Awards season is almost upon us, but one relative newcomer looking to make a splash among some heavy hitters is HBO’s acclaimed comedy series A Black Lady Sketch Show, which recently landed a third consecutive nomination for Outstanding Variety Sketch Series.
Not only that, but the show has also been shortlisted in the Outstanding Directing for a Variety Series category for a second time, with filmmaker Bridget Stokes (who helmed all six episodes of season 3) being recognized for “Save My Edges, I’m a Donor!”, which contained A Black Lady Sketch Show‘s most ambitious segment yet in “Product Purge”.
Ahead of next month’s ceremony, We Got This Covered had the chance to chat to Stokes about her first Emmy nomination, her future both in and outside the world of A Black Lady Sketch Show, how her experiences across all forms of content inspired her work behind the camera, and much more, which you can check out below.
Congratulations on A Black Lady Sketch show landing its third consecutive Emmy nomination for Outstanding Variety Sketch Series, and your nomination for Outstanding Directing!
Thank you so much! Thank you for having me here.
Fellow nominees John Oliver, Seth Meyers, Stephen Colbert, and SNL have been part of the TV diet and cultural landscape for what feels like forever, so is it vindicating that a fairly new kid on the block like A Black Lady Sketch Show is being viewed on the same level as so many well-known shows?
Absolutely, I mean, it’s always an honor and to be amongst such heavy hitters, of course. You know, you think about SNL, it’s going on almost its 50th season. So to be in season 3 and be recognized is really amazing, and it’s a testament to a cast and crew who just worked their asses off, and just did a great job.
A lot of filmmakers say they don’t put much stock in awards recognition, is that a sentiment you agree or disagree with? Because an Emmy nomination is a big deal, whichever way you choose to look at it.
Absolutely! Look, for me, someone who has been working very, very hard, for many, many, many years, to be able to get work and to keep working, and to work on newer, exciting and better stories all the time, to get a nomination is such an honor, it’s such a great recognition. So no, I would never say it doesn’t mean anything. I’m still kind of in shock over it, actually!
Did you feel any pressure going into season 3, given that the previous two were recognized by various awards bodies and found pretty much unanimous acclaim from critics?
No, I didn’t feel pressure. I think if I start to think that way, then it would be tough for me to keep going! So I kind of go in and just go, “I’m gonna leave it all on the table”. And if I give my 100 percent, and I care deeply about the things that I work on, then that’s going to be the best thing I can do to tell a great story, to make people laugh. And then, you know, awards are something that if they happen, it’s wonderful. But you can’t be thinking about that when you’re making content!
You’ve worked on a number of different projects in multiple genres across shorts, film, and TV, did that act as good preparation for sketch-based comedy, where every episode offers so many different varieties of style, tone, and humor?
Yes, absolutely. The fact that I’ve done short-form, the fact that I’ve done independent features, that I’ve worked in documentary, that I’ve done episodic, both family and comedic. All of that was great, because you have 30+ short films that you’re making on this show. And you have to give them all the attention that you would give an episode, or that you would give a feature film. So, to have gone and tried a lot of different things was very helpful for me in terms of, “Okay, I can use what I learned in independent film for this sketch, and what I’ve learned in episodic for this sketch”. And yeah, that that turned out to be a real benefit.
“Product Purge” is a great example of how sketch comedy can also be “cinematic”, did your background and experience on the feature-length side of things make it any easier to organize and orchestrate a sketch with so many extras, stunts, and moving parts?
Well, I think you hit the nail on the head when you said organize! I think having a really strong sense of organization, and in pre-production really sussing out everything that you want to do, is what makes sketches like “Product Purge” successful. And I was lucky to come on board with this incredible writers room, and a showrunner and creator who had really thought about not just handing over the scripts, but saying, “we thought about how stunts were in this one, and which ones have choreography, and which ones will have special effects”.
So it became a really easy conversation with the producers and the cinematographers and the AD, bringing everybody into the conversation, we were already so highly organized. And that’s what allowed us to, I think, create this great production value, not just for “Product Purge”, but for the whole season, is that we asked all the questions ahead of time. And for that one in particular, it was just so exciting for me to be able to do action, to have several stunts, to have 100 background actors. I think we had seven or more guest actors on the day, all of our core cast. You took over a neighborhood, we took over a beauty shop, it was just a fantastic sketch to be working on because you got to bring in all the elements.
And even though the premise is this simple, “what if there was a day you could return all the products that you didn’t use in the course of the year and get your money back?”, we treated it like it was women going to battle, and the final epic battle. And so, that’s what made it fun and hilarious and epic all in one, I think. It was really satisfying to create that one.
You were talking about working with the writers’ room and it being a collaborative experience, was it a new type of challenge to be directing six episodes of sketch comedy, as opposed to doing one or two, and getting to be involved in the process of every aspect of the season?
Right. Yeah, just to clarify, I wasn’t involved in the writers room. It was such an incredibly strong writers room, and some of the writers ended up on set with us, our head writer Tracy [Ashley] ended up on set with us. And it was very collaborative once we’re in production. To answer your question about whether it was a new experience? No! I had worked previously on an Apple TV show called Hello Jack! The Kindness Show. And I co-executive produced that season, and I did the series premiere, and the season finale, and 10 other episodes in that season.
So I had a chance to see what it looks like to be involved in the entire season, to see from beginning to end, and follow the story arc. And I’ve also had experiences guest directing, so I can really see the differences between working one way or the other. And I enjoy immensely being able to carry it from the first episode to the last, to be involved in creating the interstitials that will be woven through to create the title sequence was really amazing. For me, it’s such a source of pride and excitement to be able to see it through the whole way.
In your experience, what are the main and most challenging differences between directing narrative projects and improv-heavy sketch comedy where ideas are no doubt being thrown around all day when cameras are rolling?
I mean, I would say I prefer projects where improv always has a space. Because I think actors do so much prep work, and so much character analysis that they have ideas that you haven’t thought of, and they have a wealth of talent to bring to the table. So for us, it was just striking the very easy balance of honoring the really great scripts that our writers’ room put together, making sure we got those words, and then letting our actors play and bring their ideas to the table. And you’ll see what we came up with this season was a really great mix of the two. So yeah, I love when improv has a space in any project honestly.
Would you be interested in returning for season 4, or is your focus on the future after directing the entirety of season 3?
You have the scoop, I am directing season 4 of A Black Lady Sketch Show, and I couldn’t be more excited to be back! As much as I love carrying through the whole season 3, to come back and build on that in season 4 is even more exciting. So yeah, it’s picked up, and I’ll be involved very happily.
Well, we can bank on another Emmy nomination for you next year, then.
Let’s hope so! I mean, from your mouth to the Academy’s ears!
“Save My Edges, I’m a Donor!” is the episode shortlisted by the Emmys, but is that your personal favorite from season 3? Or is trying to pick a favorite sort of like choosing a favorite child or family member?
It is! It really is! They’re all sweet and precious babies to me. I love the first one, obviously, it kicks off in such an epic way. And there are some great sketches in the first episode, but I can honestly say that about every subsequent episode. And when I was asked which one I wanted to pick, it was a very hard decision.
I was going to ask if there were any upcoming projects in the pipeline that you could or couldn’t talk about. But now that I’ve got the scoop on season 4, is there anything beyond that, that we should be keeping an eye out for?
Yeah, you’ve got the scoop on season 4 that’s coming imminently, so that’s next up!
One final question, then, but it’s a loaded one. Without any restrictions whatsoever, what would be your ideal project as a director. Whether its an existing show, an adaptation, or a dream movie?
Oh, that’s tough. You’re saying I’m hired to direct anything I want? I would like to direct a large-scale feature in the comedy world, but a mix of comedy genres, so I’d love to do a horror comedy. And hope to have something like that in the near future.
Hopefully an Emmy nomination and then season 4 will open those doors, and then one day we can look back at your huge blockbuster horror comedy.
Yes! Again, I love that you’re saying these things out loud. Let them manifest!
All three seasons of A Black Lady Sketch Show are streaming on HBO Max, and you can find out if Bridget Stokes goes home with the trophy when the Primetime Emmy Awards air on September 12.
Published: Aug 9, 2022 08:13 am