A Shared House is an Australian online sitcom created by Georgia Woodward and Joshua Lundberg. The series is available on YouTube and Vimeo On Demand .
The series follows Charlotte, a dissatisfied woman in search of her identity, who is stuck with a house under lease and a stack of bills when her long-term boyfriend, Oscar, leaves her. With new housemates – Lucas, Michael, and Liz moving in, A Shared House explores the experience of a bunch of dysfunctional people living in share houses. A Shared House episodes were produced in a single-camera setup and were filmed in Sydney.
All four episodes of Season One were released on 13 November 2015. Unlike most web series at the time all four episodes in the Season were released on the same day to take advantage of the tendency for audiences to binge watch.
The series stars Georgia Woodward, David Halgren, Grace Avery and Sonny-Joe Flanagan. All four episodes were directed by Joshua Lundberg.
A Shared House Season One received international critical acclaim, winning Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series at the LA Web Festival, as well as earning nominations for Outstanding Actor and Actress awards for Georgia Woodward and David Halgren. It was titled "The Best Web Series of 2015" by web critic – WEB SERIES 2 WATCH (WHAT U WANT TO WATCH), and received a 9/10 Rating by The AU Review.
In early 2016, Season 2 was announced and released in December 2016 on YouTube.
Development and production
Conception
In 2014 Lundberg was shooting a short film titled Unmanned in which Woodward was the Lead actress. The two felt they worked well together, "We had always shared a similar sense of humor – I thought he was a visionary Director; he’s one of those very rare ‘actors Director." Woodward reached out to Lundberg in January 2015 over a coffee to discuss the possibility of making a comedy series.
Woodward felt that it was an incredible time to be making online content with the rise of the web series format – "creators are able to make the shows they want to make without waiting for the phone to ring". Joshua had been working in the online space for a number of years, working as both a creative and Producer.
The two began writing and developing the series through early 2015. Lundberg was studying at The International Film School in Sydney and had two other major projects he was working on, "Operation Eldridge" and "The Last Brush". Georgia was 6 months into an acting degree at Sydney Theatre School. She dropped out in July 2015, shortly after shooting A Shared House. "I had a gut feeling that this show would be a game changer and I needed to wholeheartedly participate, I have never regretted it."
Filming
Season One
Shooting commenced in July 2015. Season One was filmed in Haberfield in the Inner-West of Sydney. The house was a lent to the production crew. The shooting took place over 10 days.
Joshua andCinematographer Brenton Cassidy, chose to work with the Canon 5D Mark II. The series was shot in 1080p HD video using custom Magic Lantern firmware configurations.
Season Two
The second series, production had changed the main location of the house to a larger, more up market set. The house was located in Chippendale in Sydney.
Additional filming locations for Michael's bike shop was shot at Ride In Workshop in Balgowlah on Sydney's North Shore. The bowling alley in Episode 3 was shot at Bateau Bay Ten Pin Bowl on the Central Coast, NSW. Additional park scenes were filmed on Sydney's Northern Beaches and at Macquarie University
Music
Season One
Season One features as 'jaunty' jass score composed by Joseph Giuffrida.
Season Two
Season Two features a jazz score and original music composed by Wesley Chapman.
Cast and characters
The plot of A Shared House follows characters Charlotte, Michael, Lucas, and Liz who all live in a share house previously owned by Charlotte and her ex-boyfriend Oscar. The series features an ensemble cast. The series features four main roles:
Georgia Woodward as Charlotte: Charlotte is a dissatisfied mid-twenties woman. Unlucky in life and love, she hides her feelings behind obsessive hobbies like hoarding collectibles.
David Halgren as Michael: a caring former addict of clubbing in the early 2000s. He is the eldest of the group. Michael is a quick-witted, confident gay man who moves into Charlotte's townhouse after a bad break up. He runs a successful bike shop.
Grace Avery as Liz: a cynical, introverted woman who develops a loathing for Charlotte.