“Tony and Zero Point Zero Production have created a spectacularly beautiful, informative and entertaining series for CNN that has resonated with viewers in a profound way,” said Zucker. “In addition to its runaway ratings success, it is also quite the conversation starter, as anyone who follows social media can attest. We are so happy to announce season two, and I can assure you that audiences will love what is coming up on the show.”
Launch-to-date, Anthony Bourdain Parts Unknown is delivering 389,000 viewers in the key Adults 25-54 demo, up 440% vs. the same period one year ago (72,000) and has ranked #1 in cable news on Sunday in each of its first three weeks on the air. In total viewers, the series is up 122% (872,000 viewers vs. 392,000 viewers) at 9pm vs. CNN programming one year ago.
We took a really weird prop plane in Congo, because Congo has something like the worst commercial aviation safety record on the planet. Planes go down all the time, it’s really bad there. When we were trying to get from Kisangani back to Goma, we had three options: a commercial plane, a private plane, or drive. Driving was not going to work, because it takes four days through all kinds of rebel-controlled areas. And our fixer, Dan McCabe, who’s a documentary filmmaker working in the Congo, asked us: “Do you want to be in a Boeing going 500 miles an hour when you crash, or a bush plane going 75?” So we chose the bush plane.
-ZPZ / Parts Unknown Producer Tom Vitale on what it’s like following Tony Bourdain to some of the most precarious places around the world.
As our final episode of NO RESERVATIONS approaches, I’ve been asked to write a top ten list of personal favorites. That’s hard to do. It’s been a mixed bag—and deliberately so. Travel and food shows necessarily tell more or less the same story: somebody goes someplace, eats and drinks a lot of…
Outstanding Picture Editing for Nonfiction Programming - US Desert Outstanding Cinematography for Nonfiction Programming- Mozambique Outstanding Nonfiction Series Outstanding Writing for Nonfiction Programming - Cuba
No Reservations wins BEST REALITY SERIES at 2012 Critics’ Choice TV Awards!
Congrats to Tony & crew! Also, congrats to Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, Archer and Breaking Bad on their wins as well! Happy to be in such great company.
Monday’s episode in Penang is, in my opinion, one of the best shot, best edited episodes ever. It helped that we were in what cinematographers call a “shot rich environment”—where it seems that everywhere you point, there are bright colors, characters, beautiful things. The food is generally…
Read on for what to expect next from Tony and the ZPZ crew:
Ever wonder what it’s like shooting No Reservations? ZPZ presents this behind the scenes crew video blog featuring our DPs Zach Zamboni, Todd Liebler, Morgan Fallon and ZPZ’s Director of Technology, Chris Faulkner.
Badass clip of the day uno, for Fast Company’s Co.Create…
Zach Dionne of Fast Company’s Co.Create sat down with Tony and Zero Point Zero executive producers Chris Collins and Lydia Tenaglia, and managing director Joe Caterini to dig into why Tony’s shows stay afloat in a sea of programming, how multi-hyphenate creative types are working to adapt to new content paradigms, and why comedian Louis C.K. should be emulated in all things. Peep the feature here!
Field Trip by Anna Chai, Producer for The Layover Los Angeles
ZPZ Production, 19th Floor. 13 edit rooms. The Unity. Eric Lasby. By now, you know this is where editing happens.
19 is my natural habitat, so it was a shock when they asked me to work on the LA episode of “The Layover.” As in, go to LA with the crew. Not just watch the footage, when the cards come back from LA? Is this some sort of trick? I assumed as much because 1) it’s Anthony Bourdain and 2) do you remember the last time “No Reservations” filmed in LA?!
I’ll tell you what happened — Anthony Bourdain got tasered by SWAT! He also ate chicken and waffles with Jerry Stahl and hung out with a mariachi band, but the taser demo is what I remember most vividly. Why go back to LA? What could possibly top that?!
August 2011. LAX. My colleagues and I are ready to make some television! We have 6 days to shoot over 30 locations. WWTD? First stop, In-N-Out Burger.
Day 1. Chateau Marmont. Bungalow 3. (Yes, that one.) Mr. Bourdain lays down some ground rules while we’re here at the hotel. “Don’t be an asshole.” That means: don’t gawk at celebrities, don’t bother the guests, and don’t point the camera at any famous people. Got it. This would prove to be good advice for the rest of our time in LA …
Day 2. While shopping for the ingredients needed to make eggs, crew member misreads “scallions” and buys scallops instead. Oops!
Day 3. Locals interview with Chef Ludo Lefebvre. Hilarious. (And like Randy Newman, he genuinely seems to love LA.) Later, we are informed that while filming Ludo on the median strip, set against a stunning street scene, people were smoking crack in the background. In the back of our frame! Allegedly.
Day 4. The crew shows up to film a drive-thru restaurant, only to find the pavement has been freshly sealed that morning …
Day 5. While filming b-roll of iconic LA, the crew encounters a grisly scene.
Beloved sidekick Oxy dead on the beach! (Identity confirmed by signature on Appearance Release, though DNA test pending.)
Day 6. The “marine layer” makes it meteorologically impossible to film a sunrise. Sorry!
Day 7. Time to go back to 19. All right, Mr. DeMille, I’m ready for my Ambien …
