Ahead of the inaugural Melbourne Web Series Festival on 20 July, we’re profiling all 30 series that made the Official Selection list. Next up is “Abigail” created by Nathaniel Collum and written by Martin Smith

Filmed in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, Abigail focuses the beautiful young woman Abigail. She is happily married and hoping to have a child soon with her loving husband. But Abigail is not human. She is the masterwork of decades of engineering and the prized possession of Adam Robotics. She is blissfully unaware of what and where she really is. Haunted by a memory she doesn’t understand, she’s thrust into a world of corporate espionage, revenge and betrayal when she’s kidnapped by a man with a dangerous secret.

What inspired your series?

Abigail was inspired by a solo performance project Nathaniel Collum developed entitled Mr. Machine. He was exploring ways to bring science fiction experiences to live theatre, especially as a solo piece. When Nathaniel co-founded Red Raccoon Entertainment with his friends and fellow alumni, they pitched ideas for web series. The character of Abigail came from the Mr. Machine universe, and the project was born.

Why should people watch your series?

Red Raccoon’s motto is to “tell stories well”. We believe Abigail is a fresh take on the robot story that keeps you guessing every step of the way. We think it’s a fun ride that you won’t want to end.

What do you want people to take away from your series?

Most importantly, we tell stories to entertain the audience. The goal of the show was to bring science fiction back into the living room and relatable world. We wanted to tell a “robot” story that wasn’t about robots. A common universal experience is finding out that life isn’t exactly as it seems. This is Abigail’s experience, just on a grander scale. Abigail is not special because she’s “the one” or “destined for greatness.” She’s actually quite common in the universe of her story. She’s our hero because she chooses to be. We wanted to highlight that amazing quality within all of us – choice.

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

Like all independent projects, finances are low and helping hands are few, but the biggest challenge was actually scheduling.

How do you reach your audience?

Entirely by word of mouth, Facebook and Twitter.

Why make a web series?

We’re a brand new company. We wanted a place where we could share our work and ideas in a nurturing community. Sure the web has its trolls, but we’ve found that most people are really positive and encouraging. It’s been the perfect place to work while we grow as storytellers.

Abigail on the web!

Twitter: https://twitter.com/abigailtheshow

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/abigailtheshow#

Website: https://www.abigailtheshow.com/

Keep up to date with Melbourne WebFest on Twitter: @MelbWebFest.