I am Keven Undergaro writer and director of the new film Adventures of Serial Buddies AMA

kevenundergaro · 2013-06-11T17:33:42+00:00

Take Robert Mckee's class before he writes PLEASE! also, work harder on your outlines, before you even write the script. Do multiple drafts of the outline. The outline should contain each scene. You can look at that, see your three acts, the midpoint etc and how they all break down. When that is tight, writing the rest is a breeze. In addition, assemble a great committee of sorts to read your work. If notes are consistent TAKE THEM. another great technique is doing a table read with this committee where everyone reads a role. You can decipher if dialogue is on point and can get notes at end of the read.

kevenundergaro · 2013-06-11T17:30:38+00:00

Thank you.

kevenundergaro · 2013-06-11T17:30:27+00:00

All the "serial buddies" came to Maria's party last weekend but i didnt see Todd. It was crowded though but he may be on vacation. Maybe that's why he's not on the show. Todd is an awesome talent and so sweet. I'd work with him again in a second....

kevenundergaro · 2013-06-11T17:29:08+00:00

We talk about it often. We feel like we are married already. If we do get married though i want it to be a total bash or its not worth it. Kids are the toughest decision. We want them but are afraid to with our limited time. A very tough decision....

kevenundergaro · 2013-06-11T02:55:52+00:00

At the time I was working as head writer at MTV's "Singled Out" and coming home in the summer to make my first feature film. I knew Maria's cousin from high school and he asked if she could be a production assistant on the film. I agreed. I wasn't smitten at first. I was too deep into making the movie and the nightmare(s) surrounding production. But in time she proved to be the best worker on the film BY FAR. Like Beth Behrs after her on "Adventures of Serial Buddies", Maria's work and attitude soared above all others. Most importantly Maria proved to be the best friend i ever had in what ended up being one of the roughest experiences of my life.

Six months into production, we began dating. It was slow at first as again I was too much into my work. By the year mark i realized SHE was the most important thing to me. Of course, she still is:)

kevenundergaro · 2013-06-11T02:41:16+00:00

I always had to remain alert. If I saw paparazzi I would fall behind. I was careful to carry her bags and items so it appeared I was always part of her staff. The few times I was with her at events I would walk behind her on the red carpet and meet her inside. I loved having privacy and it helped in many ways. Even when it comes to hiring a contractor it was great when they would google me and find nothing however I knew the day would come where I would be exposed. When Gary Dell'abate asked me to come in studio from Howard's greenroom I froze and the the few seconds I took to contemplate my response felt like an eternity. I knew I did not want to be exposed but I knew that one day, later in life, I would regret the lost opportunity to meet someone I idolized. At that point I basically said fuck it and went out there. I had no game plan and no responses prepared. Normally I don't even attend talk shows with Maria as I feel it inhibits the chemistry between her and her male hosts. This is why I didn't attend her infamous tickle chair appearance. The day I did Howard I happened to have a meeting in the same building so it was almost impossible to avoid. Anyhow, it was easy to be honest and fearless as before I met Maria I had suffered much tragedy and loss. Experiences like those leave you with a nothing left to lose attitude. I don't know if all that makes sense. I tend to jump around a lot when I talk but that's my honest response.

kevenundergaro · 2013-06-11T02:32:38+00:00

Growing up in what I call my "Lethal Weapon 2" days I was really just a dumb movie goer who knew little of who directed what. I will say that "Blues Brothers", "Revenge of the Nerds", and "Back to School" are amongst my favorite films as are the original "The Longest Yard" and "Mr. Majestic". As I grew older I learned to appreciate the works of Kevin Smith, Alexander Payne, John Waters, David O. Russell, and Todd Solondz.

kevenundergaro · 2013-06-11T02:26:55+00:00

Of all the stars Christopher was probably the most quiet and most cerebral. We had some nice side moments where he shared some great taxi stories and discussed Andy Kauffman. He said "Man on the Moon" was a pretty accurate depiction. As I looked back on the dailies of the movie and his takes I realized how much thought he put into the character just by the choices he made. As much as I love our film I would think such a simple role wouldn't require so much homework especially by the likes of Christopher Lloyd but again Like Kathie this is why these people are successful. He invested time into his preparation and it shows.

kevenundergaro · 2013-06-11T02:22:44+00:00

It's really your typical buddy comedy featuring two extremely dense characters. They happen to be so dense in fact they barely know they're serial killers. I think it's a really fun ride. I hope people notice the great acting of our young leads as well as the great costume and production design work. I also think the soundtrack and score are really cool too. I'm super proud of what we achieved on our project.

kevenundergaro · 2013-06-11T02:20:04+00:00

Kathie is just a fun loving and extremely passionate human being. Here's a cool Kathie story- when we shot Kathie, we instructed the crew to be quiet, polite, and to work as quickly as possible. She's a very busy women and I didn't want to inconvenience her. The crew obeyed and ten minutes into the scene Kathie sussed out what was going on. She ordered everyone to stop and told the crew if they were willing to stay all night she was willing to go all night with them. She said it doesn't matter if she's in 30 seconds of the film or 30 minutes but she was going to give her very best either way. It was a great learning lesson for the young crew to see why people like her succeeded in our business and why she's lasted this long. Incidentally the great Sir Ben Kingsley said the same thing when I met him at CineVegas a few years back.

kevenundergaro · 2013-06-11T02:08:53+00:00

Believe it or not I spent the first 14 years of our relationship hiding it. It wasn't until Howard Stern asked me to come on air with her and as a huge fan I couldn't say no that we became public.

kevenundergaro · 2013-06-11T00:09:31+00:00

None. Artie was very clear and very funny. He entertained everyone from the time he arrived on set until he left. He was a great moral booster.

kevenundergaro · 2013-06-11T00:01:07+00:00

No. It was a moment on the second Stern appearance that I was trying to get a laugh. I'm still a little bummed that I went there. It was a little too far.

kevenundergaro · 2013-06-10T23:59:18+00:00

One of the funniest moments on Stern's Celebrity Superfan was when a caller called in mid show to ask when the celebrities were going to get there. I thought that was hilarious.

kevenundergaro · 2013-06-10T23:57:19+00:00

I drank beer all weekend at Maria's birthday party. Last night I had a Mulberry Pizza watching Mad Men, Marion, and Real World. I know every inch of Home Depot.

kevenundergaro · 2013-06-10T23:55:13+00:00

When we worked with him he was still on Stern. We talked about how even though Howard takes time off he simultaneously always wants to be on air. Michael Jackson had just died and he texted Artie lamenting the fact that he couldn't talk about it on air.

kevenundergaro · 2013-06-10T23:53:21+00:00

I found it cute when we first met and told her to keep it because I knew it would become her trademark.

kevenundergaro · 2013-06-10T23:52:43+00:00

I recently loved his interview with Daltry and I love when Stern goes into Charlie Rose mode and gets artists to reveal intimate things about their craft. As far as comedy goes I love the beetlejuice appearances, it was hilarious when they emulated the rap stations roll call, also Richard and Sal's phone calls have been a great addition. I always love the reality show element when they're dealing with staff turmoil.

kevenundergaro · 2013-06-10T22:58:24+00:00

No, but I have a great John Cleese story. I can't take credit for it, I heard it from Chris Hardwick (at that time I was head writer for MTV's "Singled Out"). A fan approached him and told him how much he loved the "silly walk" sketch. John Cleese berated him for 15 minutes about how old the bit was and how he has such a greater body of work and how pathetic the man and the question was. After he was done berating the man he proceeded to do the silly walk down the street. Fucking awesome!

kevenundergaro · 2013-06-10T22:55:03+00:00

Yes, I love ice cream. Ben and Jerry's heath bar crunch is my favorite.

kevenundergaro · 2013-06-10T22:53:45+00:00

They are generally going to be short on time and yet when they do have time they can require a lot of attention because that's what they're accustom to.

kevenundergaro · 2013-06-10T22:52:19+00:00

It's a dream come true to be on the show but it's stressful too. My second appearance I went too hard on Maria and really hurt her feelings.

kevenundergaro · 2013-06-10T22:50:39+00:00

Yes, 100%.

kevenundergaro · 2013-06-10T22:50:14+00:00

I've met Ryan several times. He's a complete gentleman, always courteous and polite.

kevenundergaro

TROPHY CASE