CONFESSIONS OF A YOUTUBE SUPERGIRL: A Word With LIFE XP Series Creator, Actress Cassandra Ebner
It had been a while since I was in touch with actress and stunt performer Cassandra Ebner, and so in the months since she released a trailer for upcoming webseries, Life XP, it remained on the back of my mind. It’s a good thing I remembered it too seeing as Ebner just recently received funding for the new series and she sounded visibly excited when she posted the update on Facebook.
I wanted to learn a little more about the show and that of the actress who first came on my radar several years ago when she and collaborator, Trevor Addie, took part in a fantastic shortfilm inspired by Tomb Raider; It was an incredible piece of work and more than enough to garner my continued interest this day, and especially following the warm reception she received back in Spring as one in a raft of 2018 Artemis Women In Action Film Festival Honorees, which I think is tons of badass.
You can view that spectacular montage here, while this week’s interview with Life XP star and creator, Cassandra Ebner, is just below!
Greetings Cassandra and thank you for taking the time to share your story with me. How has the year been for you so far?
It has been a crazy year! I’ve been busy learning the filmmaking process while getting hired to do a lot of Stunt Acting. My webseries I wrote last year is being funded and we’re filming in August! 2018 has honestly been a whirlwind!!
Tell me about yourself and how long you’ve been in stunts and acting. How did you get started?
I got a part in a movie as a supporting character in a film in my hometown of West Kelowna when I was 16. Prior to that I was doing online live shows (before Twitch) and making short films for YouTube categorizing me as a “YouTuber”. I later started training to do stunts once I knew my background in acting and rugby was an asset. I moved to Vancouver after high school with $500 in my bank account and 2 years later I was a working professional stunt woman… this is obviously leaving out a lot of the middle boring stuff but if I was to answer how I got started…. I feel like I’ve always been doing what I love and still feel like I’m only getting started on a long term journey!
What have some of your favorite or most memorable projects been in stunts and acting?
This one’s so hard! So many great memories with friends/coworkers and business partners!! One of my most surreal moments on set was when I was working on Game Of Thrones as a Child Of The Forest in season 6. I was standing outside, fake snow blowing over the field in front of me and I was watching an army of white walkers making their way towards me. The cameras were rolling and I started to cry because I couldn’t believe that I was there on one of my favourite shows in the world. This geeky girl from a small town who appreciates cosplay, loves superheroes and would die if she was on a medieval show… WAS ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WORLD BEING APART OF A FREAKING COOL TV SHOW! Getting to be a character in make believe world was one of the coolest things for this a girl who made her dreams come true… thankfully no one noticed I was crying and it worked for the scene… ACTING!
Croft was my inaugural way in to your work. Talk about filming that short and some of the experiences you had on it.
Croft was one of my first Acting/Stunt combination roles. It was also exciting for me because I had always wanted to make a Tomb Raider type film and when I approached Trevor Addie about it, he wanted to make a film too! Great combo! His very talented friend Stirling Bancroft, DOP, also wanted to make a film with Trevor. So Irma Leong, Trevor Addie and Stirling Bancroft made it happen! I got to kill stunt guys for most of the winter of 2013. I wouldnt have spent that winter any other way. The amount of stories I have from this shoot should be it’s own interview! ? Just have to say it was such a combined effort of so many professionals and people supporting the film, it wouldn’t have come together without everyone giving there 100% into it!
Talk about your training regimen. What does a typical day at the gym look like for you?
Wake up. Put my super hero cape on, stand in the Earth’s sunlight which refreshes my outerworldy powers. And I start my day!
What are some of your own favorite films or TV shows? Any particular influences stand out in the course of your own creativity?
For sure! I was so easily influenced as a kid by TV and movies! It’s completely made me into who I am today. One of the stories that come to mind (as my parents tell this one all the time…) Was me running around the house mimicing Xena’s signature scream. Yes… I am so much cooler now for telling you that.
Cartoons!! I LOVED CARTOONS! I still love cartoons! Jackie Chan adventures, Kim Possible, X-Men, Digimon, Yu-Gi-Oh… ANYTHING that had cool action, powers and world building! I was obsessed with the Tomb Raider movies, Charlie’s Angels, Lord Of The Rings, Harry Potter, Jim Carey and Jackie Chan movies.
And we can’t forget TV! Legend of the Seeker, The Amanda Show, anything magical related and comedy related!
I love watching stories and entertainment that brings me on an adventure. I knew from 6 years of age this was the industry I wanted to be apart of!
Tell us about Life XP.
I grew up making YouTube videos and being apart of the YouTube community, so I watched some of the earlier viral videos and people shaping what we watch today. One of these things was a webseries called the Guild by Felicia Day. I loved it so much, this series GOT ME! It was my life! Making friends in game, being awkward, not feeling like I fit in. I WANTED TO MAKE SOMETHING LIKE THIS! At first I thought I would make a fan film in high school, pretending to be her gamer cousin… as you can tell that idea didn’t come to fruition. Then later I tried doing a webseries with friends about superpowers but for some reason it never took off. Then after getting a Vive, sharing it with friends and family and watching their experience for the first time. It hit me! This is how I can put my weird gaming experiences in my life and write them into jokes, make new friends who enjoy this content and fulfil my dream of making a web-series that speaks to me. And due to there not being much content out their like this… I am making something I would want to watch and hopefully others would too!
It’s been a while since you announced this project and now it appears you’ve grown a step closer with IPF. How hard is it to finance a project like yours or any project these days?
There are so many different answers to this question from everything I’ve learned and researched thus far. There are so MANY ways to get funding for a project, it just depends what route you choose and how far your willing to go to make it happen. AND THEN you have to be approved for all the work you’ve put in… and sometimes that doesn’t happen. Long answer it is quite hard – time, energy, life circumstance, etc. etc. I hate making excuses for things because I really believe if you want to do something you can find a way to make it happen. I’ve noticed the biggest hurdle for me is balancing the day job and the passion project. The passion project is sort of apart of me now. I dream about it, I wake up to it, I fight with it… oh wow, I may have to look for a different definition for this project. Anyhow, it’s a huge part of my life right now, especially because I’m learning a lot of the funding process while researching/implementing things to make this project the best it can be! This is all so new and exciting, the skills I’ve gained out of this venture is only going to benefit the stories I have to tell after Life XP.
Tell us about the proximity between now and the show’s arrival and what fans can expect from this show going forward.
The release will be sometime in early 2019. There are a lot of fun characters in this series. Fun subtle references can be expected and lots of ways people can support the series! There will be Twists – turns and a lot of potential for future gaming companies to jump on board ?
There’s a lot of love going into this project from so many people involved, so we hope the community that follows it will help spread the love they will see on the screen! ☺
What are some of the biggest lessons and aspirations you take with you going forward?
You can’t give up, do the work, surround yourself with good people and be willing to learn because WE DON’T KNOW EVERYTHING! I never thought I would get to where I am today so I am excited for what the future holds. If I didn’t try I would never know what could have been…. I can keep naming cheesy lines that I completely believe or I can stop here, say thank you for the interview and go prove to the world I’m trying my hardest!
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Native New Yorker. Been writing for a long time now, and I enjoy what I do. Be nice to me!