Miriam El Abbassi | Arts Editor
Featured Image: Bast’s interests in film stem from a Youtube channel he created at 15. | Veronica Szudlarek
Mahlon Bast is a third-year cinema and media studies (CMS) student, who used his time during last year’s strike to embark on something slightly ambitious—producing an entire web series.
Bast’s interests in film stem from a YouTube channel he created when he was 15 years old, with his cousin and his sister. The channel focused on comedy skits, some of which he wrote, starred in, and directed. He acknowledges that the goal during that time was to have a higher quantity of content (rather than be extremely picky about having the best quality possible), as that was what helped foster an even stronger interest in working within the film industry.
During the infamous strike, which undoubtedly created a plethora of problems, Bast was able to band together a modest crew of people, who helped bring his vision to life. Shot exclusively at York, the web series, Stunt Club, follows the story of a failed stuntman named Sal, who approaches a university about wanting to start a stunt class. The Dean initially refuses that request, but allows him to create a small club, giving Sal an inkling of hope that if the club gains enough traction, it will eventually become an established class.
When asked about the inspiration behind Stunt Club, Bast replies: “My inspiration came from shows like The Office, with its single camera mockumentary style. I’ve always been into physical humour, and I really like doing small-stunt stuff. So we wanted to kind of create something around that premise.”
Bast goes on to describe the various challenges that arose: “Finding locations is a challenge, because it costs a lot of money to get locations. This also started during the strike last year, and we took that time to really dive into it. It was helpful to have that time, but that’s not going to happen every year. So it’s going to get a little bit harder to continue.”
As the producer, writer, and star of Stunt Club, Bast says being in the CMS program has only given him more motivation to further pursue a career in film, as he tries to elevate his portfolio with various passion projects outside of the classroom, like Stunt Club.
Bast advises future filmmakers to: “Just go for it.”
When you’re starting out, quantity is better than quality. Not saying it has to be bad, but make as much as you can, and keep learning from creating. Every time you make something, make something better the next time.”
The first five episodes of Stunt Club will be premiering on March 14, at 7:30 p.m., ending at around 8:30 p.m., in the Winters College Junior Common Room. Optional donations will be accepted at the door, and there will also be specialized merchandise sold.
