Bunkerdown - Jason Rogerson

Posted by Steve on 15 June 2010 | 4 Comments

Tell us about your sci-fi web series.

Bunkerdown is a 10- episode sci-fi comedy web series about the last seven people on earth who take shelter in an underground bunker. They survived the bomb, but now they face their most difficult challenge - each other. It's produced by sketch comedy troupe, Sketch-22, from Prince Edward Island, Canada.

Where did the idea/concept for your web series come from?

The idea sprung from a script I had written for our summer theatre production, Sketch-22, which has played in Charlottetown, PEI every summer for the past seven years (if you're in Charlottetown this summer, check us out!) The original script concerned a talk show on the moon. When we decided to try our hands at a web series, we revisited it. It changed quite a bit, but the original germ of the idea remains.

Name some of your sci-fi influences. Any favorite movies, TV shows, novels?

I've always been a big fan of sci-fi, as have most of our group's members. Influences include Star Trek, the Back To The Future trilogy, the original Twilight Zone, 1960's Batman, Terry Gilliam, and BSG. Favorite sci-fi novelists include H.G. Wells, Jules Verne, Richard Matheson, Jack Finney, John Wyndham. H.F. Saint. Whatever happened to him?!

Tell us about the technical production of your show. What camera & equipment did you use? Editing software & hardware? For visual effects, etc?

The show was shot on a Sony EX-1 HD camera and was edited on Final Cut Pro.

Can you tell us any interesting facts or trivia about your show? Any funny stories?

Well, I don't want to give away all the secrets! The giant tanks that surround Solaris Joe are actually tanks that belonged to a public swimming pool that has since been filled in with concrete. The slope of the floor can be seen when Allison takes a plate of poop to Joe in episode 2. The poop was edible, but actually tasted worse than the real thing. At least, I assume. The blue chairs around the orange table belonged to the bowling alley that used to be on the premises. The idea to have master thereminist Thomas Grillo introduce the episodes (a la Rod Serling or Ed Woods' Criswell) wasn't added until the last minute when he mentioned he had a green screen and suggested it might be a fun idea.

Bunkerdown can be found online and on Facebook.

Bunkerdown - SciFinal Page

Additional behind the scenes photos from Bunkerdown below:

Camera person Joey Weale between takes with Jason, Graham, and Lennie.

Fenner food can painting

Rob MacDonald as Allison Flowers.

Whisk-E-Do-Dah

Lennie MacPherson as Fenner Jennings

Kinza Mae Baker as Gwen Dolan

Over Joey Weale's shoulder into the viewfinder.

Graham Putnam as Kranson

Jason Rogerson as Larry Rogerman

Dennis Trainor as Solaris Joe

Andrew Sprague as Sterling Silverman