On Location
Eschewing a studio, Portlandia shoots all of its scenes in real locations, including Portlanders’ homes and local restaurants.
-
Image Credit: Photo Credit: Brian Lee -
Carrie Brownstein
Image Credit: Photo Credit: Brian Lee From right, Morgan Hobart (boom operator), Carrie Brownstein, T.G. Firestone ("A" camera operator) and an assistant wrangling cords walk back after running down the sidewalk shooting a scene.
-
Fred Armisen
Image Credit: Photo Credit: Brian Lee “Wherever we go, we run into some form of an art project,” says Fred Armisen, who posed on set with his look-alikes.
-
Living in P-Town
Image Credit: Photo Credit: Brian Lee Fred Armisen (third from left) recently bought a condo in downtown Portland to fully immerse himself in P-Town culture.
-
Organic Quinoa
Image Credit: Photo Credit: Brian Lee Last year, Portlandia scored an Emmy nomination for writing, edging out the Jimmys (Fallon and Kimmel) and late-night veterans Jay Leno and David Letterman. Add those kudos to season-three premiere ratings that jumped 30 percent — to more than 1 million viewers — compared to season two, and the show enters the Emmy race as a potent contender (and likely the only one on which organic quinoa is a staple of crew meals).
Last year, Portlandia scored an Emmy nomination for writing, edging out the Jimmys (Fallon and Kimmel) and late-night veterans Jay Leno and David Letterman. Add those kudos to season-three premiere ratings that jumped 30 percent — to more than one million viewers — compared to season two, and the show enters the Emmy race as a potent contender (and likely the only one on which organic quinoa is a staple of crew meals).
-
Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein
Image Credit: Photo Credit: Brian Lee Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein break for lunch from a hippie-dippie menu that could be ripped from a script about Portland’s gonzo-organic foodie culture.
-
Costumer Sophia Goldfarb
Image Credit: Photo Credit: Brian Lee Costumer Sophia Goldfarb preps for a scene. The show’s costume designers Amanda Needham and Niki Dimitras won Creative Arts Emmys in 2011 for their quirky thrift-store-inspired designs.
Costumer Sophia Goldfarb preps for a scene. The show’s costume designers, Amanda Needham and Niki Dimitras, won Creative Arts Emmys in 2011 for their quirky thrift-store-inspired designs.
-
Sean Gettings and Jeff Sheridan
Image Credit: Photo Credit: Brian Lee Sean Gettings (left) and Jeff Sheridan — self-proclaimed “background artists” — don bodysuits for a scene in which faceless silver joggers besiege Armisen’s character.
Sean Gettings (left) and Jeff Sheridan — self-proclaimed “background artists” — don bodysuits for a scene in which faceless silver joggers besiege Armisen’s character.
-
Jonathan Krisel
Image Credit: Photo Credit: Brian Lee “This is a punk-rock show about young Portlandians, but I’ve found older people love it,” says co-creator Jonathan Krisel. “We really pride ourselves on not leaning on sex jokes or anything crass.” He says he’s looking forward to season four because of the new regime in Portland’s mayor’s office. (Former mayor Sam Adams has appeared on the series as onscreen mayor Kyle MacLachlan’s assistant.) “It might spark some new storylines,” says Krisel.
-
Carrie Brownstein
Image Credit: Photo Credit: Brian Lee “People from all over the world, especially Australians, have told me they love the show,” says Brownstein, creating her own art-project moment on the set. “You definitely don’t need to have been here to get it.”
-
Dan Bernath
Image Credit: Photo Credit: Brian Lee Dan Bernath waits off set during a filming of Portlandia. He played an art critic during an episode about unusual art projects.
-
Bizarre Art Projects
Image Credit: Photo Credit: Brian Lee Portlandia director Jonathan Krisel rearranges extras in body suits outside of a coffee shop. The episode was about bizarre art projects.