The Cabonauts - Hayden Black

Posted by Steve on 11 March 2010 | 2 Comments

Tell us about your sci-fi web series.

The Cabonauts is the world's first scripted, scifi musical comedy. Set in a space cab in the 80's - the 2180's that is - it's about two best friends, Cyril & Harry, who work together as driving instructor and instructee. The entire universe is their oyster, but even so they're very hemmed in by the small space of the cab.

The Cabonauts is loaded with big names: Nichelle Nicols (Star Trek's Uhura) stars as the CEO of the Cabonauts company. In each episode, cab passengers are play by stars of iconic scifi TV series and movies, such as Miracle Laurie (Mellie from Dollhouse), James C. Leary (Clem the Loose Skinned Demon from Buffy), and John Barrowman (Capt. Jack from Torchwood). Because it's set in the 80's, each episode has remixes by seminal 1980's acts such as Human League and Tears for Fears, although we do mix it up with newer acts like Muchuu and Miss Derringer.

You can always find out more by following our Twitter account, @TheCabonauts. Is that a shameless plug for our Twitter account? Ummm...yep, looks like it.

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

I had the basic idea for Cyril & Harry when I was a teenager. Back then, it was set in a big old space truck and they were trucking cargo around the universe. I pared it down to a space cab for this incarnation of it because it seemed cheaper to produce!

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

My biggest single influence was Douglas Adams and Hitchhiker's Guide. I was a kid when I came across him and it changed everything. From that moment on I wanted to be a writer. I'm also a HUGE Dr. Who fan - always have been (back when it wasn't cool) and always will (now it's cool). Plus stuff like Blake's 7 and The Tomorrow People. Can you guess I'm from England? What gave me away? My eyes?

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

The Cabonauts is pretty technically proficient. We use HD cameras and edit on Final Cut with special extra software thingumabobbs for all the green screen effects. Our special effects whiz, Brian Oliver, is also the main graphics guy for The CW network. Here's my big secret though. Often times I tell my editor what I want and then - and this is the important secret bit - walk out of the room until he calls me back in to say he's done it. That process works 98% of the time. The other 2% means I have to go in and out a couple of times.

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

Interesting facts? Hmm. Well, the only thing that exists in reality in the cab are the seats, dashboard, and cup holders. All the rest is CGI. In fact every single shot in The Cabonauts has AT LEAST 7 effects on it. Oh, and I had no idea Nichelle Nichols had said she would never do a web series - thank God I didn't, otherwise I'd never have written a role for her and sent her a script. Sometimes ignorance really IS bliss!

The Cabonauts launches later this year. You can follow Hayden on Twitter at @HaydenBlack or visit cabonauts.com.

 The Cabonauts: SciFinal Page