Sean McCarthy
CREATOR / WRITER / DIRECTOR / EXECUTIVE PRODUCER

What was your inspiration for this?
I wanted to make something with my producing partner and girlfriend Elizabeth. We started joking around about Doucheaholics meetings and who would be there. Can you describe what the development period was like? Originally, I wanted to develop this as a short film, but then we wanted to expand on the idea so it became a series. We all decided that having a series of short form episodes could add up to a long form storytelling process, and allow a lot of world building for the characters.

Can you describe what the development period was like?
Originally, I wanted to develop this as a short film, but then we wanted to expand on the idea so it became a series. We all decided that having a series of short form episodes could add up to a long form storytelling process, and allow a lot of world building for the characters.

Describe your writing process
My writing process usually involves a lot rumination and procrastination, followed by moments of euphoria and frustration. I enjoy writing for specific actors that I love. I think my love for them as actors and people is part of the excitement I have in writing their characters because I get to create specifically for their skill set as performers. On the other end of the spectrum it’s also very exciting to write character for them I haven’t seen them do on screen, so I love the potential in having this synergistic experience with the actor to bring to life a character. That’s exciting! I let that be part of the fuel for me to write an episode. I think you have to write with that sense of abandon that you had as a child when your imagination would just not stop. Having that combined sense of play, passion, personal connection to the material and excitement is crucial and shows up in the script and screen.

What was the casting process like for this show?
Our casting process is based first on what actors we love. That’s the first step, because this is such a special project we wanted it to involve special people. The next step was establishing what characters fit in the ‘Doucheaverse,’ and what stories of these characters do we want to tell. They’re all tethered together. The part of T-Bag was written for Anthony Marks, same goes for D-Cup for Ashley Sullivan, L-Train for Jenn Tripp, Sandbag for Elizabeth Mitchell and Harmony for Syra McCarthy. I would not have written past or filmed the first 3 episodes unless Anthony wanted to do it. He was, in my mind, the only T-Bag. Same goes for Ashley and Jenn, since it is a big commitment on everyone’s part, and it’s believing in and other.

What did you shoot on and what made you decide on that?
We shot on a Canon c500, a Red Dragon, and a sony FS7. There were a variety of factors that influenced those decisions, not the least of which was we owned 2 of them and one of our DPs owned the third. We ended up blending them together, because with today’s technology, if you know what you’re doing you can use different cameras. We’re also a small show with limited resources, so that pushes you to experiment and think in different ways.

Do you have a favorite moment from the shoot?
My favorite moment from the shoot was seeing everyone come together on the 1st official shoot day of the meetings…to materialize into the characters we had all envisioned. There was an excitement to imagining who would be right for what role, and then to see it go from imagination to in person [was] pretty magical. Someone on set referred to them as the ‘Justice League of Douches,’ which I thought was appropriate. One of the reasons we wanted to shape this over the course of various episodes was to have the idea of a doucheaholic extend beyond any stereotypes people may have in their head. There’s a general humanity in that we are all flawed humans.

What would you say was the most difficult scene to shoot?
One of the most difficult scenes to shoot was Laura’s episode during the meeting, because it was a very dialogue heavy episode, and we ran out of time that day. I had to escape and re-think a creative way to execute 8 pages of dialogue in basically a half a day without compromising the creative spirit of the piece. Basically I had to throw out my whole shot list and re-approach the episode in a completely different way visually and tonally than I had originally planned. It forced me to think of my feet though, and I think in the end what I ended up with makes the episode stand out amongst the others in a special way.

Do you have a favorite scene in an episode?
One of my favorite scenes to shoot was the surreal alley encounter in episode 4. We shot that in a fast, run and gun style so it was fun, playful and action packed from a creative perspective. My other favorite scenes to shoot were from episode 5–and this is more for nostalgic reasons—because I got to shoot on playgrounds that I used to play on as a kid. It was those same playgrounds where I would dream of one day making films. So to go back to where I used to play, dream up stories and wish to be a filmmaker, as an adult now actually with those wishes fulfilled, was a very touching personal moment for me. I still carry with me that childlike wonderment and sense of play with everything I do today, so it was almost surreal to be there like that.

What do you think is the essence of Doucheaholics?
The essence of Doucheaholics is there’s a flawed human in us all, and relating to that experience.

What do you want people to take away from their viewing experience?
I want people to enjoy the series as a whole in whatever way they want. The fun in creating the show is there the building of a world from episode to episode, but if you discover the series out of order or only happen on just one episode, you can still enjoy it. I love the long form storytelling but I also love me a good ole’ episode of Law & Order or The Simpsons where I know that I can count on enjoying a stand alone episode. We wanted to leave it to different audiences to discover the show in different ways. A 12 year old girl or her mom may enjoy the tween episode as a standalone, while someone may watch D-Cup’s episodes then jump back to episode 1. There’s a mental challenge where you fill in the blanks and have to play catch up. There’s a fun in that. We live in a world where you will never be able to read every book, watch every show or movie, and there are unlimited experiences. So allowing the control of the viewing experience to be with the viewer is going to be fun and unique. Personally, I would recommend everyone watch each episode in order but really that’s out of my control once it’s out there. On a more humane level, I hope the show empowers people to see the comedy in all of us and our failings. The real essence of the show is examining the many cultures, subcultures, class systems and various personality types that exist and transcend race, ethnicity and gender. To really get down to our base human selves and acknowledge that we are all one, and we all have our flaws in ego, perception, etc. If that’s not a douchellectual enough an answer, let’s say that basically we all can be assholes or jerks, so let’s acknowledge and laugh at that together.

Elizabeth Mitchell
CREATOR / EXECUTIVE PRODUCER

How did Doucheaholics come about?
It was kind of an accident really. Sean had been teasing me about something dumb and he wouldn’t stop, so I kept calling him all these versions of the word ‘douche,’ like doucheasaurus rex and douche canoe. At some point I told him he was a doucheaholic and he needed to attend a Doucheaholics Anonymous meeting. After that I forgot everything we were pretend fighting about, creating a real Doucheaholics meeting.

When did you realize you were both on to something with the Doucheaholics concept?
We pitched the idea to our long time collaborators, our editor Dustin and VFX artist Kevin. They were immediately on board and seeing their excitement for the possibilities of the series was very reassuring to Sean and me. They’re both brilliant and I trust their opinions greatly, so I knew if they wanted to be a part of it then it must be something good.

What made you decide to opt for a series instead of a film?
I guess it could have made for a good short film, but we didn’t want to limit ourselves in terms of characters and storylines. There seemed to be an infinite amount of douches and doucheisms, and a series gives us the freedom to explore them all.

What were some of the challenges in bringing the shoot together?
Listing what wasn’t challenging might be easier! So one thing that sticks out was the very first day of shooting. We shot the first scene for the series the day after coming off of the most insane 3 day shoot. And when I say insane I mean out of a 72 hour period, about 68 of those hours were spent on set. We had Anthony (T-Bag) out here (California) from New York for that project, and as long as he was out here we figured we should shoot him for Doucheaholics. So we shot the first scene of the series, which was T-Bag character’s flashback in episode 1. The whole crew was pretty much running on empty from the previous shoot, and I wasn’t even on set for most of it since I had to see a doctor as a result of an injury from that shoot. It was also the day Robin Williams died, so finding that out on set and then having to go on shooting these funny scenes and maintain a collective positive spirit was the very definition of challenging.

Do you have a favorite moment or scene from the shoot?
I think one of my favorite moments from the shoot came from day 3 of shooting the meetings. Sean wanted the opening of Episode 3 to be one long shot, so the camera was set in the middle of the circle so it could pan 360 around to the group. We did take after take and it just wasn’t working–either the timing of the camera was off, or the camera was spot on but an actor missed a cue, or something else altogether, or all of the above…it was kind of a nightmare and we had spent a significant amount of time on it with no useable takes. Finally, after what seemed like hours, we got one! And we still had to do it multiple times and had a long way to go until we could move on, but instead of going again right away the whole cast and crew stopped everything to gather around the monitor and watch playback of the scene together. I actually didn’t watch it, instead I watched everyone else and seeing their smiles and hearing their laughs was such a perfect moment for me. And I also looked around at all the actors in costume, and the people we’d chosen for the crew and became very overwhelmed because I think that’s when it really hit me that we were actually doing it, we were really bringing Doucheaholics to life. My eyes may or may have not gotten a little misty.

What do you hope your audience takes away from viewing Doucheaholics?
At the end of the day, we’re all at least somewhat douchey. So if you find yourself identifying with anyone in the group, maybe they can help you see yourself a little more clearly. All of our characters are good people underneath it all, and though they might not always get along they still support each other. So if someone is looking for a takeaway from the series, I’d say embrace your inner douche. This is not to say you shouldn’t try and work on yourself, but give yourself a break. And don’t be so quick to judge others, they might be a different type of douche than you are, but you might have more in common than you think…

Dustin Strocchia
CO-DEVELOPER / EDITOR / POST PRODUCTION

What did you first think when the idea of Doucheaholics was presented to you?
I don’t think I fully understood the enormity of the world that these characters could exist in. The ability to explore anyone’s personality and extract a ‘doucheism’ no matter the age, race, gender, background is fascinating, but I didn’t realize that’s what we would end up doing.

Did you immediately know you wanted to be a part of it?
Absolutely, though like I said I don’t think I fully realized what this would eventually become. And it’s been so rewarding–there are not many opportunities where you get to work on something this creatively diverse. One day I am having a discussion about the emotional ins and outs of motherhood, and the next I’m drawing pictures of dicks!

How was this process different for you being a co-developer and having a hand in the creation, rather than just coming in during the post process?
Being a developer was amazing process. I was able to add jokes and ideas into the episodes before anything was shot, rather than just rely on edit/timing jokes in post. It gave me time to really think about the characters and “edit” their performance before we ever entered the editing room.

So would you say it’s different from anything else you’ve worked on?
It is definitely unlike anything I have worked on thus far. The level of detail and discussion going into each and every edit, the ridiculousness of each character’s situation, the contrast of absurdity and sensitivity, the individuality of each episode, and the general tone and feeling…it’s all unparalleled.

Was there anything unique to the editing process of this series as opposed to previous projects?
The thing that makes this series unique is that it is not structured like a traditional comedic television show. The cast is ever-rotating, and each episode has an entirely different pace and tone. A lot of television series’ rely on the familiarity of the cast & setting. The challenge with this series was to create a familiar and recognizable atmosphere, while having so many things constantly rotating and changing each episode.

What was your initial reaction seeing the footage for the first time in the editing room?
After reading the scripts, I had an idea of how some of the scenes could be filmed. However, upon opening the first few drives, I was blown away. The absolute absurdity combined with raw emotion and excellent directing culminated in something that was extremely inspiring. Everything was above and beyond my initial expectations.

Was there anything that ended up on the cutting room floor you wish could have made the edit?
There are a few one-liners and jokes that worked really well on their own, but in the context of the episode, didn’t really make sense. Whether it was because of tone, timing or character, we had to leave them out. However, at the end of the day, I’m very pleased with the amount of things were able to keep in the edit.

Throughout the process, was there a particular setback that stands out to you? How did you and the team overcome?
The most difficult part of editing this show was finding the correct balance and tone for the series. We went through countless drafts of each episode with different pacing, music, effects, emotions, edits, dialog, etc. If it could be changed or manipulated in post, we tried it. It was a painfully slow process, but eventually we started to uncover the language of the series. We learned what to do and what not to do, what works and what doesn’t. It was a long journey, but I am proud of how unique we were able to make each episode and the series in general.

Do you have a favorite character? Why?
My favorite character is Sandbag. Not only is she great to watch on screen, but on an editing front, she has saved me more times than I care to admit. If a particular scene wasn’t playing out as funny as I thought it should be, I could reliably add in a clip of her eye rolls, sarcastic remarks, or evil stares, and BOOM, instantly hilarious.

Where do you hope to see the series go from here?
My dream is to have this series seen by as many people as possible, and I hope we are able to bring a ton of laughter and amusement along with it.

Kevin Lee Loader
CINEMATOGRAPHER / LEAD VFX / ASSOCIATE PRODUCER

What did you first think when Doucheaholics was pitched to you?
Watch a bunch of douchebags sit in a circle and talk about how they are a bunch of douchebags? Sold. You had me at ‘Doucheaholics.’

What did you think when you first read the scripts?
Reading the first script is always a little challenging, since half of the comedy comes from how an actor might deliver a certain line, or the music in the scene. Even editing can play into that. So for some of us I think the end results are always much funnier and crazier than we maybe initially thought, but that is a good thing!

Do you think it’s different from anything else you’ve worked on?
I think by the very nature of the show, it was always going to be something a little different. But in the best way possible. There is a lot of freedom to play around and I think that kind of intrigued us from the beginning.

Can you talk about a specific challenge you faced during the production?
Where do I begin… this show from the first day faced many challenges. From cameras and lights, to locations and sometimes talent. Everything that could happen pretty much did happen at some point. There were many times where we felt like giving up or wondering if this was something we could even do. But you take a deep breath and remember that your art is bringing another world to life. That’s not always a simple or easy thing to do! But then…. hilarious footage, some beautiful shots, and some amazing performances! Worth it.

There are quite a few shots throughout the series that people may not realize are vfx shots…
There are quite a few VFX shots that were done to remove things like boom mics, mic packs, and even replacing character’s eyes if they blink or look in the wrong direction. All of these are done to remove any distractions that might take the audience out of the moment. One of the most challenging series of shots was in episode 2. We shot in a bar during a San Francisco Giants game, so the game was playing on multiple tv screens in the background of the scenes. We didn’t want to ask the bartender to turn off the game since customers were there specifically to watch it, and we also didn’t want to end up getting sued by the MLB, so I had to make the tvs look like nothing was playing.

Was there anything that ended up on the cutting room floor you wish could have made the edit?
Just one. When asked if he would rather have sex with himself, T-Bag responds, “I wanna stick my dick into my own dick.” That was an ad lib from actor Anthony Marks on set, and even though it just didn’t fully work in the draft, it always got the biggest laugh from anyone who heard it (in rough cuts).

What would you say is your favorite VFX shot in season 1?
For me, it’s the house fire from Episode 3. After trying to use stock footage to make this house look like it was going up in flames, I decided that to really make it look real, we’d have to build a model house and set it ablaze! So I built a scale model of the front of the house and garage, then we took it to a wide open area, poured some lighter fluid on it, and hit record on the camera. It was a crazy idea but absolutely worth it! The best special effects are the real ones.

How do you hope to see the series progress?
For me this show can go anywhere, even space if we want it to! That’s what is so great about the concept. It can be anywhere and with anyone. To quote B-Real “Everyone’s a douche, wether they know it or not.”