Leader of the trailer pack
EDMONTON (CUP) -- Booze. Drugs. Foul language. These are some of the things that Michael Clattenburg, director of the highly popular Showcase series “Trailer Park Boys”, engages in a regular basis -- or at least partakes in vicariously through his actors.
About to enter its seventh season, “Trailer Park Boys” has broken through to the mainstream, and the characters have gained a celebrity status not afforded to many of Canada's domestic creations.
The show is centered around three protagonists, and throughout the course of the series, they continually attempt to pull off improvised hair-brained schemes that cover the gamut of criminal activities, a theme that flows into their recently released movie.
“Generally, I improvise everything I shoot,” Clattenburg says. “In the case of the movie, there were a lot more creative partners involved, so we had to agree on certain directions to go on. If a good idea comes based on the narrative, I'll always go for it.
“People think we just kind of show up on set, stoned and drunk, and we just fuck around, but anyone who comes to our set is shocked at the discipline and how serious we are about making the comedy.”
The movie embodies Clattenburg's attitude towards earnest yet nutty performances, and although a general sense of direction is provided, individual scenes are often left to unravel themselves in accordance with the actor's ability. Luckily for fans, though, those on screen very much enjoy being in character, and often appear as such at public events.
“It's fun for them . . . they've always loved doing that, and people seem to like it,” Clattenburg says.
But why is the show so successful? According to Clattenburg, it's the Canadian vernacular. From his perspective, our colloquialisms could theoretically pose a problem for the international success of the show and film, but in reality, he doesn't believe it will.
“People recognize our characters, see them in their own communities and can relate,” Clattenburg explains. “The more the show grows, the more I realize that it's universal, and in many ways it's because of the absurdity of our language. How we play with language is critical to the show. It's not swearing that is funny, it's the way it's sworn.”
The “Trailer Park Boys” movie is partly an effort to help promote the show, both domestically and abroad. Although not strictly part of the continuity of the show, it introduces viewers to the characters in such a way that both fans and newcomers alike will be comfortable with it.
“It had to be a standalone thing . . . because there are many people around the world who don't know the Trailer Park Boys,” Clattenburg says.
“People will discover these guys for the first time in a motion picture. Originally, Rob Wells [who plays Ricky] and I wanted to leap off with a million connected ideas to the series, but he didn't think those would work for first time viewers, so that was one of the challenges of writing the movie.”
Indeed, it seems that if the movie proves to be successful, Canada might just become renowned for more than liberal politics and universal health care. Can anyone think of better ambassadors for Canadian culture than the Trailer Park Boys?
About to enter its seventh season, “Trailer Park Boys” has broken through to the mainstream, and the characters have gained a celebrity status not afforded to many of Canada's domestic creations.
The show is centered around three protagonists, and throughout the course of the series, they continually attempt to pull off improvised hair-brained schemes that cover the gamut of criminal activities, a theme that flows into their recently released movie.
“Generally, I improvise everything I shoot,” Clattenburg says. “In the case of the movie, there were a lot more creative partners involved, so we had to agree on certain directions to go on. If a good idea comes based on the narrative, I'll always go for it.
“People think we just kind of show up on set, stoned and drunk, and we just fuck around, but anyone who comes to our set is shocked at the discipline and how serious we are about making the comedy.”
The movie embodies Clattenburg's attitude towards earnest yet nutty performances, and although a general sense of direction is provided, individual scenes are often left to unravel themselves in accordance with the actor's ability. Luckily for fans, though, those on screen very much enjoy being in character, and often appear as such at public events.
“It's fun for them . . . they've always loved doing that, and people seem to like it,” Clattenburg says.
But why is the show so successful? According to Clattenburg, it's the Canadian vernacular. From his perspective, our colloquialisms could theoretically pose a problem for the international success of the show and film, but in reality, he doesn't believe it will.
“People recognize our characters, see them in their own communities and can relate,” Clattenburg explains. “The more the show grows, the more I realize that it's universal, and in many ways it's because of the absurdity of our language. How we play with language is critical to the show. It's not swearing that is funny, it's the way it's sworn.”
The “Trailer Park Boys” movie is partly an effort to help promote the show, both domestically and abroad. Although not strictly part of the continuity of the show, it introduces viewers to the characters in such a way that both fans and newcomers alike will be comfortable with it.
“It had to be a standalone thing . . . because there are many people around the world who don't know the Trailer Park Boys,” Clattenburg says.
“People will discover these guys for the first time in a motion picture. Originally, Rob Wells [who plays Ricky] and I wanted to leap off with a million connected ideas to the series, but he didn't think those would work for first time viewers, so that was one of the challenges of writing the movie.”
Indeed, it seems that if the movie proves to be successful, Canada might just become renowned for more than liberal politics and universal health care. Can anyone think of better ambassadors for Canadian culture than the Trailer Park Boys?
