Director and producer Brian Metcalf chatted about his new mockumentary “Underdeveloped,” which will be released on September 8 on Tubi.
The series stars Thomas Ian Nicholas, Tom Arnold, and Mark Pellegrino, among others. “I am very excited to have such a great established and respected cast,” he said.
“I’ve watched these actors growing up so I find it very exciting to now get the chance to work with them all. They all have amazing comedic timing and really brought their A-game to this project by giving their characters unique nuances and gestures in a way that only they could,” he explained.
“Thomas Ian Nicholas is a business partner of mine and we’ve worked together for years,” he said. “Mark and I are currently working on a documentary project together so for us to work together on something scripted felt very natural. And I’ve always enjoyed watching Tom Arnold’s comedy but I’ve mainly done horror and crime drama so when the chance came for this, I knew he would be perfect for it.”
‘Underdeveloped’
“The mockumentary came about from years of being in this industry,” he said. “The most ridiculous situations would come up in pitch meetings, in conversations with agents or on set that would make me wonder if I was in a mockumentary myself. I would keep saying to myself, I have to write this down. This is just too hysterical or unbelievable.”
“That being said, this show is not based on any one specific person but more a combination of situations. I’m fairly certain a large majority has dealt with many of the things I’ve had to which will make it more relatable,” he said.
It will premiere on Tubi, which is Fox Entertainment’s free streaming service. “It feels great to be able to get this out onto a free platform for everyone to see,” he said. “Tubi has commercial breaks so they don’t require that you have to pay for a subscription to watch.”
“Those platforms are amazing and what’s most important is that everyone can get the chance to watch your content. With the rising costs of living, people are turning more and more to these free platforms so I’m honored to be part of it,” he added.
The digital age
On being a producer and director in the digital age, now with streaming and technology being so prevalent, he said, “Being in the digital age is something I find to be a valuable asset for all content creators.”
“Technology has made it possible to shoot on high resolution digital cameras at a fraction of the cost and time over film. It also allows for longer takes, lower light situations where you can comfortably shoot at 1600 iso without degradation and you can check your playback immediately,” he elaborated.
“Social media allows us to spread the word about our projects quickly in ways that were never possible before and streaming allows people all across the world to watch your content without having to stick to a specific schedule,” he said.
Future plans
Regarding his future plans, Metcalf shared, “My plans are to keep creating content of all genres as long as I find them interesting. Since this is my first foray into comedy and television, I intend to keep trying new things.”
“I am attached to multiple projects individually as a director, producer, actor or writer or all above of the above duties. Not only do I enjoy doing these different duties, but they are extremely important to be able to survive financially and creatively in this industry,” he said.
San Diego Comic Con
They just appeared at San Diego Comic Con (SDCC) and did an official panel with the entire cast, which included Samm Levine, Kelly Arjen, Shelley Regner, Jason Faunt, Lulu Jovovich, Luke Edwards, and Charlene Amoia. “It was truly a most remarkable experience,” he admitted. “And it was something I almost had to cancel. I am a supporter of the WGA and SAG strikes so I would always want to support the causes as I feel they are extremely important. We were very fortunate that SAG gave us a waiver which allowed us the chance to promote our show with our cast.”
“In return, we agreed to their terms regardless of the outcome of the AMPTP,” he said. “The cast and myself went down to promote this. For the panel, I had to tell our moderator that I was not answering any questions as a writer because of the WGA strike and I am a member. The panel also gave me a platform to allow me to explain the importance of the strikes and why I support them in front of over 1000 people and multiple press outlets.”
“Getting the word out to the general public is extremely important during these times. There is this general belief that writers and actors are all wealthy people but that’s far from the case. The majority are just trying to survive financially during this climate,” he said.
“We ended up finishing 15 minutes earlier than expected. We had the most amazing time there with a fantastic and fun audience telling different stories with run-ins with actors. Afterward, we did press junkets for a couple hours. I was really grateful to have everyone give their time to promote this project,” he added.
Success
On his definition of the word success, he said, “Success to me isn’t focused on having obscene amounts of wealth. I know people who are fairly wealthy but are stressed out or unhealthy so they are unable to enjoy it. To me, “success is ultimately based on how happy you are and if you enjoy what you’re doing.”
Closing thoughts on ‘Underdeveloped’
Metcalf remarked, “While I ultimately want this to be something entertaining for everyone to watch and enjoy and not be offended by, we do touch on some serious topics such as favoritism in the workplace, greed, racism, sexism, nepotism, and other injustices.”
“There are many relatable topics that people have to go through everyday in their workplace. One of the characters, Joe (played by Thomas Ian Nicholas), is unfairly passed up for promotion by Stan (played by myself) through nepotism. You don’t have to be in the film industry to relate to these real world situations that these characters go through,” he concluded.
To learn more about Brian Metcalf, follow him on Instagram and check out his IMDb page.
