Features Interviews

INTERVIEW: Steven Jay, Creator/Writer of Hypervision

As adults, we live out our mundane lives in routine fashion, seemingly forgetting how full of imagination we once were when we were children. But what if we found a way to not only rekindle our imaginative youth, but balanced that with our grown-up duties?

Writer/film-maker Steven Jay puts these concepts to the test in Hypervision, a fantasy/action/comedy web series that’s currently crowdfunding on Indiegogo. We recently had the chance to speak to Steven about what exactly Hypervision is all about…

A Place To Hang Your Cape: Can you tell our readers a little bit about Hypervision?

Steven Jay: Hypervision is an upcoming comedic/action/fantasy series following four unlikely friends who rebel against being boring adults, and instead have wacky adventures powered by their own child-like imaginations.

For instance, remember when you played “The Floor is Lava”? Well, in episode 1, the floor is lava! And our heroes must escape by jumping on surfaces. In episode 2, a cardboard box becomes a ship. In episode 3, they battle a monster from underneath a child’s bed. You get the gist!

AP2HYC: What made you want to pursue it?

Jay: This is a concept I’ve been working on for over 2 and a half years now (almost 3). The scripts and characters have developed so much over time, and now I’m a qualified filmmaker and actor, I have an incredible team of people who believe in this vision, so it’s the perfect time for Hypervision.

AP2HYC: Hypervision is centred on unleashing your inner child – why did you want to tackle this concept?

Jay: 3 years ago I lived a life of routine – every day I would go to work and wait to go home, then go home and wait to go to work. I became somewhat emotionally numb. One day after work I visited a playground. No one was around, so I began to play like any child would. Playing brought back so much forgotten excitement and ambition, which led me to pursue a life in Los Angeles and become a filmmaker. And all I had to do was use my imagination.

Hypervision begs the question – why can’t we as adults have responsibilities AND adventures everyday?

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AP2HYC: How exactly are you planning to produce this series once the Indiegogo campaign is completed?

Jay: We already have our cast & crew, who have come together to create our awesome series trailer, which you can find on our campaign page – igg.me/at/hypervision. There’s lots of preparation to do once the campaign ends – scheduling, permits, rehearsals, etc. Everything will be filmed inside a studio and in the streets of Los Angeles. There’ll be a lot of focus on performance and special effects.

AP2HYC: The trailer hints at a very character-driven series. Can you tell us a bit about each character, and what they bring to the series?

Jay: Each character has their own kind of crazy, but they all have one thing in common – a powerful imagination.

There’s Freddie, our office work-drone who’s forgotten what it’s like to feel excitement – until he meets the rest of our crew. He’s rather clumsy, often needs to take a second look at things, and his weapon of choice is an egg whisk.

Rox has not only been home schooled, but also locked up in her bedroom her entire life, thus has no knowledge of the “real world”. She struggles to speak to “normal people”, and she has a rebellious attitude, often acting without though of consequence. Her weapon of choice is a nunchuck made of a jump-rope. And she loves donuts.

Captain is a crazy homeless dude, but in his mind he is THE CAPTAIN, brave, handsome hero of all citizens, the best thing since sliced bread. He is self titled “leader” of the group, and Captain of his ship – which is basically a cardboard box. His weapon of choice are his mighty fists of fortitude.

Monster is their imaginary friend. He comes from underneath a child’s bed, and would rather just be left alone. However his intellect and technological know-how proves useful to the team, so he’s often bribed to join them in their adventures. His weapon of choice is Supersonic Burps.

AP2HYC: What exactly can we expect from Hypervision itself, story-wise?

Jay: Story-wise, we focus on Freddie’s path on finding the perfect balance between a life of responsibility and a life of adventure. He quickly learns of a phenomenon called “Shadow Lords”. Shadow Lords are adults who try to strip you of your imagination, and they can be in the form of parents, teachers, or work bosses. As our heroes battle these Shadow Lords, they make a stand and say no to a life of routine, a life of being told what to do. They choose to maintain their childish creativity – to achieve incredible, fantastical results.

AP2HYC: What is it that makes Hypervision so special?

Jay: Hypervision is about everyone who ever lived. Everyone had adventures as children, and everyone gets stressed about life when we grow up. When you watch Hypervision, you’ll remember all the fun you’d forgotten, and realise it’s never too late to enjoy your life.

You can back Hypervision here, and check out the series trailer below! You can follow Hypervision on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram too!

About the author

Fred McNamara