Phantom Sway presents: WIGS

[dropcap]W[/dropcap]IGS is a comedy web series mockumentary that follows young Isaac as his desperation for a paycheck leads him to join a motley crew of historical reenactors. Creator/director Matt Edwards – along with partner Richard Mattox – produces a fun, clever twist on a familiar genre, bringing us characters that are both ridiculous and endearing. Scroll down to learn more about Edwards and stay tuned for Episode 102 airing on Wig Wednesday, November 4th.

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WIGS creator/director Matt Edwards

Tell us a little bit about yourself.

I am Matt Edwards, I am a filmmaker from Los Angeles. I’ve been working in independent film, television and new media for 15 years. Additionally, I’m the program director for a nonprofit organization that helps emerging filmmakers develop their careers and I also host a film retrospective podcast called The Rear View.

What’s your background/education?

My film education started at an early age, devouring Hitchcock and Spielberg films when I was 10 years old. Later on I dropped out of college to begin taking jobs on set. One of my earliest jobs was as a camera PA on a short film starring Jeremy Renner. The DP told me to grab the sticks from the truck. I had no idea what sticks were, but I ran to the truck anyway to grab them and asked another guy, “If someone asked you to bring them sticks, what would you grab?” He answered “tripod” and I grabbed it and ran back. I can honestly say everything I’ve learned about making films, and continue to learn is by working on set.

Have you ever had any memorable responses to your work?

Honestly, the moments that stick out the best for me are when crew members on my sets, who I’ll be working with for the first time, are genuinely having a good time working. To see your crew laughing during takes, or coming up to say how fun it has been to work on my sets is the best feeling. It’s also a good barometer of the potential the final product has of making an impact. But if you can’t have fun doing what you love – then what’s the point?

How did ‘Wigs’ come about? What was your inspiration?

Wigs was developed from an idea by my partner on the series, Richard Mattox. He had actually spent time playing James Madison, so his exposure to some of the behind the scenes personalities and experiences really allowed us to have a great foundation to create this world. We also are both fans of the mockumentary so it was a great fit, and it certainly allowed me as a director to draw heavily on my influences from great directors like Robert Altman and Christopher Guest.

What is the best piece of advice you ever got?

The key to comedy, is to never try to be funny. Just be sincere.

What is the worst?

“Always have a backup career plan.” No way, you gotta work without a net and focus on making it across at all costs.

What’s next for ‘Wigs’ and Matt Edwards?

After playing out in some festivals, I’m thrilled ‘Wigs’ finally gets its online premier. I look forward to hearing the feedback from folks online and hopefully it is does well enough that we can launch a crowdfunding campaign to get the gang back together again for more episodes. We’ve got plenty of storylines laid out for our characters to wade through.