Where were you when the mountain blew?
On Friday, a blue Volkswagen van/mobile film studio will be parked outside Eagle Harbor Books from 5 to 8 p.m. to collect islanders’ stories about the Mount St. Helens eruption.
Local production company Draft 22 is teaming up with Honey Toad Studio to create an anthology-style web series — “Who Will You Save?” — about man’s struggle to survive in the face of disaster.
The series’ opening season, “Beacon,” will feature a dramatic volcano plot set in 1980 in a re-imagined Bainbridge Island. Subsequent seasons will highlight new crises and new characters.
In the lead-up to the pilot episode, which is expected to air on Oct. 1, the filmmakers will release clips from Friday’s interviews.
While it’s possible that islanders’ personal experiences could make it into the show’s plot, producer Wendy Wallace said her team is mostly interested in generating excitement for the series, which will revolve around audience engagement.
It’s “Survivor” meets the “Choose Your Own Adventure” gamebooks: Every week, viewers will have 36 hours to vote for their favorite characters online, and the character with the fewest votes will be written out of the show — to put it nicely.
“It’s going to be heartbreaking every time a character has to die,” Wallace said. “But we’re putting [them] at the mercy of the fan base.”
Wallace expects the local cast to get involved, too.
“We hope actors will tweet out to their fans, [go to] whatever lengths to [save themselves],” she said.
The elimination feature will create a unique challenge for the series’ creators, who will scramble to write, film and edit each episode in just a few days.
Still, Wallace and her team are excited to break new ground and produce such an open-ended story.
“There are a lot of web series out in the universe; we were trying to come up with something that would capture our audience’s energy,” she said.
There’s also a charity component to the project. Draft 22 and Honey Toad Studio are still ironing out logistics, but the plan is to sell votes, with proceeds going to the production team and/or partner charities, depending on the viewer’s preference.
The “Who Will You Save?” crew will be conducting interviews about the day that Mount St. Helens blew during the First Friday Art Walk. Interested parties are encouraged to bring their photos and other memorabilia.
Those unable to make the recording session on Friday should contact Wendy Wallace to set up a separate appointment. She can be reached at 206-992-6335 or wendy@draft22.com.
