With season three of YouTube D&D comedy series 1 for All premiering earlier this month, Supanova in Melbourne will host two very special Q&A panels from not only the creators of the series but its cast.
This Saturday, May 22 will feature actors Kendall Drury, Eva Devore, Forgeling and Fall Cosplay talking all about the hit show, while Sunday, May 23 features a YouTube & Indie Filmmaking panel presented by Deerstalker Pictures and featuring crew Elliot Ryan, Goldie Soetianto, Vincent Power.
We caught up with Ryan to chat all about 1 for All.
For those unfamiliar with the series, what’s it all about?
1 for All is a fantasy comedy web series inspired by tabletop roleplaying games like Dungeons & Dragons, and our own sessions of the game. It follows a party as they get together around the table each week to undertake a quest in the fantasy world.
Each episode plays out through cutting back and forth between the party playing the tabletop board game in their living room, and their characters within the fantasy world experiencing the situation firsthand, with often chaotic outcomes determined by the roll of a dice. Think the ‘Expectation vs Reality’ meme, but make it fantasy TTRPG.
What can we expect from season three?
Thanks to funding from Screen Australia, we’ve been able to go crazy with bigger episodes, more ridiculous scenarios for our party to find themselves in, and a ridiculous amount of Fireball spells. Our first episode is a musical featuring an original song, dance choreography, and several fight sequences. It’s the most ambitious episode to date and we’re super excited to share it with everyone!
What was the inspiration behind creating 1 for All?
After many years making cosplay music videos and fan films, we were looking to make the leap into original content. We’d recently been introduced to D&D during its resurgence, and had so many fun stories from our sessions that we wanted to share with the world. So it all just fit together. Cut to several months later and we had our first episode!
What are some of the difficulties you have faced throughout production?
It wouldn’t be a shock to say that making a fantasy comedy web series in Sydney, Australia is incredibly challenging. We don’t have (many) castles lying around to use as backdrops. Trying to find a suitable location for each new episode is incredibly time-consuming. I think we’ve scoured most of Sydney and the surrounding regions by now. Maybe if we can get enough funding we’ll head across the pond and shoot something in the home of Middle-Earth?
COVID lockdown and border closures this year also delayed production as our Bard had moved states just before lockdown, but everything’s looking positive at the moment (fingers crossed).
What are some of your favourite moments so far?
It’s hard to pick a favourite moment of our 1 for All journey so far. We’ve come such a long way since we started in 2019, just a bunch of friends in a room together trying to make each other laugh. And we owe it all to the fans – without their support none of this would be possible! If I had to choose a favourite moment it would be when I got to share the news with the cast that Screen Australia had fully funded us for season three. We’d been struggling quite a bit during COVID-19 thanks to closed borders, and we weren’t really sure when we could continue making episodes. Seeing their faces light up when I told them I got a surprise phone call the other day from Screen Australia was an incredible moment.
Also, the musical episode is probably the most ambitious thing we’ve ever done and we’re so proud of that (and it was also heaps of fun and the song is a banger!).
What are your plans for the future of 1 for All?
I’ve got heaps of different plans and directions I’d love to take the series in, but we’re gonna wait and see how season three does before I get too carried away. But I’m thinking about a spin-off show with one of the recent characters we introduced.
Anything else you’d like to add?
Thanks so much to all the fans for your support. We’re constantly blown away by how much you all love the show. It’s been an incredible journey thanks to you guys and we can’t wait to see where it takes us next!
All images by Etienne
