3 Audrey is a web series set at the University of Western Ontario produced by Yeah! Films. Its creator, Miguel Barbosa, spoke with the Charlatan’s Randy Fox about his company, the series, working with Carleton’s BadHabits Clothing, and 3 Audrey’s opposition from Western’s administration.
The Charlatan (TC): The show has been getting a lot of attention so far. How does that feel?
Miguel Barbosa (MB): It’s interesting; I’ve learned a lot about the media and how they spin things. [The media] exaggerate a lot of things that really aren’t a big aspect of the show at all. I mean, the partying aspect has been blown up so much and it really doesn’t matter that much. I’m learning now, I mean, this is my first time doing any of these big interviews and it’s a learning experience for me, learning how to phrase my words, being careful with what I say. How [the media] spin everything is pretty crazy; I’m almost baffled.
TC: There are a lot of stereotypes going around about the people at Western. Where do the characters of the series fit in with that?
MB: I think they each have a little bit of that Western stereotype. Danny Rambis (Dave Provost) is like any other Western student, cocky and really outgoing but at the same time he’s a good friend. He listens to people and does what he can. There’s a popular link going around called “The [Seven] People You Meet at Western” and one of them is “The Promoter.” That’s supposed to be Chris Brown (Liam Jones). He’s a funny guy, but an asshole.
TC: So what do you think is the difference between the stereotypes and your characters?
MB: Well there are better sides to them, too. They’re good people as well. Really, the show is about friends and how they grow together. At the beginning, Tommy (Jake Manley) is supposed to be the mirror image of Chief (Chief Bosompra) and throughout the show he learns to fit in with the more outgoing, crazy Rambis.
TC: Can you tell us a bit about YEAH! Films?
MB: It really started in August 2004. “Yeah” was the saying of the summer we just said it all the time. It’s like everybody has one word they always use and for us, that was “yeah.” I got an old camera from Mexico. My dad lives there and he sent it to me. It could take videos with no sound and we just started filming skateboarding and stuff we liked and we’ve just kept it going since. Originally it was YEAH! Pictures but I didn’t really like it so I changed it to YEAH! Films. Down to the bone, it’s just old friends shooting movies together. It’s more of a collective than a corporation. Yeah, definitely more of a collective since everyone has other jobs — it’s really just something we get together and do.
TC: How did you get involved with guys like Dave (Provost, who plays Danny Rambis on 3 Audrey)?
MB: I met Dave back in high school and he’s just always been into acting and he’s always had a passion for writing. Really, I just got lucky to have a group of friends who are creative in their own ways.
TC: How did you guys come up with the idea for 3 Audrey?
MB: We were going to make a film staring Jake and Dave last year and we were just sitting, talking about what we can do. We basically based it over White and Purple. It’s a video some Western kids made. It’s basically Black and Yellow for Western — very lame. So this video got like 3,000 views in a couple days and we just sat there thinking if this can get 3,000 views then we could kill that. So we just got different ideas from students and friends and we wrote it for about a month or so.
TC: What was the decision process for centering the series around that address?
MB: Dave has lived there for a couple years and it was just easy and it’s been great so far. We use half the house for filming and . . . well we don’t really talk to the other half of the house but hopefully they’re cool with it as well.
TC: That’s it?
MB: Yeah (laughs). It has nothing to do with the porno that was shot there.
TC: Have you guys had any problems with people not knowing what’s going on or trying to jump into the shots?
MB: No, not really. At first, nobody knew we were shooting. Jake (Manley) doesn’t go to Western so it wasn’t hard for him to act like he didn’t know anybody because . . . he doesn’t know anybody there. All the parties in the show we were invited to and the guys just always acted like their characters in public and at parties. It’s not really an in-your-face type of deal. We use minimal cameras and it’s so hard to tell we’re shooting scenes. I mean, these days its so “kosher” to have expensive cameras at parties anyways that no one really cares.
TC: Speaking of all the parties, what do you think about the school’s administration being against the series?
MB: Honestly, when the first trailer came out I really think [the administration] thought it was going to be this huge scandal and so against Western. A lot of ridiculous stuff goes on there, and [the administration] knows about it too. [The administration] thought it was going to be all these crazy things that university students do and we were just going to put all of it out there. That’s not what this is about at all. I’ve heard that they’re trying to rebrand themselves and go international so they’re worried about anything that could hurt their image.
TC: Have you guys heard anything from the school since the full trailer and episodes came out?
MB: We haven’t heard from them since the main series came out. It was just emails really. Someone up there didn’t like what they saw and they told the cops to intimidate us or something. They just called Dave at 8:30 a.m. and made him walk to the station, wouldn’t tell him what it was about. It was a power move.
TC: Has that derailed you guys or changed the decision making process at all?
MB: Before there were subtitles “Welcome to Western” and stuff like that, so now we just don’t mention Western at all in terms of subtitles. We’ve tried to keep the mentions of Western relatively low in the series but it’s still there occasionally.
TC: The show’s being presented with BadHabits Co. and Carleton student Chief Bosompra. How did that come about?
MB: I’ve been friends with Chief for a long time now. It’s not really a sponsorship as much as it is a friendship. I really support BadHabits and what they stand for. They’re very original, grassroots and urban. I really wear his clothes all the time. I’m actually wearing a BH shirt right now (laughs). It’s truly an honour to have BH on board and part of everything. I almost want to make BH the official clothing of YEAH! Films.
TC: What else does Chief do as part of the show?
MB: Before we even started, I pitched him the show. Incorporating BH as part of the story and integrating it into Tommy and an emotional level was all him. We always bounce ideas off each other like if we think something’s funny Chief can be like, “Nah that’s not good, don’t put it in.”
TC: To sum things up, can you tell me in a sentence or two: what’s the main message of 3 Audrey?
MB: I don’t want to take the credit for it. It’s actually a tagline from a Vancouver film school, so I stole it from there. So the main line for the series is “People are more important than places.” To me, what it means is that people can hate on Western and all these schools but in the end it’s the people you’re with. Having a good support system and having your friends and doing what you love with them . . . that’s what really matters.
