The Complex Pilot
The Complex, a television pilot about a group of friends living in an apartment complex in Miami Beach, brings the comfortable neighboring aspect of Melrose Place with the racy character styles of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia for a funny 30 minutes. We spoke today with Nick Puga, who co-created and produced the show with Mike Colby. Puga directs, edits, and stars in The Complex.
RM – So why did you choose Miami as the setting for The Complex?
Nick Puga – Well, I grew up Miami and I wanted to show the city through a different eye. Most Miami shows are dramas, so I wanted to explore and showcase Miami through a different light, and a comedy series made sense.
RM – How difficult was it to find the right apartment complex that envisioned where the show’s main location would be?
NP - Since I only had a hundred bucks to make the show, I used my actual apartment complex in Los Angeles. During a recent trip to Miami I shot some exteriors of Miami apartment buildings and through the wonderful world of movie magic I was able to make the two match. I had to cheat a lot of outdoor stuff to make it look Miami-esque. I got lucky with a few windy days, which rarely happens in LA, so we could get that beach breeze you experience in Miami.
RM – Without giving anything away, how is the show edgy?
NP – It definitely touches on taboos that most networks wouldn’t be comfortable airing. But I think that’s what makes it entertaining. Subject matter changes with every episode but the characters actions and reactions to the content are what make the show edgier and different from others.
RM – What were you and Mike looking for when casting?
NP – Finding funny actors was our main goal as well as making sure we had a diverse cast. We sent scripts and offered parts to Jay Phillips (Semi-Pro, Baby Mama) and Dan Oster (Mad TV) and they jumped on board right away. The character of Ridley was trickier to cast because she’s a very complex character. Given that we had no budget for a casting director, we used a neat little place in LA called Cazt. It’s a free space for filmmakers to hold auditions and have them uploaded to their website as long as you provide feedback for each actor. So we held an all day casting session and Aimee Lynn Chadwick really nailed the part.
RM – Did you really make this entire pilot with a two-person crew? How?
NP - Yes, I wore many hats in the process…maybe a little too many. I shot the entire pilot in four days and each day I had one other person to shoot the scenes I was acting in.
RM – What direction did you give Tucker Tota when creating the music for the show?
NP - Tucker Tota is a genius. I sent him the script and told him that I wanted something quirky and funny. He came up with this jazzy theme that I loved immediately. I thought about making it more of a Miami sound, but in the end it was more important to keep it quirky and stay away from stereotypes.
RM – What does this cast and show have that sets it apart from most comedy shows?
NP - It’s a uniquely diverse cast. For the pilot, I have this element of Hispanic culture that I used since it's based in Miami, but this is just the beginning. Miami has a lot of culture driven comedy that hasn’t been showcased; there is a lot more to offer then what we’ve seen.
The Complex writers and actors know what’s funny and what’s not. At the end of the pilot, Aimee’s character says her final line as the camera keeps rolling. She breaks character and starts laughing with the cast. Puga says this is a theme they want to continue at the end of every episode. It brings the viewer into the show by making them more comfortable with the cast. It is difficult to find a show that breaks through the television screen and creates a friendship between viewer and character, but The Complex seems to encompass all the right characteristics for success.
Written by: Romina Morbidoni
