Michael Pizzano chatted with Digital Journal’s Markos Papadatos about his digital short form series “Lockdown Living.”
Who is your target audience for the show?
Everyone who lived through the pandemic. Our goal was to find comedy in the horrible situation the world found itself in and our attempts to live a “normal” life while isolated. If we could laugh at the sillier parts of the pandemic, we could face the harder moments with more confidence.
The show started looking primarily at romantic relationships and evolved to include family and professional interactions as well. Due to the nature of the stories, the show probably appeals mostly to people in their 20s and older.
We also strove to include stories that are as diverse and representative of all kinds of people. Everyone went through the pandemic and everyone had an awkward moment that would only happen while speaking to friends and family through small virtual squares.
What did you learn from this project/experience? What would you do differently?
I learned that I love collaborating and working in a writer’s room. This was my first experience working thoroughly with a group of writers to create a series and the show’s success stems from our collaboration. I wasn’t 100% sure what I was getting into when I first brought the writers together — and I was thrilled that they had all agreed to the idea. Very quickly, our weekly meetings became a welcoming place to be creative. We would feed off each other’s ideas — the best moments were when the ideas would not stop coming from each of us.
These writers are Sarah Franco, Allison Hayhurst, Nick Smithson, and Montgomery Mauro. I would work with any one of them again in a heartbeat. I would also like to point out that, except for Nick and Montgomery, none of the writers and most of the actors have ever met each in-person due to the pandemic.
This experience also gave me a greater confidence in myself to lead a project on a larger scale with multiple creative minds working together. Prior to Lockdown Living, all of my films came from scripts I wrote alone. Lockdown Living gave me the opportunity to bring the work of other screenwriters to life into a larger, cohesive multi- episode series.
I can’t think of anything I would’ve done differently — Honestly, I think we did everything right, especially given the limitations of remote writing/filmmaking.
Maybe next time we can drink more during the meetings.
What did you learn from living through the pandemic?
That I am very adaptable. I settled into quarantine life pretty smoothly, although I wasn’t happy about it. I was out of work for a period of time, which is when I had the idea of gathering a couple of comedy writers together to create something while the rest of the world hit pause.
The weekly Lockdown Living writer’s meetings quickly became the highlight of my week. I also learned that I like running. It’s amazing how much easier it is to run in a NYC street when no one is outside.
What character are you most like and why?
I see a little bit of myself in all the characters, even the ones I didn’t write. We’ve all done our best over the last year plus to make the zoom lifestyle work and I’ve definitely had my embarrassing moments — it’s been almost two years and I still find myself talking while muted.
What is your approach to comedy?
For me, it’s not comedy, I’m just pointing out the absurdities in life. People are so many things and with the right lens, most of those things are really silly. I think we all benefit by putting those silly things under a microscope — No one should ever feel ashamed of their silly side. We all have one.
What is your approach to editing?
Start somewhere. Starting the edit, especially when the workload feels insurmountable, is the hardest part. Once I find a way in, making progress flows easily and I actually need to remind myself to take breaks. Editing, and VFX work in general, is the type of work that you can start thinking you’ll only edit an hour and suddenly it is 4:00 am.
Who are your filmmaker influences? Were there any comedy or film references for
the series?
I love and continue to be inspired by anything Monty Python. While on skiing trips as a kid, I would quote Monty Python to my dad and brother while we rode on the ski lifts — it was like a stand-up comedy set. After Monty Python, I would say creative heart goes to Seinfeld.
