When Andrew Williamson returned to Victoria last April to oversee production of Spiral, he was literally living the dream.
Twelve years ago, the former University of Victoria fine arts student had a dream that would inspire his company鈥檚 scripted web series that premi猫res Sept. 6 on Telus Optik TV and online at spiralbackwards.com.
鈥淚t was about six friends who were existentially connected,鈥漵aid Williamson, 45. 鈥淚 started to flesh that out, how cool it would be to tell their story in the present, but also in the past.鈥�
He credits co-executive producer and showrunner Karen McLellan (The Next Step) with developing an engrossing story that ponders the existence of past lives over seven episodes.
鈥淪he鈥檚 done a lot of narratives that occur in different timelines,鈥� said Williamson, who briefly optioned their creative collaboration before deciding to produce it聽as a digital series through his company Off Island Media.
Williamson, who went on to pursue film studies at University of British Columbia in the early聽1990s, said coming back here to聽shoot his dream project was fulfilling on many levels.
鈥淭elus, for one thing, was very聽interested in doing productions outside of Vancouver,鈥� said聽Williamson, who successfully pitched the project to the telecommunications company last聽year.
鈥淚 had a very personal connection to Victoria, there are production values that you just can鈥檛 get in Vancouver, and there鈥檚 a bit of energy and interest in supernatural vibes in Victoria,鈥� he聽said.
Spiral taps into society鈥檚 fascination with other-worldly events using a familiar setting 鈥� a university campus.
The series focuses on a group of first-year students at the fictional King鈥檚 College who discover they鈥檝e been friends and聽enemies forever.
Karma, past lives and dream interpretation are among phenomena explored in the series聽that intermingles romance, mystery and intrigue.
Spiral was filmed at the sa国际传媒聽legislature, Fan Tan Alley, St.聽Ann鈥檚 Academy, Heritage Acres and on a tiny beach near Clover Point that they didn鈥檛 realize until shooting began was coincidentally called Spiral Beach.
Alexandra Beaton (The Next Step) heads the ensemble cast as聽Emma, a scholarship student whose animosity toward her privileged, self-possessed roommate Alex (Angela Palmer) is mutual.
Their co-stars include Enuka Okuma (Rookie Blue, Larry Crowe) as the college dean; Cody聽Kearsley (Riverdale) as Josh, the聽handsome campus charmer; Brennan Clost (The Next聽Step) as聽Clark, the nerd who聽keeps his distance; Sophie (Kailey Spear) as聽Alex鈥檚 free-spirited best friend; Corteon Moore (Backstage) as聽pre-med student David; and Louriza Tronco (Night at the Museum 3), as Grace, the philosophical eccentric.
While it initially seems like this聽group has nothing in common, a mysterious death brings them together, as well as a recurring dream they share that will unlock聽a mystery linking past to聽present.
For Tronco, whose gaming-obsessed character wears vintage聽clothing, shooting Spiral聽aroused deja vu inspired by聽her real-life past experiences in Victoria.
The Winnipeg-raised actor who聽got her start as a mouse in Royal Winnipeg Ballet鈥檚 The Nutcracker lived here in 2012 and聽2013 while attending the Canadian College of Performing Arts.
鈥淰ictoria was so amazing, a聽magical place, and the college was one of the best years of my life,鈥� said Tronco, who appeared in聽productions including Footloose and How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying.
Tronco, who has since appeared in screen projects including Disney Channel鈥檚 Zapped with Zendaya Coleman and the Nickelodeon series Make it Pop,聽said聽it聽was 鈥渁wesome鈥� to聽be聽back.
鈥淚t鈥檚 such a nice feeling being back in a city with so much going on but a small-town vibe,鈥� said Tronco, who still draws on her experiences at the CCPA.
鈥淚 still have mentors from there to this day,鈥� she said, referring to her film/TV coach Andrew McIlroy, acting (Shakespeare) instructor Christopher Weddell and voice teacher Marvin Regier.
Tronco, who describes Grace as 鈥渧ery delicate, pretty private 鈥� a strong silent type,鈥� said one thing that attracted her to the series was its mystery and suspense elements.
Director Jill Carter (Murdoch Mysteries) and her crew, including cinematographer Simon Schneider, who used his Alexa Amira camera to capture 4K broadcast footage, 鈥渁dhered to the rules of TV,鈥� Willliamson said.
There are some obvious differences when you鈥檙e adjusting them to make a digital series, however 鈥� like having to fit the 鈥渟eries arc to the size of our story,鈥� he said.
Adds Tronco: 鈥淭hey鈥檙e short [eight-minute] episodes so every scene and every word has a purpose, otherwise it wouldn鈥檛 have made it into the shot.鈥�
Doing extensive market research and knowing who your聽audience is and where they are online is essential, said Williamson. In this case, they鈥檙e focusing on 13-21 year olds.
鈥淭he days of making something for everybody on the internet are over,鈥� said Williamson, whose team started thinking about Facebook and Instagram before shooting even聽began.
鈥淚t鈥檚 driven by demographic and subject matter, and past lives fascinates many people. This felt聽like a good fit for a digital series because we can continue conversations on social media and聽our website.鈥�