“Zach and Travis, sitting on a couch…” says the repetitive lyrics of the a cappella theme song for the comedy web series ZACH AND TRAVIS. Yet, throughout all episodes of this hilarious, short yet sweet sitcom, there’s much more going on than just two best friends spending all their waking hours sitting down.
Co-produced by and co-starring Anthony Giambusso and Rich Camp (best known for A GUY GOING CRAZY, WORK WEEK, and the critically acclaimed short film PLEASE PUNISH ME), the continuing series ZACH AND TRAVIS is now streaming on its official Youtube page (see link below), with wacky, completely unsophisticated adult humor and situations contained within episodes that run anywhere from just over 30 seconds to over a full minute.
Described as a “modern day odd couple” (a la Oscar Madison and Felix Unger) by the show’s producers, Zach (played by Giambusso) is a man who does his best to live a more civilized existence despite the best efforts of his roommate, Travis (played by Camp). Travis enjoys playing pranks on Zach, drinking beer and cola, and his relationship with a girlfriend who calls a trash dump her “home”.
Any great partnership has its humble beginnings, even if some pairings are born out of necessity, and a need to share a certain piece of furniture.
Giambusso and Camp humorously remember just how their characters got to know each other. (Make of this what you will.)
“Rich claims that the impetus of Travis’ character came from the dying wish of a homeless man,” they say. “Anthony was willing to buy the couch. And so a union was created.”
As noted, in addition to being the show’s two main cast members, Giambusso and Camp are also in charge behind the camera. “We encompass all that is the show, beginning with the genesis of ideas, through production and post production,” they say. “We continue to sustain an ever-growing budget which includes a pizza box, plunger, and an anti-fluoride straw.”
Just what does it take to put an episode of ZACH AND TRAVIS on camera, you may ask? Well, as Giambusso and Camp explain, the process of writing, performing, shooting and editing each of the series’ episodes is quite simple.
“Ten episodes are shot all at once without location or camera changes,” they say. “We can edit linearly, and send them out sometimes within the same day. Immediately we are on to the next set of jokes.”
It also helps that every episode of ZACH AND TRAVIS maintains a relatively consistent look and feel. As a result, Giambusso and Camp were able to make quick adjustments during filming. For the viewer at home, following Zach and Travis’ antics is made even easier.
“Physical continuity is not a factor since each episode is one shot,” responds Giambusso and Camp. “Each episode is basically one small scene without cuts, which allows us to redo and change aspects of the scene easily.”
While filming 10 episodes in a single day and location may seem like a tough task for most filmmakers/actors, Giambusso and Camp feel that ZACH AND TRAVIS’ production methods make it unique among web series comedies.
Most of all, the efficient style of production employed throughout each episode helps them concentrate on what they do best – making people laugh every time.
“ZACH AND TRAVIS is our attempt to boil the process down to focus on the one thing we want to do; tell jokes. We have created a device that lets us maintain a level of production value without being bogged down by it, giving us the ability to share and perform our humor at will,” they add. “With that, we feel what sets us apart is that we don’t allow ourselves to scrutinize any one joke, and because of that, we have been able to produce a large amount of episodes.”
The series’ two co-stars/co-producers also work on creating new stories that both entertain and allow further development of their characters.
“We have a master list of ideas that we continue to foster, choosing ten at random for filming day,” Giambusso and Camp recall. “Throughout this process, we’ve allowed Zach and Travis to grow over time, while with each set we learn a little bit more about them.”
As each episode of ZACH AND TRAVIS is shot and edited, Giambusso and Camp also take advantage of every opportunity to come up with comedic gold right on the spot. “We are allowed to experiment and rattle off multiple jokes in any given session,” they add. “We get to have our characters be as weird as possible, knowing the episode will only last one minute.”
With distinctively lowbrow humor that any young adult can appreciate, ZACH AND TRAVIS is more than a show about two guys meandering through life while spending time sitting on a couch.
It’s about friendship, having fun, and making the most of life no matter how good or bad things appear to be – or who you have fun with. In short, as Giambusso and Camp say, ZACH AND TRAVIS is: “Friendship. Camaraderie. Sitting. On a. Couch. (Couch).”
(Note: Giambusso and Camp say that every episode of ZACH AND TRAVIS is closed-captioned.)
YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCogSmzm2B2sTnBL1p-c8Wcw
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/Zachandtravis
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