Another gay series joins the boom in productions with the same theme that are set to premiere in the country in the coming months. Launched in September, "Just Heroes" is broadcast exclusively on the internet and already has three episodes – the fourth goes on air next Saturday (30).
Written and directed by Daniel Sena, the web series is set in Salvador and addresses the encounters and disagreements between Caio (Gleison Richelle) and Eduardo (Luiz Antonio Jr), who, despite living in the same city, never see each other and end up getting together. falling in love. In the plot, controversial themes such as bisexuality and AIDS become a repertoire for 21 other actors, some of them new to their artistic careers.
The forecast is that "Just Heroes" will have 14 episodes in this first season - a second part of the plot is already planned by the producers, despite the series having almost no resources, only the support of the Faculty of the City of Salvador, which lent the equipment for filming.
In an interview with the website The Cape, the director of the web series, Daniel Sena, explains that there is no intention of taking the project to television. "The idea is precisely to democratize access to history", says the director, aware of the sweeping power of the internet.
How did the idea for the series come about?
When I finished my journalism course, together with a friend, we created a project called "Baianada Cultural", which would be a virtual platform for showing videos, shorts and web series produced by us and with the participation of Bahian actors. With Faculdade da Cidade supporting the initiative, we searched the cast and started discussing the first productions and, among them, we thought it was fair to have a script aimed at the LGBT public, which could show issues related to the theme. From there came "Just Heroes", which gained its title due to the fact that homosexuals have to face the enemy of prejudice and adversity every day, making them a hero in the broadest sense of the word.
You say the project is independent and without resources, how did you manage to make it viable? How much did the project cost?
To date, we have the support of Faculdade da Cidade do Salvador, which provides us with the equipment for filming and the editing room. Furthermore, costumes, locations, makeup and other expenses come out of my pocket and the goodwill of the actors and people who were involved throughout the process, who seek borrowed resources and donations in this regard. Some locations were released for recording, such as the Off Club nightclub and the Novo Vilage restaurant, in Barra, where the plot takes place. The project does not have a fixed cost because with each recording new needs arise, but we usually use a lot of creativity to make up for the lack of resources. And now with the series on air, we hope to have some more affectionate support, if it doesn't happen, we will continue our work.
Is there any possibility of the series becoming a television project?
Not at first. "Only Heroes" was conceived for the internet and we will continue with this intention for at least the two seasons we have in mind. The idea is precisely to democratize access to history. We know that the greatest chance of a production of this type going on television is on a closed channel and, even so, the negotiation is very complicated. When we had the idea, we didn't want to go through the expectation of signing up with a broadcaster and depending on that to show it. Her language is for the internet and anyone can see it free of charge. We will have 14 chapters in the first season and one more in the second. Our evolution will be the creation of a website, but we will continue with the blog, which was our first home.
Who are the actors involved in the project? How did you deal with the homosexual theme?
We have 23 permanent actors in the cast. The majority received invitations for specific characters and come from Bahian theater. Beforehand, we sent the script and showed the plot objectives for each of them, knowing that this type of theme always sparks controversy and challenges. But we had a very positive response, everyone approaches the work professionally and is happy to contribute to the cause. For the main cast, where there are scenes of kisses, caresses and other stronger scenes, care was even greater. The cast also includes actors who are working in front of the camera for the first time, but we have a very good ensemble, I think the union makes the difference.
How important is the series for the discussion of homosexuality in the media in general?
The first thing we didn't want was to be a serious didactic that would teach people to respect gays or be a primer on topics related to this area. I believe that our importance is precisely to be light in a world where this topic is so heavy. We are dealing with AIDS, casual sex, bi characters, transvestites, effeminate gays, but we also talk about love and have a lot of humor. It's a soap opera, a product that doesn't intend to revolutionize, but "causes" precisely that. It's a series aimed at an audience, but can be watched by anyone else, because it's real. Her space is in Salvador, but relationships are similar anywhere in the world, that's our way of telling it. The dialogues, the actions, are everyday, the words shock, because it's funny to see on the Brazilian screen. "Just Heroes" can help the media stop treating it as the first gay Brazilian series shown on the internet and start questioning its themes. Who knows, other productions will replace them, just as happens in soap operas. The homosexuality discussed here needs, above all, to be more Brazilian, stopping copying trends from other countries.
:: To watch the episodes of "Only Heroes", go to www.justherois.blogspot.com.
