Go behind the scenes at five of the three Fresh Blood projects and meet the creators of Australia’s newest comedy web series.
Fresh Blood, which began in 2013, is a joint ABC and Screen Australia project established to discover new comedy talent. Ten teams were selected to create three 3 x 5 minute comedy shorts. Up to three projects will then be selected to create longer pilots and potentially be commissioned as series by ABC.
Fresh Blood has been the launching pad for the careers of some of Australia’s best comedy writers, directors and performers, including Aunty Donna, Nina Oyama, Freud Knip, Fancy Boy, Michael Cusack and Skit Box.
The Fresh Blood 3 web series is now available to watch on the ABC TV + iview YouTube channel here.
ruby leipi
With co-author Ellis Phillips
Vidya Rajan as PI Ruby Rai
Ruby Rai PI is a neo-noir narrative comedy set in a vibrant Melbourne, where the cases are deadly serious and the characters are dumber than a naked butt in the middle of the night.
What inspired the story?
A few years ago, Vidya and Amruta Nargundkar were tossing around the idea of a neo-noir show with a more serious tone, set in Melbourne and centered around a South Asian PI. Although this project did not come to fruition, the idea permeated into a comedy with satire, sharp jokes and a lot of silliness.
I also love Raymond Chandler’s novels and found them very helpful. Noir detective characters are always presented as outsiders on the periphery of the world in which they live. Traditionally, that person is also a straight, white male, but we felt it was the perfect place to put a character who is truly treated as an outsider in their world.
What did you learn during production?
LateNite is a lot of fun to work with, and when you bring together a great staff of people who are all incredibly creative and share a sense of humor, everyone works together to make the project better, and it becomes more than the sum of its parts. He showed us that.
What do you hope viewers take away from this series?
Our goal was to bring comedy to the forefront with this series, so we hope viewers find it funny. But if they see our collection of oddballs and weird units and feel noticed, that’s great too.
Ruby Rai PI can be watched on ABC TV + iview YouTube channel
I’m sorry, I’m sorry
With creator Annie Louie
Annie Louie and Fadi Kassab “I’m Sorry for Your Loss”
I’m So Sorry For Your Loss is the story of Annie, a new employee at Lady Garden Funerals, a fictional funeral home run by her lousy boss, Sal, where the characters find themselves in farcical situations. .
What inspired the story?
In 2019 I quit my job to work in comedy full time. That year, as part of my busy schedule, I took a celebrity course and became interested in the celebrity funeral aspect. I did some work experience years ago with a family friend who performed my father’s funeral, and when the pandemic hit, I happened to end up taking on a full-time job, which was great for comedians. It was a very strange position.
When the world reopened, I performed a show about my experience at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival. “I’m So Sorry For Your Loss” takes this premise to the next level. There are still many situations and deeper themes to explore. As people say, “Any show about death is a show about life.” That’s what I want to celebrate.
What did you learn during production?
I come from a news background and understanding the differences between the two was a huge learning curve. A lot of the movie terminology is still new to me and I don’t know what everyone’s job is. Sometimes I felt like an ignorant and stupid boss – a monkey.
But that’s the fun part, “Fresh Blood” was the best crash course in “making movies,” and it gave me the opportunity to try my hand at properly writing a screenplay for the first time.
What is your favorite moment while creating?
On the last day of filming, pigeons invaded the church. I think the whole cast and crew tried to get rid of the pigeon, but somehow it kept coming back every time. I’m not religious, but I believe in signs and symbols. Call me crazy, but I 100% believe that pigeons have something to do with the theme of the show.
“I’m So Sorry For Your Loss” is available on ABC TV + iview YouTube channel
daytime job
With creator Paul Georgiou
Professional Gutterball Pinsal
Day Job is an animated documentary that follows the lives of over-the-top young employees at a dingy local bowling alley. Watch as a dream life full of passion, love, and career triumphs always eludes them at the peril.
What inspired the story?
The ambitious vision of Scooby-Doo and his friends led me to the University of Interactive Entertainment. But shortly after graduation, when he was assigned to work at a local pizza restaurant with his new degree, disaster struck.
It wasn’t ideal, but I was determined to never give up on Scooby. So, over the next four years of entry-level monotony, I took all the humiliating experiences I endured and molded them all into the main character, Ivan.
What is your favorite moment while creating?
I often justify my hands-off approach to directing as an attempt to encourage creative freedom for my staff. Providing the original art to the animators and the script to the actors takes time that could have been spent on my other job (monkey trainer). I’d rather give my staff the freedom to draw scenes and play characters in their own way, leaving each artist with the bulk of the episode to care for and grow like an egg in their own health class. I am thinking of doing so.
Each artist takes ownership of their scene and takes a personal interest in its quality, resulting in a great-looking show. What I particularly enjoyed was the moment when the actors behind Heather and Brooke managed to perform an entire scene without a script or material.
All the time I spent doubting my abilities was wasted. I wish all the artists under my evil reign had the same discovery.
You can watch Day Job on ABC TV + iview YouTube channel
westerner
With creator Munasib Hamid
Three Western Heroes, Three Journeys
This three-part anthology follows three young Sydneysiders as they discover their identities within the context of white Australia and their own backgrounds. The so-called story of Australia’s elusive truth and ethnicity is told with a decidedly surreal spin, with elements that are vague to a few but painfully obvious to most. .
What was the inspiration for the series?
With a strong spotlight on Australia’s diversity, Westerners targets first, second and third (fourth?) generations. They may never forgive you for being just an Australian immigrant. And our relationship with this country is footnoted with absurdities and unexplained encounters.
The series was inspired by the creator’s life in Sydney. Westerners are offering diaspora experiences to the world here in Australia. In a world where most people don’t understand you, you have friends from all walks of life and ethnicities who share the same values and beliefs in some way, find those people and stick with them. and enjoy the crazy situations you can get. Indulging yourself is very necessary and comforting.
Each episode is told from a different perspective. What inspired the format?
Ethnic families and homes are filled with stories from every perspective, each story richer than the next. So playing around with formats and perspectives to frame the story a little differently and show different sides was something we were really looking forward to. We want to show our viewers how many of us, especially immigrants, share the same stories and lives, just through different paths, and how vibrant and rich our culture and traditions are. I want to show you.
What did you learn during production?
It was a great result of the production to meet many of our friends on set and to be able to tell and act out the reality that we had dreamed of for so many years. By putting the right people in the right places who understand the story and atmosphere, and letting them create, something truly magical can happen.
Westerners can watch ABC TV + iview YouTube channel
Uruvi went to an all-girls school.
With creator Uruvi Majumdar
The cast of Uruvi attended an all-girls school.
“Uruvi Went to an All-Girls School” is the story of a sociopathic Indian-Australian teenager who struggles to find love at an all-girls school. Set in 2010, we’ve aimed to wrap the show in a nostalgic atmosphere, but we don’t shy away from some awkward comedy. If you went to school in the 2000s, this is for you.
What inspired the story?
This was inspired by a diary I wrote as a child. Most of these stories have some truth to them. The story is told by a talented writer’s room consisting of Sashi Perera, Suren Jayman, Rohan Ganju, Sukhjit Kaur Khalsa and myself, who draw most from our experiences growing up in Australia as South Asian children. It was funny, and we started by talking about the most important and memorable moments. Director Nina Oyama and script editor Sophie Braham used their expertise to perfect the story. I edited out the details of the true story to fit in with the show’s larger narrative, but I definitely did the spell of being hot, and Katy Perry literally gatecrashed our official!
What is your favorite moment while creating?
The day we shot at Choudhary’s house! A lighting team led by Han Palmer illuminated the set day and night, making for an impressive film. Inside the bedroom I felt like I was 17 again. The Chaudhary family prepared a delicious Indian lunch for all of us on board. It felt so great to be able to share great food with warm friends in a perfect setting.
What do you hope viewers take away from this series?
We want our viewers to recognize and laugh at all the quirky and funny things we do in our most desperate moments. Uruvi’s character is lovable and uninhibited in pursuing her goals, and she is surrounded by the most interesting supporting cast. We’re really proud of the show’s balance of story, heart, and humor. We hope viewers find peace in laughing, clinging, and embracing their whimsical selves and pride in where they come from with Uruvi.
Urvi Went To An All Girls School is available to watch on ABC TV + iview YouTube channel
