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    Local Artists Create Supernatural Web Series

    Friendship, ghost hunting and a hacked webcam bring local artists together for a supernatural web series.

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    To make that happen, Michelle Hanson found herself becoming a filmmaker.

    “I’m more of a writer and a novelist than a filmmaker,” she says. “The filmmaking aspect came more because I wanted to see my writing on film, so I picked up a camera.”

    The outcome was Red Rue, a 17-episode web series Hanson wrote, directed and produced.

    “I did almost everything except act,” she laughs. “I prefer to be behind the camera and leave the acting to the professionals who are really good at this. I’m fortunate to have access to so many great actors in Columbus.”

    To find the cast for her series, Hanson tapped her contacts at MadLab Theatre. The cast includes ensemble members Colleen Dunne, Laura Spires, Kyle Jepson, Cat McAlpine, Anna Leeper, Stephen Woosley and Andy Woodmansee.

    “All of the cast is a part of MadLab Theatre, which I’m also involved with,” she says. “I’ve been working with them for three years now and I kind of know their personalities and how strong their friendship is, so when it came for casting, they just kind of fell naturally into their roles.”

    They play a group of friends who work together to keep evil hunters from snaring the ghost of Rue, a woman who died a century ago.

    “The point of view for the series is through a hacked webcam,” she says. “The audience gets to see what’s going on in the living room and the characters don’t know they’re being watched.”

    Hanson says she wrote the show—and particularly the strong female characters—for the LGBT community.

    “All the characters either identify as lesbian or bisexual, except for the hunters, who are the villains. Their sexual orientation isn’t really explored,” she says. “The show isn’t dependent on anyone’s sexual orientation. The characters are going through a life and death situation and they just happen to be gay. This could happen to be any group of friends. I wanted to include the LGBT community just for those who are watching and happen to identify that way, to show strong friendships within that community and that life gets better.”

    The first three episodes will be available on Monday, September 18. After that, one episode drops every Monday and Wednesday, each running anywhere from three to seven minutes long.

    Find episodes on YouTube at www.youtube.com/c/RedRueSeries

    Read more from Hope at MADDWOLF and listen to her podcasts FRIGHT CLUB and THE SCREENING ROOM.

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    Hope Madden
    Hope Maddenhttps://columbusunderground.com
    Hope Madden is a freelance contributor on Columbus Underground who covers the independent film scene, writes film reviews and previews film events.
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