We would like to congratulate the cast and crew of Please Like Me on being nominated for an International Emmy in the Comedy category!
Comedian Josh Thomas returned for the second season of his charming comedy-drama series, 'Please Like Me'. Cinematographer, Matthew Temple, spoke with Lemac following production of Series 2 - proudly supplied and supported by Lemac in Melbourne.
"It's a really unusual beast (Please Like Me). It's really quite an interesting thing to be a part of - Josh is a rare and special talent; it's really great to be working alongside him."
Please Like Me was shot with 2 Arri Alexas , a set of 7 Cooke 5i T1.4 primes and a Fuji 19-90mm Cabrio Zoom..
"The gear was great. We used the Cookes a lot on the 'A' camera and the 19-90mm on the 'B' camera, and it just meant we could quickly match shots. We'd have to light up to 2.9 or 4 (for the Cabrio) which is where I like to shoot anyway mostly… but it was good to have the flexibility of the S5s with the ability to open up an extra stop. We did use that sometimes and I was glad I pushed for those."
An additional Fuji Cabrio 85-300mm was used for a week long shooting block in Tasmania, which picks up a story line involving Josh and his clinically bipolar mother (played by Debra Lawrance).
“We had the long zoom for Tassie because we knew we wanted to do a lot of long lens stuff and it was great. Tasmania was really hard yakka, but really rewarding. The pictures are fantastic and we were really lucky with the weather - and the storyline with Josh and his mum was really sweet. It's a really great episode.”
Speaking of his experience being supported by Lemac with Melbourne Rentals Manager, Jim Cookson, at the helm - Temple comments: “It was an overwhelmingly positive experience...Jim was really good. Really communicated well with me and our team… I always thought he was really helpful and on top of stuff and trod a fine line of democracy when we were screaming for something and the line producer was at the other end telling Jim you know we can't afford something (he laughs..)".
Please Like Me follows Josh as he explores his homosexuality after breaking up with his girlfriend and navigates the demands of his family all while making his way through his early 20s, sometimes tripping and tumbling along the way.
"Josh is very funny on set, especially with Tom (Thomas Ward) his best mate in the show - who's also his best mate in real life. He can be very cruel to Tom, but in a very funny way" says Temple, laughing.
From left to right: Gaffer Matt Begg, Key Grip Dean Garro and DOP Matthew Temple
A selection of episodes from Season 2 can be seen on ABC iView
The International Emmy Award winners will be announced November 24th in New York, and we are right behind the Please Like Me team!