Husband and wife duo Emma Choy and Philip Hayden star opposite each other in ‘Til You Make It, a new comedy they created alongside Scott Major that has wrapped filming in Victoria.
Art imitates life in the series, with the pair playing Mei and Tim, a married couple that is striving to achieve their childhood dreams while learning to navigate the challenges of adulthood.
As they face the increasing pressures of ‘adulting’, they must grapple with the realities of the modern world, including a cast of colourful characters who offer their opinions, and the ongoing battle with the housing market.
Choy and Hayden are joined by a bumper cast that includes Damian Walshe-Howling, Nadine Garner, Menik Gooneratne, Kym Valentine, Tilly Legge, Amanda LaBonte, Stephen Phillips, Jessica Martin, Candice Leaske, Lansy Feng, Francesca Waters, and Major, who also directs and produces.
Hayden wrote the series, which comprises four episodes of 15-20 minutes, and also serves as executive producer, while Riley Sugars is series producer and Choy is also a producer. Other creatives involved include Gemma Louise Murphy as directors attachment, associate producer and production manager; director of photography Anthony Littlechild; production designer Nina Pejcic; and editor Cameron Ford.
Shot across two weekends in Melbourne on a budget of less than $50,000, the independently financed project does not yet have a confirmed distribution platform, with the production team in discussions with potential buyers.
Sugars said while a self-release was a possibility, he was hesitant to class it as a web series.
“It was pitched, marketed, and discussed as a web series when we were making it, but I don’t really want us to use that vocabulary anymore because I think we can have more serious conversations with bigger services,” he said.
Sugars, who directed and co-wrote AACTA-nominated short Hatchback, came on board with ‘Til You Make It in February after being approached by Major, who was “instantly in” after reading Hayden’s scripts.
“Working with some great friends on something that will make you laugh, cry and cringe all at the same time,” Major said.
“The scripts written by the wonderful Phil Hayden really blew me away – I was laughing out loud reading them.”
In a statement, Hayden said the concept was inspired by a “whole host of female-led comedies” they’d seen in the past five years.
“I was excited to take the ramblings of my wife out of the bedroom and into the world, or at least Melbourne,” he said.
“We’re excited to be creating something with heart, edge, and humour and can’t wait to share it.”