The TV Set (2006)

User Rating:

6.8/10   

Director:

Jake Kasdan

Writer (WGA):

Jake Kasdan (written by)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Tagline:

A place where dreams are canceled

Plot:

The story of a TV pilot as it goes through the Network TV process of casting, production and finally airing.

Plot Keywords:

Assistant | Husband Wife Relationship | Producer | Beard | Funeral

Cast

David Duchovny	...	Mike Klein
Sigourney Weaver	...	Lenny
Ioan Gruffudd	...	Richard McCallister
Judy Greer	...	Alice
Fran Kranz	...	Zach Harper
Lindsay Sloane	...	Laurel Simon
Justine Bateman	...	Natalie Klein
Lucy Davis	...	Chloe McCallister
Willie Garson	...	Brian
M.C. Gainey	...	Hutch
Wendle Josepher	...	A.D.
Philip Rosenthal	...	Exec. #1 / Cooper (as Phil Rosenthal)
David Doty	...	Exec. #2 / Rose
Matt Price	...	Exec. #3 / Berg
Simon Helberg	...	TJ Goldman
Kaitlin Doubleday	...	Jesse Filmore
Marcia Moran	...	Casting Director
Andrea Martin	...	Becky
Charlotte Salt	...	Sarah
Vernee Watson-Johnson	...	Barbara
Molly Bryant	...	Peggy Wallace
Aidan Mitchell	...	Simon McCallister
Philip Baker Hall	...	Vernon Maxwell
Alan Blumenfeld	...	Dr. Schwartz
Kathryn Joosten	...	Lois
Stuart Cornfeld	...	Mixer
Dakota Sky	...	Jared
Martin Morales	...	Carlos / Newspaper Guy
Allison Scagliotti	...	Bethany
Brad Campbell	...	Coach
Jordan Del Spina	...	Robby (as Jordan Orr)
Matt Besser	...	Market Research Guy (as Matthew Besser)
Ray Santiago	...	Audience Member #1
Lillian Adams	...	Audience Member #2
Ilyse Mimoun	...	Market Researcher
Don Hany	...	Guy - In Mall
Bree Turner	...	Carla
Amanda Anka	...	Publicist
Nat Faxon	...	Reporter
Jonathan Silverman	...	Himself
Bryan Law	...	Photographer
R.F. Daley	...	Guy
Rob Reinis	...	Chuck Wexler (as Robert Reinis)
Tony Rodgers	...	Upfront Announcer (voice)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Nick Alexos	...	Network Executive (uncredited)
Arnold Chun	...	Network Executive (uncredited)
Osa Danam	...	TV Set Costumer (uncredited)
Ashley Dyke	...	TV Star (uncredited)
Sean Galuszka	...	Grip 1 (uncredited)
Seth Green	...	Himself - Slut Wars Host (uncredited)
Jennifer Ann Henry	...	Herself (uncredited)
Alonzo F. Jones	...	Network Executive (uncredited)
Devon Marie King	...	TV Executive (uncredited)
Tom Poole	...	Network Executive (uncredited)
Susanna Vilen	...	Slut Wars Blonde (uncredited)
Brian Wescott	...	Network Exec. (uncredited)

Directed by
Jake Kasdan

Writing credits (WGA)
Jake Kasdan		(written by)

Produced by
Judd Apatow	....	executive producer
Carey Dietrich	....	associate producer
Jake Kasdan	....	producer
Lawrence Kasdan	....	executive producer
Paul Pressburger	....	associate producer
Aaron Ryder	....	producer
Ron Schmidt	....	co-producer
Howard Tager	....	associate producer

Original Music by
Michael Andrews

Cinematography by
Uta Briesewitz

Film Editing by
Tara Timpone

Casting by
Anya Colloff
Amy McIntyre Britt

Production Design by
Jefferson Sage

Art Direction by
Lauren E. Polizzi		(as Lauren Polizzi)

Set Decoration by
Dianna Freas

Costume Design by
Debra McGuire

Makeup Department
Susan Boyd	....	assistant hair stylist
Nina Paskowitz	....	key hair stylist
Peter Robb-King	....	key makeup artist
Heidi Seeholzer	....	assistant makeup artist

Production Management
Jenifer Chatfield	....	post-production supervisor
Ben Ormand	....	production supervisor
Ron Schmidt	....	unit production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Carey Dietrich	....	assistant director
Bradley Morris	....	second assistant director

Art Department
Randy Brewer	....	leadman (as John 'Randy' Brewer)
Stephen Hoeger	....	additional props assistant
Ari Jacobs	....	art department coordinator
Kyle Johnstone	....	on-set dresser
Josh Logerot	....	paint supervisor
Chris Marneus	....	construction coordinator
Matthew Martin	....	construction foreman (as Matt Martin)
Scott Nifong	....	property master
Andrea Rennard	....	art department assistant
Matt Sazzman	....	propmaker
Steven Sutphen	....	property assistant
Brandon Vandagriff	....	labor foreman
Rebecca Young	....	art department coordinator (as Becky Young)

Sound Department
Jesse Cairnie	....	sound utility
Stefan Fraticelli	....	foley artist
Eric Gotthelf	....	adr mixer
Robert Grieve	....	sound designer
Shaughnessy Hare	....	sound editor
E. Niles Klein	....	sound editorial technical consultant
Stephen Muir	....	foley recordist
Linda Murphy	....	boom operator
Barbara Noren	....	assistant sound editor
Steve Pederson	....	sound re-recording mixer
Jeena M. Phelps	....	dialogue editor
Troy Porter	....	adr mixer
David Raymond	....	sound utility
Brad Sherman	....	sound re-recording mixer
Joel Shryack	....	supervising sound editor
D. Chris Smith	....	sound effects editor
Nancy Tracy	....	first assistant sound editor
Randy Wilson	....	foley recordist
Marilee Yorston	....	foley assistant

Visual Effects by
Paul Hill	....	visual effects compositor

Camera and Electrical Department
Clint Borden	....	best boy grip (as Clint Jack Borden)
Charles Pearson Bradley III	....	camera production assistant
David Darwin	....	electrician
Julie Donovan	....	first assistant camera: "a" camera
Don Duffield	....	key rigging grip
Eric E. Edinburgh	....	additional electrician
Brouke Franklin	....	first assistant camera: "b" camera
Carlos M. Gallardo	....	dolly grip: "a" camera (as Carlos Gallardo)
Paul Goodstein	....	key grip
Bryan Haigh	....	second assistant camera: "a" camera
Jennifer Ann Henry	....	additional first assistant camera
Michael Herron	....	video assist
Danny Horne	....	second assistant camera: "b" camera
Greg Kittelson	....	best boy electric (as Greg 'Bones' Kittelson)
Gemma La Mana	....	still photographer
Rick Lawrence	....	dolly grip: "b" camera
John McKain	....	grip
Melissa Moseley	....	still photographer
Jenna Perkins	....	chief lighting technician
Reuben Ramos	....	electrician
Chris J. Rossi	....	grip (as Chris Rossi)
David Sammons	....	camera operator: "b" camera
Ian Santiago	....	lighting designer: Wiltern
Aaron Schulte	....	electrician
Philip D. Schwartz	....	camera operator: "a" camera (as Philip Schwartz)
Mike Visencio	....	additional electrician
Atom Vyvial	....	grip (as Aaron Vyvial)
Mira Velasco	....	grip (uncredited)

Casting Department
Judy Cook	....	extras casting
Irvin Gourgue	....	extras casting assistant
Caitlin McKenna-Wilkinson	....	adr voice casting
Michael V. Nicolo	....	casting associate

Costume and Wardrobe Department
David Buckley	....	costume supervisor
Catherine Hahn	....	costumer
Fran Murphy	....	set costumer
Michael A. Russell	....	key set costumer

Editorial Department
Patrick Bellanger	....	on-line editor
Julia Gandelsonas	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Manish Raval	....	music editor
Manish Raval	....	music supervisor
Tom Wolfe	....	music supervisor

Transportation Department
John W. Barbee	....	driver (as John Barbee)
Phil Blackaby	....	driver
Al Burton	....	driver
Roger Byrd	....	driver
Jose L. Cisneros	....	driver
Kelly Colgan	....	driver
David W. Dale	....	driver: cast (as David Dale)
Diane Glavin	....	driver
George Gowing	....	driver (as George K. Gowing)
Brad Harms	....	driver
Jeff Hatem	....	driver (as Jeff Hattem)
Gary Jackson	....	driver
Richard Maginnis	....	driver (as Richard Maginnis Jr.)
Kim Magruder	....	driver
Ted Moser	....	transportation coordinator
Bill Needham	....	driver
Shaun Ryan	....	transportation captain
Beverly Seifert	....	driver
Paul Smith	....	driver
Harold L. Woods	....	driver generator operator
Kim Magruder	....	driver generator operator (uncredited)
Lori Maxwell	....	transportation dispatcher (uncredited)

Other crew
Christopher Ciketic	....	first assistant accountant
Richard Cody	....	key craft services
Jon Donahue	....	stand-in: Mr. Duchovny
Tim Fitzgerald	....	production assistant
Karen Golden	....	script supervisor
Carolyn Harris	....	production executive
Ryan Harvie	....	production assistant
Sarah Hayon	....	assistant: Ms. Weaver
Eric Hooge	....	key assistant location manager
Jonathan Jansen	....	key assistant location manager
Eric Knight	....	assistant: Mr. Duchovny
Kym Langlie	....	unit publicist
Joyce Lasley	....	stand-in: Ms. Weaver
Melvin Mar	....	assistant: Mr. Kasdan
Debbie Merritt	....	assistant office production coordinator
Benjamin Morehead	....	production assistant
Robert Murer	....	stand-in: Mr. Gruffudd and Mr. Kranz
Stephen Price	....	location manager
Will Ruvalcaba	....	assistant location manager
Valerie Bleth Sharp	....	production coordinator
Rony Shino	....	location scout
Beatrice Springborn	....	assistant: Mr. Ryder
Mollie Stallman	....	production assistant
Mylan Stepanovich	....	production accountant
Kathryn Francis Tucker	....	production assistant
Nathan Weinstein	....	production assistant (uncredited)

Thanks
Stuart Cornfeld	....	special thanks
Nancy Kirhoffer	....	thanks

Production Companies

• TV Set Holding Company, The

Distributors

• THINKFilm (2007) (USA) (theatrical)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (2007) (USA) (DVD)
• Double Edge Entertainment (2007) (Taiwan) (all media)
• Evolution Entertainment (2009) (Switzerland) (DVD)
• Hollywood Entertainment (2007) (Greece) (DVD)
• Inferno Distribution (2007) (non-USA) (all media)
• Wexler Chronicles, The

Other Companies

• Aglet Post  trailer
• Avilon Audio  trailer post-production
• Chapman/Leonard Studio Equipment  dollies
• Cinetic Media  sales

MPAA:

Rated R for language.

Runtime:

88 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

USA:R | Australia:M

Filming Locations:

Beverly Center - 8500 Beverly Blvd., Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

TV Set Holding Company, The

Trivia:

In this movie, Sigourney Weaver plays a television network president. Weaver's father, Sylvester ("Pat") Weaver, was for many years president of NBC; the writer and director of TV Set, The (2006), Jake Kasdan, was a producer and writer on "Freaks and Geeks" (1999), which aired on NBC (albeit many years after Pat Weaver's retirement).

Quotes:

Mike: If I don't worry about the content in my show, then I'm part of the problem. I'm making the world more mediocre!
Alice: I think that you're overstating the situation just a little bit.
Mike: But you've never seen "Taxi Driver"!
Alice: I am going to rent "The Taxi Driver", okay?

Movie Connections:

References Taxi Driver (1976)

Soundtrack:

Gonna Make It Right

Sad But True

I can see how this film might not be for everybody, but I make my living writing for television and this movie is actually pretty dead on. The satire works because I felt they keep it real. Stuff that might seem absurd I have seen happen (actually real stuff that happens in the development of a pilot would make people shout at the screen and say "come on - that couldn't happen!!). The film is very well cast - everyone from Lindsay Sloane to Ion Gruffudd give strong performances. Many of my fellow writers begged me to see it, so I finally went and I thought Kasdan does an excellent job. But the film could pretty much play like a documentary - without fail, the nets will almost instantly try and change the ONE thing about a project that makes it unique - they want it to be like everything else (Weaver's character has the great line - "it seems original and original scares me!"). It is a real marathon filled with danger to get a pilot sold, then possibly get it filmed, then edited, then tested and then through literally winning a lottery - getting it on the air!! But at the end of the day - it is the viewers who decide what stays on - if something gets numbers, it stays - if it doesn't - it goes. And every now and then a unique and smart show will get on the air and more times than not - no one will watch it. Viewers SAY they want something different, but most of the time when you try to do that - they go "what the hell is this?? This is too different" and then they go back to watching Jim Belushi.