Wesleyan is kind of a big deal in the film and television world. I won’t recount the shows and movies our alumni have directed, produced, written, or starred in because, let’s be honest, you’ve already Wikipedia’d them, but a new web series set to debut next week promises to continue this trend. Created by Michael Steves ’13, who also serves as co-head writer, “The Internationals” is a comedy web series about a freshmen hall of international students. The cast and crew are comprised of freshmen and sophomores, all of whom are involved in theater and cinematic arts.
The Argus: So tell me about the new series.
Michael Steves: “The Internationals” is a goofy comedy about a hall of international students in their freshman year. The characters are types you know from college shows, but with a twist- [like a] hapless RA whose dad is a South American dictator, so he gives advice like “Just shoot them.” There’s the girl who thinks she’s too good for everyone because she is a diva Bollywood pop star, but no one here knows who she is. There’s an Israeli guy and Palestinian girl screwball comedy-romance angle.
A: How did the idea come about?
MS: I’ve written a few plays; “Shoot the Duke” (I’m the guy who got stabbed last year), “Dirty Kinky Short Plays” last semester, and this semester, “Shadow.” I came up with the project initially, because I wanted to do a smaller cast show, a little more serious. [With “Shadow”], it just wasn’t going to fit all my friends and people I wanted to work with. With a web series I could fit more people and I’ve wanted to do a web series since I saw “Dorm Life,” the UCLA one. Each episode is five minutes long. A web series is a really accessible [medium] to produce.
A: Who else is involved?
MS: I’m also writing with Will Dubbs ’14 author of “Dead Sharks,” which went to New York this year. [“Dead Sharks” was chosen by the Manhattan Repertory Theater this winter as part of its Winterfest 2011 festival.] Our director is Neo Sora ’13, who does everything visual. Will and I do all the writing. One of our actors, Peter Cramer ‘14, might also direct a few episodes. Everyone involved has this kind of experience. It’s a collaborative thing, people coming together to do something fun. We’ve got about 20-30 people working on the project.
A: So, is the film industry something you want to do long term? Who are some of your favorite writers/directors?
MS: I might go the international relations track but yeah, I would love to write and direct film. That would be a dream come true. I know it’s cliché, but my favorite is Tarantino. I like the Coen brothers and Judd Apatow. [I also like] some older stuff, probably Hitchcock and Billy Wilder.
A: Tell me about the first episode.
MS: It’s titled “Hallmates.” The series is like “Community” or “How I Met Your Mother,” with dashes of “The Office.” We have a Palestinian character, so we had to find a Palestinian flag and we could not find one. We found a keffiyeh, a Palestinian symbol of solidarity, so we went with that. We had to find a hall and luckily we found one in Fauver, where people were willing to let us use their rooms and stuff. The actors are all very professional and committed. We do a lot of improv and riffed a lot of the script.
A: Is there a long-term plan for the show?
MS: We have a first season plan. We have episode breakdowns for about 13 episodes, 5 to 7 minutes each. The episodes should be finished by the end of the semester. Then we’ll put them on YouTube and the Facebook fan page for the show.