The Crew's Blog: Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations : World, Travel, Food, Wine

The One Thing You Don't Do

Mon, 07 Apr 2008 11:07:15 -0500

By Paul Cabana, producer

When filming a prison interview, the one thing you don't do is keep a shot tape in the camera, in case they ask you to hand it over. When you're producing a home makeover show, the one thing you don't do is become the middleman between a homeowner and a contractor, because you effectively become the contractor. When directing No Reservations, the one thing you don't do is tell Tony what to say because, well, you just don't.

I've worked with a few different hosts and a lot of times, you just feed 'em lines. It's not disingenuous or manipulative. When you do, you have no choice.

Hawaii - The Editor's Take

Mon, 03 Mar 2008 14:20:29 -0500

To paraphrase a well-known chef, author and TV personality, making television is a lot like making sausage. Some seemingly strange and terrible things happen in the process, but the end result is usually very satisfying. So to follow this analogy through, if making TV is like making sausage then, I suppose editing would be like the part where the various bits are stuffed into the intestinal casing. Thankfully, this is all just metaphorical; I’ve yet to actually use an intestinal casing in any project. Anyway, the point is-- editing a very satisfying job (this show especially so). The amount of creative input you’re afforded, the opportunity to shape something from a rough outline & raw footage to a finished product is great, and I’m lucky to have this for a career. But at the end of the day, who the hell knows what an editor really does? I’ve been working in this field for a few years now, and it’s still not a simple question for me to answer …

Riding the Producer or Some Kind of Mixed Metaphor

Mon, 03 Mar 2008 14:07:26 -0500

By Producer Max Landes

We set out to explore Hawaii's central myths - Tiki bars, luaus, Spam, the Vulcan Goddess, and, of course, big wave riding. And when I say "big wave" I mean the 30 foot vertical wall that boys from Palm Beach to Palm Springs gaze up at from their bunk beds before going to sleep at night. After all, this is the Bourdain Show, the man's eaten a wart hog's ass - it has to be spectacular.

Careful With That Wish Eugene

Tue, 26 Feb 2008 10:00:13 -0500

Once and a while someone on one of these message boards makes a comment
to the effect of “I wish I had your job” or “You have my dream job” usually
directed at one of the ‘No Reservations’ producers.

I recently had the opportunity to observe producer/director Paul Cabana and
segment producer Rennik Soholt “living the dream” as it were and it was
an interesting reality check.

I met the whole crew when they arrived at our hotel in Tokyo with the intention of taping their arrival. They were coming off of a week in Laos and looked it. In fact, they looked so sick, tired and out of it I actually took pity on them and turned off my camera.

ANOTHER DAY AT THE OFFICE

Tue, 29 Jan 2008 17:39:17 -0500

By Producer, Tom Vitale

A few months ago when the first cold front hit New York, I was contentedly sunning on a beach in Greece. I’ll admit it, I have a great job. Whenever the topic comes up with new friends or acquaintances, without fail the first question asked is “Do you need an assistant?” The next is invariably “Do you have to eat all the gross stuff that Tony does?”

Contrary to popular belief the vast majority of the food we encounter is far from bizarre, it’s delicious. Still it’s true; occasionally I’m forced to eat something I find kind of nasty, like that steamed shark’s head in Singapore. In the interest of not offending our proud and generous hosts, the crew knows when faced with this situation, to smile and politely choke it down. Not such a big deal. Refusing, as Tony says, would be to “bring shame upon the clan.”

To: Tony, Re: Your Recent Blog Post About Caving in Jamaica

Tue, 29 Jan 2008 11:10:41 -0500

By Producer, Diane Schutz

Tony: I love you like a brother – but after hearing you talk about the difficulty of our caving adventure in Jamaica, I needed to chime in here! I’m convinced you’ve become, as your British pals might say, a big girl’s blouse.

You wrote that this was “the hardest, most physically demanding, insanely foolhardy and irresponsible venture ever on NO RESERVATIONS”. Really? I know your memory is somewhat selective, but can I remind you of such shoots as Malaysia, where we hauled ass through the jungles of Sarawak for 6 hours, trying to keep up with our 80-something-year-old, amazingly fit Iban guide? Or New Zealand, where we huffed and puffed up 45-degree-angle hills to hunt a 400-pound wild boar – an angry boar that could have turned on any of us at a given moment, carving us into carpaccio?

Hello Kendo

Mon, 28 Jan 2008 12:09:48 -0500

Hi. I’m Christopher Martinez, editor of some of your favorite No Reservations shows. And Sweden.

Yeah, Sweden. I’d appreciate you not sharing with me any further insights on the
that show until after publication of my 3 volume critical analysis/after action report with
the working title, “Sweden: An ABBA Joke Too Far”.

Moving on…

For no particularly good reason I’ve been allowed to accompany the ABNR crew on the
shoot for the upcoming Japan show which I’ll start editing when we return.

No Matter How Things Change…

Thu, 03 Jan 2008 15:58:14 -0500

By Jared Andrukanis, Segment Producer

I am sitting in my office at Zero Point Zero trying to figure out exactly how we are going to get Queens of the Stone Age out to New York in the middle of their U.S. Tour when my phone rings. It is Chris, the Executive Producer of the show, and when he tells me where I am going on my next shoot, I nearly drop the phone out of my hand.
Chris says that Tony is going to New Orleans, and it is going to be a different kind of “No Reservations”…
I know it sounds strange that a statement like that could cause me enough shock to lose my grip on the handset of my office phone, but let me explain…

Vancouver

Mon, 17 Dec 2007 15:03:39 -0500

By Nari Kye

Sleep, the night before leaving for a shoot, is a lost battle. Every possible disaster scenario goes around and around in my head over and over again. Since this was my first official Associate Producer gig, I needed everything to go perfectly. I had to prove to Tony, Chris and rest of the crew I was a valuable asset. Releases, scenes, chefs, costs then the next thing I know, the alarm goes off and the day has come: shoot day 1.

99 PROBLEMS BUT A BRIT AIN'T ONE

Mon, 17 Dec 2007 15:00:08 -0500

By Paul Cabana, Producer

DAY ONE

First time producer on Bourdain. looking forward to a cakewalk - what could go wrong? (1) Tony’s car to the airport an hour late. (2) he’s pissed. that surly intimidating TV persona? Not so much for TV. (3) Economy Plus should be renamed Business Minus. We’re sitting four across like we’re strapped on a roller coaster. The symbolism doesn’t escape me. (4) I switch seats with Todd who claims he has a phobia of middle seats. Note to self: watch out for The Todd. (5) We arrive in the UK and still haven’t confirmed our key scene, Marco Pierre White. (6) We’re testing new cameras on this shoot and find some big glitches: the big one is the focus ring. It’s way off. (9) Todd and Zach really annoyed. Not exactly a smooth start.

Holiday Special

Mon, 17 Dec 2007 14:58:38 -0500

By Rennik Soholt, Producer

Oh the Holiday Show…what an experience! I feel like it’s been December since the beginning of August. Let me see, let me see. Memories. I remember Tony wearing a bee outfit at Stone Barns, which was perfect. But this will only be seen by our international audiences. It’s definitely worth a look-see, if you can, though. Curling with Tony and Todd? PRICELESS. Todd is such a trouper. I’m starting to think he likes it when we take the camera out of his hand and hand him alcohol. When IS Toddles gonna have his own show, huh? Can you say, “spin off?” (But not like “Joey”…I mean, something good).