I’ve Never Seen An Episode of “Friends” — And How That Runs Parallel To My Filmmaking Outlook

The horse carriage drivers would tell visitors that the Cherry Hill fountain in Central Park is the one from the “Friends” title sequence — I googled it, it’s not. But it’s cute anyway.

Yes, I’ve never seen an episode of Friends. Not for any reason, I’d probably like it. The show and the craze behind it just happened to miss me, except for this weird overlap in generations — the people my age who got into it after the fact, who’ve watched the whole series long after airing and have it in their back pocket of pop cultural references. It always comes up in conversation eventually. Will the show ever die? Will it ever be out with the old and in with a new, different generation of people who have never seen Friends, and don’t feel like they need to see it in order to be fully equipped to understand pop culture references?

Something similar could be asked of video production tactics. As interested in filmmaking as I am, I had never touched a real, honest-to-goodness film camera until college. Instead, my upbringing parallel to the invention of the iPhone changed my priorities — made me think that any video making equipment I could ever need was in the palm of my hand. And I was kind of right. My interest in learning the technicalities involved in camerawork and audio recording was much less urgent since films can be effectively shot, edited, and published online from one device. It gets the job done. iPhone films like Tangerine, directed by Sean Baker, show us that you could hypothetically record a full length film with no formal camera knowledge whatsoever. It might not turn out very well if you’re not Sean Baker, but still, all the equipment is there. Self taught editing through YouTube tutorials, or just by playing around with iMovie, takes care of basic postproduction.

Having this minimalist filmmaking background isn’t a bad thing, in fact, it makes production more accessible by nurturing the skills needed to make a decent video with what you have. Although it might be sufficient to make a career out of YouTube videos, this basic knowledge isn’t usually enough to produce professional quality videos and compete with seasoned producers. This spring, during my production internship at Red Summit Productions in New York, I hope to learn from a slightly different generation of film producer, with the versatility and knowledge of someone who had to understand cameras inside and out to create anything. This may seem like a given step in the path to a job in production, but many young filmmakers believe that they can find their own way with the tech knowledge they grew up with and general online resources rather than personal, experienced mentors.

So as part of an open-ended internship assignment, and after deciding to go on a whim after seeing it listed as an attraction on Apple Maps, I ended up at the Friends apartment front on Bedford Street. I wanted to revisit some relics of popular culture that I thought would be important to learn about to make my cultural understanding better, just like how interning under Red Summit founder Mike Krentzman will expose me to the outlook of an experienced producer on filmmaking. This outlook will, in turn, help me better understand the longstanding practices that influence every aspect of the workplace culture I want to be a part of.

The apartment front used for exterior shots — found it thanks to the group of people taking pictures across the street.

Just as I’m jumping into Mike’s world of production, I’ve thrown myself headfirst into the shoes of a Friends fan. I decided that I was going to visit as many New York-based Friends locations I could Google in order to garner my interest for the show. My first stop was the aforementioned apartment front, and I was only sure of which building it was because of all of the people already standing outside, excitedly asking family members and friends to take their pictures in front of the building. I feel like you can’t witness a group of people so excited about being a part of something without getting excited about being there too. Whether outside of the Friends apartment or on set for a shoot, I’m hoping that being surrounded by passionate and knowledgable people sparks my own passion for pop culture or video production.

In general, a better understanding of different outlooks is what I’m hoping to get out my experience as an intern at Red Summit Productions. I’m dabbling between two generations and two outlooks — I have to think critically everywhere I go for new-wave vlogs: what could be good shots or good transitions to tell personal stories. On the contrary, a good-old-fashioned shoot will make me think more technically. Exposure, aperture, shutter speed — they all still don’t come as naturally to me as I’d like them to for the reasons I’ve already discussed: the ease and omnipresence of the iPhone’s preset camera.

I enjoy expanding my horizons, and just as I’m starting to learn a new perspective on video production, I’m developing new perspectives in every aspect of my life. I’m doing things like going out and finding iconic Friends locations. It can’t hurt, and now I’m sure I can have more conversations with more people about the television they reference daily, that has been as present in their social lives as I hope technical knowledge will grow to be in my professional life — like second nature. In this way I am hoping to have a more flexible film style, a wider repertoire of experience to take from, a conglomeration of different perspectives on the knowledge I need to be successful — all uniquely a part of me and my experience, whether under the wing of YouTube tutorial makers or professional filmmakers.

Starting to get into Friends, this little step towards expanding my boundaries, reflects my desire to learn more about every aspect of the industry I love. Whether that learning pertains to the technicalities of filmmaking or the pop culture references that come from video producers’ successful creations, this adventure into the pop culture and production tactics of a slightly different generation has lead me to reaffirm my decision to move to New York and learn under an experienced video producer. Growing up parallel to technology’s rapid evolution and feeling like I must constantly move forward, it’s nice to take a step back and know that some things, like Friends or film cameras, retain their universal relevance over time.

More photos:

Apparently this (pretty) theater was used to film three episodes in season 3.

The Solow Building on West 57th Street was used for exterior office shots — it’s unique shape makes it popular for use in television and film.

Even if the actual fountain was made on a soundstage, this one is a pretty nice alternative.

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This was article was written by Red Summit Productions Intern Stacy Andryshak

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