Watch the trailer. See more of Roberts’ work with his production company Blue Vision Entertainment.

Roberts schooled us on Chartered and the state of film production in San Diego.

San Diego Magazine: Give us the elevator pitch.

ADR: It’s set in a charter high school in a San Diego suburb, based on my experience at a charter school in Escondido in 2008. It’s a mockumentary-style comedy like The Office or Parks and Rec centering around two characters on the first day of a new school year. The lead character, a new freshman who doesn’t know anyone, is based off of me. Simultaneously it follows a female teacher character, Jessica Graham, on her first day teaching there. The pilot follows them through six periods.

I was like the main character, not looking forward to it, thinking it would be this weird small school. By the time I graduated I realized it was like nothing else—you got to really know your teachers and there was a strong focus on academics. It was really fun and wacky. I ripped a lot of things for the show right from my high school. One time we held a “Charter Olympics” where each grade competed to see who could fit the most students into a tent in a five-minute period. We got some great actors like Sloane Morgan Siegel.

SDM: Where was it shot?

ADR: We filmed the bulk of it last summer at Del Lago Academy in Escondido, as well as my kitchen in Scripps Ranch, and locations in La Jolla and Escondido.

SDM: What’s it like to film a production like this in San Diego?

ADR: It’s cheaper and easier in a lot of respects to film in San Diego than L.A. If you want to film a city street or hire the police department, it’s immensely easier—most places will let you film for free. My dad was a production manager and we shot an MTV show here. Producers were saying, “Wow, it’s great how different it is here than in New York or L.A.”

There’s a small film community here but there’s no film office. There used to be a film studio here, a big lot in Kearny Mesa that filmed 30 to 50 TV, movie, and commercial productions a day. They really felt the recession and stopped film production. When that happened the film office went with it.

I was just in Santa Fe for another production. The local film contacted me and made sure I was able to get permits and gave me lists of vendors to contact. San Diego doesn’t have anything like that. I’m really trying to show Hollywood or someone we can make really good TV here if someone invests in it.

Last year, there were 700 or 800 new scripted shows between all the streaming services and cable.  Netflix alone is developing between $10 and $15 billion in scripted content this year.

SD Mag: What’s next for Chartered?

ADR: Best case scenario is we find a distributor like a streaming service or cable channel who would order 10 or so episodes. If we get lucky, they could air by the end of the year.

Four Questions With Aaron David Roberts

Chartered director Aaron David Roberts (right)

The post Four Questions With Aaron David Roberts appeared first on San Diego Magazine.

The Bachelor

Photo Courtesy of ABC and Warner Bros.

We are big fans of ABC’s The Bachelor. Don’t judge us. After all, in addition to San Diego Magazine, we also publish a wedding mag called Exquisite Weddings. With all the tulle and lace in the office, we can’t help but be hopeless romantics.

Admittedly, we are a female-dominated staff. And The Bachelor is right up our alley—the perfect Monday night filler after a long workday. We religiously read sites like Lost Angeles (the USC football blogger turned Bachelor recapper), and have even conducted in-house Bachelor pools (like fantasy football but with bachelorettes).

Taking all of this into consideration, we feel it is our moral obligation to tell you about a casting call for The Bachelor this Friday at Paradise Point Resort & Spa.

Who knows? You might get to be a part of “The Most Dramatic Rose Ceremony Ever!” It’s the stuff dreams are made of.

Details

What: Last chance to audition for the new season of The Bachelor on ABC

Who: The search is on for eligible women and men who are ready to find true love on reality TV. Those who feel they possess the charm, style, class, and charisma to become America’s next leading lady or leading man are invited to meet with the show’s casting producers.

Date:  Friday, July 26, 2013—5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.

Where: Paradise Point Resort & Spa, 1404 Vacation Road, San Diego, CA  92109

Additional Details: thebachelor.warnerbros.com/casting/

The post All The Single Ladies! appeared first on San Diego Magazine.