Ahead of the third edition of Melbourne WebFest, we are profiling all the official selections that will be screening 10-12 July at Deakin Edge. 

Unbeknownst to them, pragmatic Chris and idealist Josh are stuck in a co-dependent relationship. The comedy web series hones in on how relatable these characters are to their audience.  As they form new relationships, their friendship somehow always manages to sabotage any ventures, bringing the two back together again.

In the past you’ve filmed a Breaking Bad parody and have said you are planning on doing more, if you were to film a parody of the movie “Frozen” who would play Anna and who would play Olaf?
Naturally Chris would be Anna and Josh would be Olaf. Or they may be Anna & Elsa. Excuse me while I go write this episode. You get story credit!

In future seasons, do you see yourself incorporating a girlfriend or boyfriend for either Chris or Josh? Why or why not?
We have a girlfriend in Season 1 for Josh, and she had all these annoying tendencies that Chris could see, but Josh was oblivious to. When he finally realised how annoying she was they got a body double to pretend they were Josh and broke up with her. Super moving.

If we were to do it again it would really have to separate the two guys. Their relationship is the heart of the show, so a partner for either one of them would have to drive a huge wedge between them. But I think we’ll only go back to that once we’ve explored more of their relationship first.

What (and/or who) inspired your series?
Everyone has a friend who’s a little bit dumb. Or you are the dumb one in your group. The characters of Chris & Josh are based on the people you would know and recognise in your everyday life. What really excited me is that these characters are so relatable that you can put them in insane situations but still connect with them because they’re people.

As a content creator, where do you go to find information about other filmmakers and web series?
Twitter and YouTube. You can find anything out there if you go looking. Twitter is great because you can connect with other creators, but also using hash tags and festivals to find those communities and people. And obviously YouTube is THE big platform where most of the work is, so you can always learn more there.

Why should people watch your series?
It has relatable characters but in extraordinary situations. Where else can you watch a Zombie/Netball/Rap Battle/Murder Mystery/Crime Drama/Sitcom in the one place? NOWHERE (hopefully…)

What do you want audiences to take away from your series?
We just want people to enjoy it and have a laugh. We’re not out there trying to make a huge social/political statement – it’s escapist entertainment. We want people to share in the fun of the series and really embrace the silliness of it all.

What was the biggest challenge you had to overcome making this series?
Budget was a huge obstacle in sense that we didn’t have one. So getting cast and crew to work for free and then stretch the limits of our resources was hugely challenging. But everyone stepped up and delivered and really bought into the idea and tone of the show.

How do you reach your audience?
Social media is huge for us – building that audience, interacting and engaging with people that have responded is key. We may not have the world’s largest viewership, but the audience we do have are loyal. And that only comes from being open and accessible to them.

How do you finance your series?
I funded it completely myself. I saw it as a personal investment knowing that if all I got out of it was experience and some great filmmaking lessons, then it was money well spent. The benefit to it has been the success we’ve seen critically and response from our audience. It’s all cherries on top. In fact, the entire cake is now cherries because it’s gone far beyond what we ever set out to achieve.

Chris & Josh on the web:

Watch Chris & Josh
Chris & Josh on Facebook
Chris & Josh on Twitter

Keep up to date with Melbourne Web Fest on twitter: @MelbWebFest.

La Trobe University is Melbourne WebFest’s exclusive learning partner.