Ahead of Melbourne WebFest 2014 we are profiling all the series in the Official Selection as well as the “Second Look” series. 

Caper is filmed in Los Angeles, and centres on the alter egos of a team of superheroes who repeatedly save the City of Angles from disaster, but get nothing in return for their efforts aside from platitudes and the occasional key to the city.

At some point, that’s not enough. Especially in today’s economy where it’s a struggle to pay rent and you have to work two jobs just to put gas in the Batmobile, which in our world looks an awful lot like a ’94 Corolla.

Amy Berg and co-creator Mike Sizemore are science fiction geeks who also appreciate well-crafted heist movies. The idea for Caper sprang from the collision of those two genres. One day they were talking about how alter egos might survive in a bad economy and the rest is history.

Why should people watch your series?

Caper is a relatable character comedy with heart. It has the production value of something you would normally see on broadcast television and stars talented actors you already know and love (Beth Riesgraf, Abby Miller, Harry Shum Jr, Hartley Sawyer, James Callis, Colin Ferguson, Scott Bakula, Ricco Ross).

It was written and produced by Amy Berg, who is an established TV writer and producer (Person of Interest, Eureka).

Most importantly, it’s good fun.

How do you finance your series? 

Geek & Sundry is a YouTube network run by Felicia Day, one of Amy’s longtime collaborators. After signing on to Caper, Geek & Sundry provided a budget that was then supplemented by Amy’s own production company, Bergopolis, Inc.

What was the biggest challenge you had to overcome in production?

The biggest challenge was attempting to make a TV-quality series whilst working within a web series budget. Scheduling was also rather difficult, given that the actors and key production personnel all have day jobs.

How do you reach your audience?

Amy Berg, Felicia Day, our actors, and Geek & Sundry all have large followings on Twitter, Facebook, and Youtube, so we were able to utilize social media in a myriad of ways in order to promote and reach out to our audience. Our actors contributed on the twitter side of things too, as well as through interviews with various online outlets.

Is it an ongoing project?

Yes, season two is in the early planning stages, but with no set timetable given that Amy and the actors are currently engaged in other film and television projects at the moment.

Why make a web series?

Why not? This is indeed the way of the future. Web-based content has taken off in an unprecedented but incredible way. So much of the world gets its content from the internet or through streaming media. That’s where the audience is now. More importantly, the web offers a freedom to be able to create content free of big studios and networks, where you can make something that you not only own, but something that the fans can get behind and won’t feel betrayed by. Their voices can be heard, and in a way they become a partner in the process. That’s a special bond to create and maintain, one we’re very proud of.

Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JwAlqAuz_-k

Twitter: @Caperseries, @CAPER_Dagr

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

La Trobe University is a festival sponsor of Melbourne WebFest.