Inside the American Chopper: Senior vs. Junior Promo Shoot

04/19/2011

Perhaps if you've seen the new American Chopper promo you've thought, "Hey, wait a minute. How did they shoot this? I thought Senior and Junior weren't talking and wouldn't shoot together? Is their feud just for the show?"

Well, no, the conflict is real. We talked to Discovery Channel Marketing's Jeff Strong, creative director, and Tyler Korba, writer/supervising producer, to get the inside scoop, and they also gave us some some photos from the shoot.

DISCOVERY INSIDER: First of all, the American Chopper promo looks amazing. Congratulations. How did the idea come about?

TYLER: Thanks! We'd heard early on that this next run of shows might include a sponsored build-off -- a competition where Senior and Junior would literally create two rival bikes and the sponsor would pick a winner. That was a really cool idea to us ... it seemed like the sort of thing the fans have been waiting for. So we started to rally around the thought of the guys squaring off against each other and cooked up a bunch of ideas. There was just one catch, though ...

DISCOVERY INSIDER: They wouldn't shoot together.

TYLER: Right. Which makes it kinda hard to stage a showdown!

DISCOVERY INSIDER: Some people think that the fighting is all for show.

TYLER: Yeah, we can tell you from experience that it isn't!

JEFF:  We knew going in that Senior and Junior won’t come together, for anything, so it was a given that we would have to film them separately.  

TYLER: We had to divide our shoot day in half and think about body doubles and things like that ... we've never had to do that before. The programming guys who work on the show talk all the time about how they more or less have to shoot two shows in order to tell their story, and this was our first exposure to the reality of that.

JEFF: Yeah, it was a challenge, especially considering that we wanted to promote the idea that they were going to finally face off.  

DISCOVERY INSIDER: How was it bringing that idea to life? Was it hard coming up with scenarios that made everyone happy?

TYLER: We had a lot of options on the table. We knew we wanted to do something kind of visually special to mark the show's return to Discovery, and once we were in to this head-to-head space, the ideas sort of started flowing.

JEFF: We came up with a ton of ideas that would work, from the visually theatrical to the visually violent.  Eventually, it was this man-to-man, bike-to-bike, light-the-tires square-off that resonated with both of them.

TYLER: Finding that common ground that both guys were comfortable with took a while. I mean, at the end of the day, this is a real relationship between a father and son we're talking about. We didn't want to be too exploitive about that or create anything that was offensive to either of them. Using the motorcycles allowed us to put a bit of a buffer between them in that way ... once we landed on the two of them sitting across from each other and gunning their engines, it just felt right to everyone.

DISCOVERY INSIDER: So what about the shoot day? How did it go?

TYLER: I think our biggest concern was timing. These guys have been around the block a bunch of times, so we knew they'd be fine with everything we were asking them to do on the performance side. But it was a pretty ambitious shoot ... if we got off schedule and fell behind we might not get all of the shots we wanted to really tell the story the right way. Senior was coming in from New York and shooting first, and Junior was supposed to fly in from Bike Week in Florida that same morning and be there after lunch. If anyone got stuck in traffic or had a flight get cancelled, we were screwed!

JEFF: We also needed a large enough place to have two separate green rooms, in case there was some overlap between Senior finishing with us and Junior starting.

TYLER: Right. I don't think we were worried that they were gonna brawl or anything, but it had been made very clear to us that it would be best if we could avoid an awkward situation. Junior actually got in sooner than we thought he would, so I hung out in his car for a while. He was great about it, though.

JEFF: As far as the shoot itself goes, keeping the framing right and the story flow intact without having the two of them on set together was a pretty large challenge. We used body doubles to represent Junior and Senior’s legs and shoulders to give the illusion that this backlot showdown was actually happening. And we had a blast firing up the back tires and burning rubber in place as we shot 1,000 frames per second, the effect was unreal and the guys loved seeing their bikes in this kind of detail.  

TYLER: Yeah, that was ridiculously cool. And it was great to see the guys watching playback on the monitors and just grinning. Junior especially loved the way it all looked. We were thrilled.

DISCOVERY INSIDER: That's great. So the guys had a good time?

JEFF: The hangar location was unheated and very cold, but Senior was a trooper and did the shoot with a muscle shirt on so the visuals would be strong, despite the fact that you could see your breath. We wrapped him in jackets and attempted to keep him warm between takes. In close-up slow-motion his face tells about a million stories.

TYLER: Yeah, the cold was a surprise! We felt bad about that. We turned one of the green rooms into a make-shift sound booth so that we could get our script read and just filled it with as many portable heaters as we could find. I think we spent a good amount of time in there when the cameras weren't rolling!

JEFF: Yeah, having Junior and Senior do the actual voice work was the icing on the cake. That added a lot to the final product.

TYLER: Totally. I think we knew it was important to hear from the guys themselves on this one.

JEFF: The spot is meant to set the tone for the new season. And to fire a visual flare gun that they’re back on Discovery where they belong.  

DISCOVERY INSIDER: Well, again, congrats on a great promo, and we look forward to new episodes starting on Monday, April 25, at 9 p.m. E/P!

SEE PHOTOS FROM THE SHOOT

 

 Click here for more photos.

 

 

 

 

Comments

[pembe maske]

it seemed like the sort of thing the fans have been waiting for. So we started to rally around the thought of the guys squaring off against each other and cooked up a bunch of ideas. There was just one catch, though ...

[Sam]

Did Senior bail from the show after the comments over his crappy bike and attitude following Cadillac Build Off?

[lynn]

Paul senior built the company and Paul Jr, took advantage of coming in late, no respect for his coworkers whe he would come in late then expect them to stay to all hours of the night. Paul senior should have yelled at him in a normal job he would have been fired.

[TatayT]

It is interesting how Sr and everyone at OCC(except Rick) can't but help talking crap about Jr and his company, instead of just building th bikes. Not sure if that is due to editing. Jason Pohl is a fool.

[R.G. May]

Senior acts like a 5 year old. I cannot believe how JEALOUS he is of his own son. Always making remarks of how incompediant he is,,,,I think he has it all backwards

[kelly hersey]

paul so sorry to hear about gus i know ur pain just trust it will get easier

[barry orear]

Paul Sr. is acting like he is on a dry drunk.I have seen this alot on my road to recovery.I hope this is not an attempt at more veiwers because that would be wrong.Jr. has been treated very bad by his dad from what ive seen.Whatever misery is being suffered by Sr. is self inflicted.

[Terry V.]

well looks to me like Sr has the technical tools and people to run said tools. I don't want to knock to hard on Jason pool.BUT I think I could do what he dose if I had all the computers rendering the drawings and tweaking the designs for me.... Jr has the skills to pay the bills and Sr has the tools and all the fools(except rick i would give my left hand to have half that mans talent in my right hand).Great Promo I'm from Sussex N.J the next county south of orange county originally and I will tell every one out there in this world."Us east coast people are a Sarcastic bunch and I understand these guys to a Tee."

[william r. boles]

I have a suggestion for the show. My suggestion is, why don’t your show have a show on who buys your bikes and how they enjoy owning them. You know subject like who, what, when and where….Just a suggestion.

[Kristy C.]

It's a great promo and I have to admit, I thought for a minute that they were making stuff up too when I saw it. But, while I would normally say it takes two to tango, I actually see Paul Sr. as the real problem here. Paul Jr. cares for his brother and family interests in a way Paul Sr. has never seemed to embrace. It speaks volumes that Paul Sr. has lost relationships with not only Mikey and Paul Jr. who you see on the show, but their other brother who you don't. Whether it's insecurities or greed that is pushing Senior down this path, I hope he wakes up and realizes what he's done before he ends up dying alone. His kids will grieve for what's lost, but they'll be there for each other. He'll be left out in the cold - by his own choice.

[Wolf]

Sr. killed the show , he seems to be bi-polar , he needs meds , or lose his children forever , his bedroom picture of a DOG ?????? What does this tell you !!!!

[Hey Guys]

VICTUMS AND VILLANS, RIGHTS AND WRONGS, I HOPE THAT YOU ALL THREE GO
AWAY WITHOUT CAMRAS, SIT AROUND A
CAMPFIRE AND FORGIVE!FORGIVE! ITS TIME TO RETURN TO SPIRIT INSTEAD LIVING FROM EGOS.
LOVE ALL OF YOU !

[Keith]

The show is really getting so boring. It is to a place where if you have seen one show you have seen them all. Same old BS, over and over and over.

[benjamin]

JR Rocks the old man is Crazy and I want a biker build off style Jr VS Sr 10 days and see who comes off from fans voting is the better bike builder.

[Jared]

It will be an interesting battle. Jnr can design amazing bikes but can also get stuck on past glories. Anti venom is a case in point. A fantastic looking bike but nothing compared to the WEB bike or widow bike as I know it.
Snr is old school, but he hash a master craftsman in Rick at his side. Add more years of experience in SNR and it will be interesting.
AS for the family situation, they both need a size bakers dozen up there behinds. Personally I feel sorry for Mikey caught in the middle. There is a man who has suffered because of this situation in a big way but has come out smiling. He was the glue that held those two together but even that has lost it's adhesion.

[Bill Bass]

I love the show. But both Sr and Jr should remember that family comes before money or fame. I hope they work out there difference before it to late

[Luke]

I've watched this show from day one and Junior has always seemed to have a sense of entitlement. He comes in late, takes extended lunches, condescends to coworkers and acts like king a-hole.

Senior and his entire crew - not just junior - built the company into what it is today.

Junior seems to think that it is all him. He does design some beautiul bikes, but, again, no company is about one person.

[alan taylor]

when is the show coming back to the uk ?

[Cat feliciano]

Loved OCC from the beginning, it's a shame that Paul sr. has destroyed his relationship with his children. And for Paul sr. To say that Paul jr. Has never designed any of the bikes while working at OCC, I think he should watch all the old shows, because that will show him who has more talent. Certainly not Paul sr.

[CP]

The most insecure people are usually like Paul Sr., screaming, running their mouth, trying to intimidate others because they can't sit down man to man and talk because usually their side of things is wrong. It's a shame to have 3 sons that will not talk to their own father but he'll say it's not his fault.

[allen]

these 2 need to get over them selfs. once again the all mighty dollar comes between a family. well before long something will happen to one of them then they will regret it!!! then when its to late thats when they will wish they should have fixed all there stupid problems!!! trust me i know me and my dad had some of the problems these 2 have ...but lucky for me we were able to act like adults and work out our problems...and thank god for that ...because 12/13/2009 i lost my dad..... but atleast we fixed our petty problems

[Scott B. Frymyer]

I realize I have already posted my comment, but I just wanted to thank the Discovery Channel for keeping American Choppers on the air. And I also hope when Orange County Choppers goes out of business, you continue to keep Paulie (Jr.)you on the air. I have been watching him design bikes ever since the show started, and I never get tired of watching him build one masterpiece after another. This is one of the greats shows on tv.

[RLB]

Jr. totally rocks! He will win hands down!

[JOHN -----CANADA]

sr taik to them ,before too late. be proud of all three, been there

[JOHN -----CANADA]

YOU SR. SHOULD BE GLAD YOU HAVE THREE SONS. BEST TAIK TO THEM NOW , BEFORE ITS TOO LATE. BEEN THERE

[john_q]

Hated to see this show come to this. PJ builds fine bikes with a more modern style to appeal to the younger class of rider. Paul Sr. builds to the older set, more of the old school style choppers which appeal to an older age group of rider like me. I suspect Paul Jr. will win the bike build off but in the long run both he and Sr. are the losers. Someday they will both wish their relationship had been better.

[5laws]

I love Jr. It makes me sick to see a father treat not just one son but 3 sons with such disrespect. Like the saying if your having issues with many people maybe its time to look at not them as the problem but maybe its YOU!

[Cam]

Met them both an Florida years ago. They were both idiots and couldn't care less about their fans. It was all about money and how they were better than everyone else. Granted they are talented fabricators, but I will never bother with them again.

[Rich]

Looking forward to it! they should have it so the winner gets rick so he'll end up with Jr.!!

[Prestiti Dipendenti Statali]

exceptional picture quality

[Carlos H]

JR should win, the only advantage that OCC has is they have more employees that can chip in with the work but with any IDEARS!!!

Better builder = JR
Better Paint = JR
Better Fabrication = OCC (Rick)
Better Design = JR

Jr should crush his dad but then again OCC has alot of power and can use it to influence this mistirious sponsor to pick their bike.

[Jr_rules_Sr_is_a_JOKE]

Paul jr is clearly the best bike builder. He had the vision in the beginning of OCC that put the company where it is today. Sr just barks random negative orders at his employees, which shows that he has an over inflated ego. Some day Paul jr designs will buy OCC and fire Sr!

[ludo]

junior va tous niquer

[ludo]

sa dechire

[maverick]

junior is it.

[JudaZ]

Cant wait for the show to start. :)

Thought the promo was a bit silly though.

Paul Jr clearly is the greatest bike builder. He made OCC great, he even designed the logo.

Havnt relly seen anything special from OCC since Paul Jr left...
(the FBI bike was a real joke.)

Wish Rick would come work for Paul Jr Designs instead. Vinnie and Rick, combined with Paul Jr.s visions ... would be amazing.

[joy]

so cant wait,,,,, love ya junior,

[BlackGuns]

Paul Jr. Has to win. He made OCC what it is then began anew. Very creative and successful. I'm surprised Paul Sr. is still fighting a losing battle. We all see it.

[BlackGuns]

Paul Jr. Has to win. He made OCC what it is then began anew. Very creative and successful. I'm surprised Paul Sr. is still fighting a losing battle. We all see it.

[Hammer]

Can't wait for this to air!! I have been waiting for the show to return. I'm so happy you just don't know. Thanks

Hammer

[Scott B. Frymter]

This is the greatest ad I have ever seen! But with all due repect, we all know who the better bike builder is. It's Paulie ( Jr.). And if anyone thinks other wise they must be delusional! Again, with all due respect.

[Izzy Roth]

Go Junior !!!! Time to put it Down !!

[Rick]

Sick. Can't wait for the series!