The Disposables – Behind the Scenes

Co-creators Sonia Whiteman, Renny Wijeyamohan and Karen Radzyner discuss the multi-platform release strategy for their online project, The Disposables.

With an understanding of audience fragmentation, the team behind the new project The Disposables wanted to implement a different strategy to reach their younger audience. There will be several versions of the show: a 32 x 2-minute series on TikTok; a 3 x 30-minute version for ABC Me, and a 61-minute feature version on TikTok and iview.

With such a variety of distribution, and both vertical and horizontal versions to consider, filming and ensuring the frame suited all formats was a challenge for the team. Furthermore, they decided to film in the “found footage” style with smart phones, security cameras, laptop cameras and news bulletins providing the mechanics to convey the narrative.

“We were always shooting on very wide lenses because characters are up close and dominating the frame,” explains writer, producer and director Renny Wijeyamohan. “But you still need enough width to show the background… so it was an interesting way of storytelling.”

In this behind-the-scenes video, the team discuss the design process of the plastic-eating creature and the challenges of blocking actors for a vertical and horizontal frame.

The Disposables is available on TikTok, ABC TV and iview from 22 September, 2023.