Webseries creator Matthew Smolen taking on the web by storm

The Courier caught up the creative mind behind award winning web series Chris and Josh which has been recently announced as an official selection at the 2015 Melbourne Webfest this July.

Smolen who has always been involved with film said his webseries was about offering people an escape from their busy lives through comedy.

"The series came from a need to do something creative - I had been working in the film world for a few years and had found myself working 'the job' rather than pursuing the creative opportunities I first wanted to chase," he said.

"So I wrote some ideas based on bizarre thoughts I had and it grew from there. 

He said the characters of Chris and Josh, who are played by Shane Savage and Matt Werkmeister, are an example of strong male friendships.

"You see bromance being thrown around a lot but I feel like this is the next step, where the strong friendship is the focus," he said.

"Because I wanted the show to focus on the two of them and their relationship together, it allowed us to go crazier with the concepts or situations we put them in - that's why one week you can have them accidentally crashing a funeral (thinking it's a murder mystery party) and the next they can be living in a 'Breaking Bad' parody, fighting zombies, being phenomenal rappers or anything else just as wacky."

"It's also a heightened reality - we get to see extreme versions of events that stem from reality but are based on real situations - which lets people relate to the characters and see themselves in either Chris (the pragmatist) or Josh (lovingly referred to as an idiot)."

What began as filming four episodes a day in his living room, now sees Smolen, Savage and Werkmeister winning awards around the world.

But for Smolen who hailed from Gordon, his career wouldn't have progressed without web series.

"Once upon a time, making a film or a show was so expensive, not to mention getting people to actually see it was an arduous task," he said.

"Now the barrier to entry is practically non-existent. You can shoot HD video on your phone, edit it on a laptop and upload it to Youtube for the entire world to view."

This July Smolen will come up against other creative innovators as part of the international web series festival in Melbourne.

"Australian shows have stood up next to shows from around the world, and to have a festival in Australia that celebrates web content is something to be immensely proud of. It proves that we're at the forefront of new media creation and we're honoured to be a part of that."

As for Chris and Josh, Smolen and his team are currently working on the next step.

"As much as we've taken huge leaps and bounds as far as web content is concerned, the only real sustainable way to make more of the show is to head back to traditional media such as television and cinema. So we're exploring some big ideas." he said

"The show is so malleable it's finding the right format or framework that works, while staying true to the characters and the comedy between them."