Written byErica Oyamaand directed byKen Marino, the web seriesBurning Love, which can be watched on theYahoo!
Comedy Channel, follows fireman Mark Orlando (Marino) as he searches for the perfect woman.
Check out what he had to say after the jump.
Collider: How did this whole idea come about?
Were you just thinking about a way to make fun ofThe Bachelor?
KEN MARINO: My wife wrote the script.
We watch the show and we watch shows like that.
I have to admit that we watch a lot of reality TV.
My wife was pregnant with our first child and there was a marathon.
She would watch marathons ofThe BachelorandThe Bachelorette, and then she just got this idea.
And then, once we shot that, we shopped it around.
What made you decide to direct it?
MARINO: When we wrote it, it was a small little project.
I like directing, so I said, Yeah, I could direct that.
Im not sure how it went down.
But, yeah, I just thought it would be fun.
I have a clear idea of how I would want to do it.
It was 120 pages of material, and then with improv, it was probably about 170 pages.
Now, the actor has to ask the director some questions.
We didnt have any of that downtime.
How many episodes did you do, altogether?
MARINO: There are 14 episodes.
Its a whole season.
Its a big journey for Mark Orlando.
There are highs, there are lows and there are middles.
There are middle-highs and middle-lows, or low-middles.
It just goes everywhere.
It runs the gamut between high and low, and I think I covered most of them.
Maybe not for him, but certainly for you.
Was he always going to be a fireman, or did something inspire his occupation?
MARINO: That was all (my wife) Ericas idea.
I dont know what came first, the title or the fireman.
Is it the creative freedom that you get?
MARINO: Yeah, I think thats a huge part of it.
Youre putting out the purest version of what you want it to be.
On the internet, youre given a little bit more freedom.
The people who are involved with creating stuff on the internet are encouraging that.
They want something fresh and new and singular, in a sense.
How much improvisation did you actually do on this versus how much was scripted?
MARINO: There was a full script.
Everybody threw out some amazing things, but it all stemmed from a really strong script.
Was it difficult to get through some of these scenes without laughing?
MARINO: There were times when we were laughing, and thats always fun.
If it cracks everybody up, then you know youre doing something right.
Theres an energy to those performances.
Theres a reason people were laughing.
There was something very special.
There were moments that were hard.
Its hard to say, Will you accept this hose?, with a straight face.
You have a very impressive line-up of actors in this.
Did you just approach friends about doing it?
Nine times out of ten, theyre like, Yeah!
And that one person is, of course, dead to me now.
Is it possible to go too far when youre spoofing something likeThe Bachelor?
Was there anything you wanted to do that was too outrageous, or did anything go?
And so, in the editing room, we would pull that stuff out.
You want to be able to push the envelope.
Its not so extreme.
We were hoping to tonally create the real feel and vibe of a show like that.
MARINO: David [Wain] and I are writing a script that were in the middle of.
I have a couple of writing partners.
Erica and I are writing some stuff.
Joe Lo Truglio and I are writing some stuff.
So, theres stuff that were working on.
Is it ready to go out right now?
Theyre all in different places, so some of them yes and some of them not so much.
Are they all comedies?
MARINO: The stuff I write with Joe Lo Truglio tends to lean towards horror-comedy and horror.
The stuff I wrote with Erica and David tends to be more comedy.
Do you have a dream project, either as an actor or as a writer?
MARINO: One of the things I would love to do isAxe Cop, which is a comic book.
I would like to be involved inAxe Cop, someday.
I would also love to be in a Western.
Should we redoBlazing Saddles?
No, we cant do that.
I think there could be another Western comedy.
Thats what I want to do.
Ill have to write that up.
Are you also hoping to direct a feature, at some point?
MARINO: I hope to direct a feature very soon.
That is a big goal for me.
Im looking forward to hopefully getting that opportunity.
Is there any update on the status of theParty Downmovie?
MARINO: I know theyre writing it.
I know everybody behind the camera and in front of the camera is dying to do it.
In my head, its only a matter of time.
As far as the reality, I hope it happens.
MARINO: Yes, Im looking forward to it.
Its always nice to talk to people who are fans ofChildrens Hospital.
Hopefully, there will be someBurning Lovefans there this time, too.
Its always nice to talk to people who are enjoying it.
Thats part of the reason you do it.
I enjoyed that!, how could that not make you feel good?
Burning Lovehas new episodes on Yahoo!
on Mondays and Thursdays.
you’re free to watch episodeshere.
