How the Rose City Steampunks
Came to Be Portrayed on the TV Show, "Portlandia"
and How I Survived (so far) to Tell The Tale
Came to Be Portrayed on the TV Show, "Portlandia"
and How I Survived (so far) to Tell The Tale
by Lorien Stormfeather Fletcher
a founder, Rose City Steampunks, Portland, Oregon
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| Screen capture from the web short- Local Casting on the Portlandia IFC TV show web site. |
In the fall of 2012, I was approached at an event by a member of the Portlandia TV Show scouting team. The woman told me the show director Jonathan Kriesel, was an admirer of the Steampunk genre. He had created the Dream of the 1890's is Alive song in season 2, episode 5 and wanted to expand on the theme. She explained he wanted to do a skit which included the Steampunk subculture, but did not have enough knowledge about the groups or people involved in Portland to write a script. As a founder of Rose City Steampunks, would I help them?
I was surprised and delighted they contacted me. I was happy they honestly wanted to get it right. They wanted to talk with "real Steampunks", not just make something up from an outsider's viewpoint. I have been a fan of the Portlandia TV show since the start. I enjoyed seasons 1 and 2 and I was of course, a little nervous about how Steampunks would be portrayed. I realized I could be responsible for setting the stage on which Rose City Steampunks would be depicted. Nope, no pressure at all!
I was invited to meet with the folks from Portlandia and told I would be interviewed about our group on camera. The director was planning on creating web short about the Steampunk culture in Portland, Oregon, and if they liked the interview and if they could get enough usable material, they would write a skit about Rose City Steampunks for an upcoming season 3 episode.
They told me that I should wear my usual Steampunk attire, that I should bring props, and to meet them at a restored Victorian-era saloon in North East Portland the next weekend.
After much deliberation and panic, I decided to wear a simple daytime costume. A sepia-brown, cotton calico, neo-Victorian top and skirt plus a special hat I had styled just for the occasion- with a bird on it!
For props, I brought a suitcase of my other hats, my Rose City Steampunks scrapbook and event passport, a modded laser pistol, an Occular-Amusement Device of my own devising, an extra bustle and of course, some goggles.
I was interviewed by comedian, and repeat Portlandia cast member, Kumail Nanjiani for three hours. The entire discussion was taped. Kumail and I were seated on a small Victorian settee in a upstairs room of the saloon. There were five cameras, the director and several technical crew members who were all snugly ensconced with us in the small room. My husband, Rich came along for moral support and watched the proceedings.
The discussion and line of questioning ranged from the silly, to the sillier... "Is there sex in the Steampunk World?" and "What sort of missions do airship crews go on?". The director would occasionally refocus us. He said he wanted to find out exactly what kind of adventures Steampunks have at a convention. During our chat, I found out Kumail is something of a geek, as are the director and crew. Many of them attend Comic Con, and are also gamers. They are fans of cosplay, anime, and various sci-fi and comic fandoms.
Everyone was kind, funny and respectful and they made this very intense experience of being in front of so many cameras enjoyable for me. I left feeling it went well, but not really sure what to expect next. You can watch the interview here:
About two weeks after my interview, I was contacted by the show's casting agent. The director was pleased with my interview and wanted to go ahead with the Steampunk skit. Would I please get the word out Steampunks were wanted to apply as extras for the show? Willing parties could e-mail a picture of themselves in Steampunk garb to be considered. I put the message out to the local Portland Steampunk community, and a number of us were contacted, and told to report in a couple of days for the filming of the show.
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| Back row: Xander, S.W., Mac, Ramon, Bhrigha, Erik. Middle: Lorien, Catey. Front: Alan. Photo by Cee. |
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| In our dressing room, waiting for our five minutes of fame. Left to Right: Erik, Lorien, Catey, Ramon, Alan. In foreground, Cee and Mac. |
We were instructed to show up wearing our best Steampunk attire. I decided to wear something much fancier than my previous on-camera outfit, my velvet, skirted riding jacket, with gears on the front and a red top hat with the requisite goggles. We were also told to bring along any props we'd like to use. Mac McGowan wore his own handcrafted SteamBaby goggles and brought a large, silver Steampunk hand-held weapon created by our friend Anthony Hicks of Tin Plate Studios. The Nitikin Fulminating Kraken Rifle accompanies Carrie Brownstein's character in much of the skit. Ramon Martin wore his really amazing animated top hat. Everyone dressed in their steamy best and looked positively smashing!
Filming the skit took a full eight hour day at a Portland hotel, which many of you will recognize as the setting of many Portland, Oregon Anime and Sci-fi Cons.
Carrie Brownstein and Fred Armisen were hilarious in their roles as Captain D.D. Cumulus and Lady Opal Nightstream. I cannot say enough nice things about the director, the crew, production people and actors we worked with. We were even invited to lunch with them. It was exciting to see Hollywood at work. Co-creator, writer and director, Jonathan Krisel (btw his note book computer even has a bird stenciled on it), Carrie, and Fred used input from us, plus improvisation to flesh out the skit. It was a genuinely creative, fun, playful and satisfying experience. Everyone who participated seemed to have a great time.
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| In between takes with S.W. Conser, Catey Day and Ramon Martin Photo by Lorien. |
The Portlandia TV show explores the somewhat quirky and even ridiculous side of the mythical Portlandia we all love in Portland, Oregon. Complete with the weirdly dressed sub groups, like our beloved Steampunks, our endearing regional eccentricities, including our fervent recycling, our niche bookstores and specialty artisan shops, our obsession with brunch and our irrepressible DIY art. But as truly brilliant satire, it always seems spot-on in the roasting of our antics, and feels pretty well rooted in truth, because it is! This show does its homework.
I love this town, and I am honored to be included in the ranks of the ever growing cast of "real" freaks/weirdos/people of Portlandia. I'm a sci-fi fan, convention-goer, costumer, cosplayer and geek. But I personally do not take my participation in this alternative universe too seriously. I did my best to represent our Steampunk universe with dignity, but also with a sense of humor.
I hope no one in our community will be offended by the outcome of the episode, but will see the humor in it all. Or at the very least, laugh at, and along with me, and the Rose City Steampunks.
I can't give you any more details about the upcoming episode. NO SPOILERS!
But you can watch it Friday night, February 8th, 2013 on IFC, 10:00 pm, Pacific time.
I sincerely hope you will enjoy it! Pinkies Up!
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| Hitting the brass ceiling in the elevator. Photo by Lorien |
Show details:
Portlandia: Soft Opening S03, E08
Will air: February 8, 2013 on IFC
Portland Comcast channel 503, 10:00pm Pacific time
Episode 8 synopsis: Peter and Nance practice hosting friends at the soft opening of their
bed and breakfast; a magazine features a local furniture maker in their Man Issue; steampunks attend a convention; Fred takes a love interest on a bold third date.
Linkage:
My interview at the saloon:
Kumail Tours Portlandia/Steampunk
The Local Casting Short: has moved. It was on iTunes.
Rose City Steampunks on Face Book
Send Lorien Fletcher a pigeon
Copyright 2013 by Lorien Fletcher
