Interview: Claudia Alves – Behind the Scenes on Pushing Daisies

A good friend of mine got married in October, and I had the good fortune to be seated next to a friend of his from California who, as it happens, worked with him on the TV show Roswell. Claudia Alves managed to make the reception after driving through a dark and rainy night on the East Coast (hey, I got there late, too). We began talking and, invariably, started talking about work. She happened to be working on my Pink Raygun TV assigned show Pushing Daisies! I couldn’t help but pick her brain for more about her life behind the scenes in Hollywoodland.

Claudia, tell me about your job and how you got started in the television business. What inspired you to pursue that line of work? How long have you been working at it and does it still thrill you?

Claudia Alves: I moved out here [Los Angeles] in Nov of ‘93, just before the Northridge Earthquake of Jan 1994. I was working in the financial marketing industry in NYC when I decided to leave my then-position and move on to another company. Unfortunately, that was right when the financial industry was starting to recover from the “crash” in 1987 and jobs were still hard to get. I decided to make a drastic move to LA and try my luck in the business of show. I always had an interest in TV and film, but was never brave enough to voice it.

The actual work and product still thrill me. What other business can you be in where you get to scout beautiful mansions in Beverly Hills and Malibu one day and then go through the favelas of Rio the next? Having said that, the business can also be relentless, especially when you encounter some obstacles or bad luck, and bring you to your knees.

This is definitely a business where persistence helps in the long run.

So what is it you do exactly for Pushing Daisies?

CA: I am one of the two Post Production Supervisors. 99% of TV series will only have one, but because this show is so heavily laden with visual effects and the schedule is such a tight one, they were able to bring two on board. The work responsibilities are divided by the Supervisor and Associate Producer (Dept. head) with the AP doing all the sound work, i.e., running ADR sessions, music and sound spotting sessions, and the sound mixing sessions. The Supervisor is generally in charge of the video portion. Keeping track of dailies (the Pas pick, dub & deliver), run the online edit sessions, titling sessions (when the on-air credits are put in), color timing sessions (work with the coloring and lighting in a digital sense of the show), dirt fixes, show assembly, delivery dub orders, final delivery to network, paperwork (credits, wrap documentation).

Since our show is such a behemoth and we have two Supervisors on it, the sound work up to the mix is my responsibility. I organize the time for the ADR session, call all the actors, liaise with the shooting crew if any actor I need is filming on the day. I attend the ADR sessions along with the Sound supervisor and any producers that may want to attend (i.e. for a special musical number). During ADR sessions we also record Loop Group also known as Walla Group, that is a group of voice over actors who record all the background talking, i.e. in a crowded restaurant the scene is initially shot with only the principal actors speaking, all of the background extra actors are not vocalizing. The Loop Group comes in and does a general pass then they do one where they target specific extras and carry on conversations that would be appropriate for the setting. They are very specific, asking us what city this is in, what kind of restaurant etc.

I make sure all the contracts are completed and distribute those to the proper people. I have to organize all this within constraints of ADR hours in my sound package and not going into O.T. This may sound simple, but when dealing with actors’ schedules which are moving targets and ADR stages that are accommodating several TV shows & feature films, it can get hairy.

I also organize the Narrator recording that takes place in NYC. This is easier since it’s one actor.

[nms: NBC Pushing Daisies,2,0]

What other shows have you worked for while in the biz, specifically in sci-fi/fantasy?

CA: Sci-fi: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, pilot presentation and Season 1, The Visitor, Star Trek, Voyager (filled in for the Prod. Office Coordinator for a couple of months), Roswell Seasons 1 – 3, Sarah Connor Chronicles (based on the Terminator franchise) pilot.

Other Shows: Center of the Universe, Notes from the Underbelly, Side Order of Life (and a few other short-lived ones)

I’m amazed by how great the promos for The Sarah Connor Chronicles looks. Did you also serve for the visual effects department for that? How was that to work for?

CA: I didn’t have anything to do with the VFX… they used Zoic Studios. I did general Admin stuff…paperwork, POs, all the wrap paperwork at the end of the show; running tapes back and forth. Scheduling ADR wih actors in town and in UK. Making sure film and dailies got back and forth between LA and New Mexico. It was one of the best experiences I’ve had, quality of show and people-wise. As high profile as it was, everything ran pretty smoothly, in post. They shot in New Mexico, so I don’t know how it was on set.

Are you interested in the sci-fi fantasy genre, or do you choose projects based on their quality as a whole?

CA: I choose projects based on my offers, which unfortunately right now happens to be one at a time. I like working on quality projects, but I have found that of the projects that have come to me the sci-fi ones have been my favorites. Though had I been offered Ugly Betty or Grey’s Anatomy I would have liked to work on them. Also working on a show where the environment is a good one is best.

What was your favorite project that you’ve worked on thus far? How high does Pushing Daisies rank in that?

CA: I knew Buffy was special when I was working on the pilot and the 1st season. It was a mid-season replacement and no one really knew anything about it, but you get a feeling when things are good. Roswell was overall enjoyable, it was three seasons, you get to know everyone and form a community. And now my last three this season have all been good projects. I tend to come out of each project with at least one new good relationship and that’s always a nice bonus.

I’m a huge Buffy fan…how was Joss Whedon to work with and have you had the opportunity to work or deal with him since his Season 1 days?

CA: Joss is great. I enjoyed working with him and seeing him grow as a director. I have crossed path with him in the last few years, but have not had an opportunity to work with him. When I watched the episode where he divulges Angel’s backstory (he kills all of Drusilla’s family drives her to the brink of insanity, then the night she’s about to take her vows to be a nun he makes her a vampire, wow), his genius was solidified for me.

Do you have any funny stories since your work with Pushing Daisies? Any funny stories about being in the biz?

CA: No funny stories yet. There are always some but mine are so people specific they won’t make any sense to anybody else.

All in all, I enjoy the industry a lot. As in anything there are their ups and downs, this being entertainment some are a higher and lower than normal. But it’s always interesting.

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