselves, we wrote the best ideas we could and then let Standards squash them later. Standards made us much more creative with our weapon choices, so for that I thank them. Goodbye Gun, Hello Crossbow.
AA: Standards people have great ideas sometimes - instead of “raped by a dinosaur” - they suggested “diddled by a dinosaur.” Instead of handguns, they suggested missile launchers, oozies, and crossbows - all way funnier than handguns. Thank you standards!
RH: I don’t think we ever had to adjust something to suit the standards folks and felt it was necessarily ‘better’. That said, they’ve been pretty cool with us. We’ve gotten away with way more shit than we thought we could. I think they want to take a chance on this show and see if it can connect with people. We’re not overly crude or gross or anything and we don’t do stuff like that just to be ‘edgy’. Some things will be offensive for sure but that’s just the nature of comedy. It offends some people.

PS: Not really. We still made a high percentage of one-offs for the series. We only have 3 re-occuring series in the show Shutterbugs, Illusionators, and Spacelords. The rest are stand alone short films.
AA: Well one thing we started for the show were bits where we just played ourselves - Aziz, Rob, and Paul. Their is no continuity to this world - our jobs always change, sometimes one of us is a character, we also die constantly. One of the MTV guys compared it to Looney Tunes. There are a few recurring bits like Shutterbugs, and a lot of them have that “packaging” like we used in our old stuff. Basically the show feels like a bunch of short films starring the three of us. Sometimes we’re ourselves, sometimes characters, sometimes a combination of the two.
RH: We had to generate a huge amount of material. We knew we had some things we liked from the past (Shutterbugs, Illusionators) that we wanted to spin out into recurring bits. But we basically made the show modular, that is that sketches can be mixed and matched into various episodes. We created several story arcs along the way for diff characters and pieces that we wanted to explore a little. Those will unfold over the season.

RH: Jason pretty much directed all of our stuff. We did 8 episodes and they start airing Thursdays at 10:30 starting April 5th. We had a couple other directors come in when things got super busy. They were both great dudes and amazing directors too.
PS: Jason directed the majority of the pieces but was also joined by Jay Chadraskahr (Arrested Development) and Rusty Cundieff (Chappelle Show).

PS: We’ll be available on Itunes, Xbox, and Amazon…1st episode is free. The high end camera phones were only used for a few days, they were really complicated to use. I got frustrated with them, but we do have a bunch of “Behind the Scenes” footage that we have edited that will be avail for the DVD or online.
RH: We tried to shoot some behind the scenes stuff with some cellphone, but I’m not sure what became of that stuff. Hopefully some tech genius at MTV has made that footage look awesome, because we’re pretty shitty videographers. There’s a lot of stuff rolling out too on MTV’s site and hopefully on blogs of cool people that like us.

PS: I think Online and amount of downloads is the new Neilsen, so I’m sure the big wigs will be watching that. In my mind our show is a success if we can continue to grow and audience and ultimately it’s a success if we are happy with it and so far we are.
RH: In the TV world, I think that ratings are all that matter. It would definitely help if zillions of folks downloaded it from Itunes too. So do that if you don’t have a TV. And email clips around to your friends. We’d appreciate it. Personally though, we know we’ve made a show we can be proud of. We hope other people connect with it and enjoy it too. We will be pretty psyched if people find it funny.

PS: It was difficult, you use the audience to guide you, but that’s why we play the shorts around town a bunch, because now the audience’s reactions are used to guide the pieces after they are completed to make sure we are releasing the best possible piece.
AA: One thing that’s been great is we’ve gotten to test screen our pieces in live shows in NY and LA and that’s been so great in boosting our spirits during this process, not to mention giving us valuable feedback on our work.
RH: It’s really two different things. Performing live is a blast because there’s an audience there. But when you’re shooting you kind of have to go for a different goal. You have to imagine people watching it at home and laughing. Or you just try to crack each other up. You know you’re doing okay if everyone on set is laughing.

AA: Mixtape is the only reality type piece we ended up doing. But walking around in some of our jackass costumes (Illusionators) is not always fun. We’d also have dumb hairdos (slick backs, ponytails, etc.) that could be fairly annoying. My favorite was one time In LA I was driving on the highway dressed as Udon, my character from Spacelords. I looked like Zod from Superman II and I had a ponytail and a gold crown on my head as I bopped along the 110-E in my Taurus SEL (rental).
RH: We shot a bit where i get hit by a car suddenly. There was a stunt man that got creamed for me. He was awesome. Then he pops up off the street and I lay down where he was. We started rolling and all of a sudden there were sirens blaring off in the distance. Then a helicopter started hovering overhead. Then ambulances flew up. Then a ton of firetrucks. Someone in NYC was looking out their window and thought I was really hurt. We had to apologize to the firemen. We felt bad.

PS: TV: (Currently) Extras: Season 2, The Sarah Silverman Program, South Park, The Office, 30 Rock, Andy Milonakis and The Riches. Video Podcasts: Kasper Hauser/Sky Maul. YouTube Channels: ru42 (A Disney World You Tube Channel). * I also watch Eugene Mirman, Jonah Ray, and Jay Johnston’s stuff on Super Deluxe.
RH: TV: The Office, 30 Rock, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Arrested Development, Freaks and Geeks, The Daily Show, Colbert Report, SNL. Lots of British stuff: Mighty Boosh, Snuffbox, and Garth Marenghi.
AA: TV: The Office, Extras, and Colbert.

PS: What Would Tyler Durden Do?, The Defamer, BruceWillis.com - I love his journal
AA: Google, YouTube, MySpace - hahaha I purposefully gave you a shitty answer, because I don’t like that question!!! AHAHAHAH!

PS: I guess I’d suggest continue to work on what you find funny and find other like minded people and eventually that partnership will lead you to next step. Also always be watching and learning from your peers, no matter if they are on stage or on the internet.
AA: Put out good stuff and work hard.
RH: Learn to improvise. It’s the best training for writing and performing. And shoot your own stuff. Don’t wait around for the perfect idea. Just start shooting stuff.

PS: I’m starting Hot Dog Place called Jersey’s Best Dogs…I know nothing about cooking so I have to get started on that. Later.
RH: We just want to make this series great. Right now that’s all we think about. But yeah, we’ll def be doing more stuff down the road that will pop up on the internet. That’s where the people are nowadays.