There are a lot of people out there doing the 9-to-5, and while I’m not one of them I have experienced it before and know how it feels. But what better way to illustrate the boredom than through a comedy series? That’s what Michael S. Weir has decided to do with a soon-to-be series of his own called Blame The Accountant!, which focuses on Sherman, who is, of course, an accountant. To escape the humdrum of office work and lackadaisical days, he often daydreams wildly and imagines himself in exciting adventures and scenarios. Starring Michael himself, it’s currently as a mini-series but may be turning into much more soon. Each episode delves deep into what a modern worker’s life is like, and questions a lot of things while exploring the inner workings of imagination.
Sounds a bit Don Quixote to me, but I always enjoy these kinds of concepts. Probably because it’s what I did from time to time.
Well, as it did catch my interest, I just had to do an interview with Michael and even got the director, Theo Kim to join in as well. We had a fun conversation all together, and I learned so much from this one. Yeah, I didn’t daydream my way through this interview. Because it was already an adventure. One of the best adventures I’ve ever had in the comfort of my chair. Here’s how it all went down.
HNMAG: You’ve recently started a new series about an accountant. Why did you choose to focus on that kind of position?
Michael S. Weir: I created the series because it’s what I know, I have been an actor for many years but have also been an accountant for many years. I still am both, and it’s very fertile ground for comedy.
HNMAG: Would it have been any different if it was another kind of office job?
Michael S. Weir: Yes, I think it’s very much about accountants, and it is very much about my knowledge of the accounting world. One of the underlying premises I would think is that wherever you go, you will meet people who say “I love my accountant.” because accountants as a general rule are a very tried and true honest forthright bunch. That is something that is not unique to them but is something, I think, that is shared across the board of accountants.
HNMAG: Do you feel it will also be relatable to those who aren’t accountants or don’t do the 9-5?
Michael S. Weir: Absolutely, because the essence of the show has to do with people in a job that they’re not particularly in love with or having to do something that is perhaps dull and boring. I think it’s very relatable to anyone who has worked at a job from time to time, they wished that they were somewhere else.
HNMAG: How did you come up with the concepts for daydreams?
Michael S. Weir: I think it is for the ability for Sherman, the main character, to leave his humdrum office life, and explore a world of fantasy which allows him an escape and allows him to live out some things that he wouldn’t necessarily live in his normal humdrum life.
HNMAG: Do you know anyone who went through similar scenarios like Sherman has?
Michael S. Weir: I think the concept is quite relatable, that desire to transport one to somewhere else. I think that’s fairly common.
At the point, I took a quick break from speaking to Michael and changed things up a little by speaking to the director Theo who brought this concept to life.
HNMAG: As the director, what was the experience of shooting a Blame The Accountant! episode?
Theo Kim: I knew the plan was to raise more money or find investors or a partner. Me going in, I was very excited. Michael told me that when the concept came around the world was in a dark time with Trump in office and COVID and a lot of shows were kind of dark. He approached me with this concept, said “I want to do something light, this positive script” and he was 100% financially as well so I was like “I’d LOVE to shoot this.” and I hadn’t been on set because of the lockdown. This is the second or third project I think I did after I opened everything up. For me, I as excited and so was the cast and crew. It was a great three-day shoot, everything for the most part went smoothly but with Indie-filmmaking there’s always fires. Everyone works together, collaborates and figures out solutions but it’s always fun.
HNMAG: Do you find it more unique than anything else you’ve worked on?
Theo Kim: I’m going to be honest: when I shoot stuff, I’m kind of more into adult comedy, pushing the envelope so this is a bit safer from what I normally do. Having said that though, I thought the writing was great, the casting was perfect, but for me it was just fun to get back behind the camera and direct some great actors and put great people together behind and in front of the camera. I thought it was great and we had an amazing sound designer. Our editor was fantastic, and the music. It all came together. It was great. I’m looking forward to this getting momentum and getting some sponsors behind it so we can finish the series.
HNMAG: It’s live-action. Why was it made in this particular format?
Theo Kim: That’s a very good question, but when Michael came up with the project, he was playing Sherman. I think from the get-go, Michael wanted it to be live-action so we could get people on set. Everyone in film loves being on set, so animation never even crossed our minds. I think maybe the only part we thought about the dream sequence during brainstorming we maybe talked about going into animation, but we just sort of kept shooting everything in camera and getting as much magic as we can then make it all come together in post-production. That really was our intention, to work with actors and make magic.
HNMAG: Wouldn’t it have been easier and give you more possibilities to go into an animated format?
Theo Kim: 100%, with animation you can really do anything you want. With live-action, you have a budget and with animation you can work on different zany wild stuff, but I think first and foremost, Michael really wanted to do it live and he’s the exec producer. But if we really wanted to do something different, maybe a future episode in the series, we could go full animation or 1 or 2 dream sequences goes full animation. We’re not closing any doors on that stuff, but yeah. I think that’s maybe something we could do first season.
Michael S. Weir: Yeah, it’s certainly not precluded that animation could play a role, but the series is intended to be live action. Animation is a double-edge sword in my opinion because it does give you the ability to do some fantastical things, but it also leaves the audience with thinking they’ve seen it before because in a cartoon format there is always that ability. Whereas in a live-action format, we’re able to deliver a message and take people on a journey that I think will seem fresher.
Michael had a lot to say regarding animation, and he made some valid points. I decided to get back to him again and learn more about the show.
HNMAG: How does Blame The Accountant! differ from other shows you’ve made in the past?
Michael S. Weir: The last show I created was a short film called Triangle of Me, which was a little bit of a fantasy piece so there is a bit of similarity there. This however, is really a work of the culmination of a lifetime of being both an actor and accountant.
HNMAG: What about other similarities? How many do we see besides pushing comedic boundaries and the fantasy in Triangle of Me?
Michael S. Weir: I think the characters are very well defined and Sherman himself is a very likeable and well-defined character who is an everyman. Sherman embodies that spirit of an accountant being honest guy who will go to the wall for you. But he’s also bumbling and those character traits are not unique but inside the context of the show, they’re very strong.
HNMAG: Do you plan to keep Blame The Accountant! going a long time?
Michael S. Weir: We would like to continue developing the show because I think that the world could use a good laugh, and the world could also use the relatability of characters even though they are flawed, can really believe in some of the things accountants believe in which is the old-school way of doing things and trying your best to get it right. These are very important things in a very complicated world. But in that pursuit, there is also the ability for a lot of laughs. As people work within the confines of doing their best for their client, they’re being there by having to solve difficult things for people in a very complicated world.
HNMAG: In the meantime, what kind of trouble can we expect Sherman to get into and how will he solve these problems?
Michael S. Weir: (laughs) I think the corollary will be the concept of Gilligan’s Island. Sherman is not likely to get off the island. I.E. : He will take his leaps of fantasy and imagination to bring the audience on a fun journey, but he will ultimately come back landing where he lands: his real life.
HNMAG: Do you think it’ll teach anything to anybody?
Michael S. Weir: Absolutely, I think the real value is in having a laugh, and doing comedy that is pure joy. We’re not attempting to do swearing or violence, we’re not making social commentary and telling people how to live their lives. But the teaching moment is the fact that there’s still value in these human beings and these groups of accountants who are trying to do things properly.
Blame The Accountant! is available to watch now. Check it out, you’ll love it.