The conceit of Mark and Jay Duplass's new HBO anthology series, Room 104, is simple: each episode takes place in the same hotel room. But beyond that, everything from the characters to the genre of each episode will be different, as much influenced by the writers as they are by the directors behind the helm.
Room 104 has been compared to Black Mirror and The Twilight Zone, but its execution hews closer to the world of independent film. Though the Duplass brothers created the series, they tapped directors to helm each episode who they trusted to bring their own creative vision, and didn't force the interpretations of the script to fit any rule beyond the fact that the stories had to be set entirely in that one hotel room.
Because of that, Room 104 was very much a director's (and actor's) TV show, and the Duplass brothers looked far and wide for the right people -- specifically people with an independent film background -- to pair with their creative vision, and many of them were relative unknowns. Indie filmmaker Sarah Adina Smith, who directs the first episode, the horror-tinged "Ralphie," had never directed a TV episode before Mark Duplass e-mailed her the episode's script on the recommendation of actor (and fellow Room 104 director) Ross Partridge, who she worked with on her film Buster Mal's Heart.
"I was really hungry to do good work in whatever format, really. And the thing about TV that's pretty, just, been life-changing for me is that, as a director you can actually make a living and pay your rent while you're pursuing your indie films," Smith told IGN. "I love films, I think it's always gonna be my first love. But the business model for indie films is really, really tough right now. And so TV has become this beautiful playground to do your work and try new things and grow as a director, and be able to not go completely broke at the same time."
Cunningham had directed several episodes of television, including the Season 3 finale of Transparent, prior to being booked on Room 104. She had worked with Jay Duplass on Transparent, so when it came time for him to make Room 104, he pitched her on joining him at HBO as well.
Unlike Smith, Cunningham had the opportunity to read several different scripts before deciding she wanted to helm what would end up being the final episode of the season, "My Love," because of the way it moved her. She -- like every director on the project -- had only three days to film her 21-minute episode, and got to be involved in everything from casting through filming the ADR.
"It's not like any other set. You're not gonna be on a set like Room 104. It's just not – it's not gonna happen. Because the way the foundation that they've laid is different than episodic television because it's Mark and Jay, and how they do things is very intimate," said Cunningham."HBO trusts their visionaries. And they don't micromanage them. They trust Mark and Jay, they've already had success with them. ... So they're not being micromanaged, and they don't micromanage us, that's not who they are. It's built on a very different foundation than most television."
Smith and Cunningham are two out of five female directors helming Room 104, which has 11 directors in total. It's a clear shift in the representation of women behind the screen, which has been a major talking point in the television industry over the past several years. While these two directors admit they feel "so lucky" to be involved with this project where the Duplass brothers went looking for the right talent for their vision, they also hope this change means it doesn't have to be as much of a struggle for fellow relatively unknown female filmmakers in the future.
"There's this tidal wave that, I am lucky enough to be alive right now and feel what it's like to ride that. And I feel intense gratitude to all the women and people of color who have come before us and really have paved the way, really," said Smith, adding later, "I look forward to the day where we're no longer talking about it, because we don't need to be. Until that day, I'm glad we are talking about it, but talk is also cheap. ... It's gonna take more people – or it's gonna take more networks like HBO, allowing creators to take more risks with who they hire. It really does start at the top."
Smith continued, "It would be nice – I look forward to the day where we're no longer sort of branded as female filmmakers, and we're just looked at as filmmakers. That would be great."
Room 104 premieres on HBO on Friday, July 28th. Episodes of Room 104 features stars such as Philip Baker Hall, James Van Der Beek, Mae Whitman, Amy Landecker, and more.
Terri Schwartz is Editorial Producer at IGN. Talk to her on Twitter at @Terri_Schwartz.
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