It’s a new school year and a second season of “Dorm Life.”
Created by seven UCLA students who met while participating in Spring Sing’s Company in 2007, “Dorm Life” follows the ups and downs of college life told in an online mockumentary a la “The Office” and “Arrested Development” about students living together on the same floor. The second season begins in October; the exact date has yet to be announced.
The series, which features short, seven-minute comedic episodes and improvised “webcam” mini-monologues, has become popular on sites like YouTube, Metacafe and Hulu, having reached the million-view mark last May. With a something-for-everyone mentality, the show attracts broad audiences from high school and college students to parents and alumni.
“It’s your first year living in the dorms as freshmen. You’re in this new living space where you have to meet people in your room and people next door. Whether or not they’re going to be your friends for life or not, you learn so much living on your own and being away from home,” said Mark Iverson, a fourth-year film and television student and cocreator and codirector of the show.
The characters’ stereotypes like the joker, the nice guy, the sorority girl and the actor were created to be relatable and complement each other with different styles of humor.
“The humor is mostly our seven minds going at it. With all these different kinds within our one writing group, we try to make everyone laugh. I think that’s where a lot of our comedy comes from: making us all laugh as opposed to just one mind,” said Iverson.
Over the summer, the cast and crew filmed three weeks straight to make 21 new episodes. On the second season of “Dorm Life,” Iverson hinted at playing with form and experimenting with the cameras and cast.
“We expanded on a lot of character story lines, dealing with actual relationships and new loves and firsts. There’s a lot of new firsts this season,” said Iverson.
“After winter break the characters are back. It’s a lot more about relationships and people interactions. We definitely wanted more character growth and learning about ourselves, so we hope we portrayed that,” said fourth-year psychology student Jordan Riggs, a writer and actor on the show. His character, Daniel Benjamin, is the epitome of an entering college student.
“He’s the new-to-everything kid. He comes into college with no idea what it’s supposed to be like. I think there’s a bit of that in everyone, and there’s a lot of uncertainty when it comes to freshman year. People can relate to Daniel in that way,” said Riggs.
“I feel like this season is going to be even better than the last. It’s much more plot-oriented and less about theme,” said Zachary Morris, a third-year theater student who plays “the actor” Josh Morgan. “Maybe it’s just the maturity of the writing, but it’s also that we’ve created a sound foundation for Season 1, so this season it’s just a matter of coming full circle,” said Morris.
With interesting story arches, embellished characters and many new firsts to look forward to, “Dorm Life” Season 2 will air online soon. For new students just entering the real dorm life, Riggs has some advice worth jotting down.
“Daniel Benjamin would probably say “˜Keep your room clean and study hard,’ but I would say “˜Don’t take yourself too seriously.’ Try to be willing and open to do things you probably wouldn’t normally (do), because that’s definitely a main lesson Daniel learns. Sometimes you have to get out of your comfort zone to experience college and all it has to offer.”
Catch up on “Dorm Life” Season 1 at dorm-life.com.