Avalon Now season two promises new struggles and more stripes

More kale, more stripes, and definitely more white. Hang on to your organically sourced-cotton homewares: the second season of Avalon Now is here.

Launched on Thursday night on home soil, the brains behind the tongue-in-cheek look at the struggle of life on Sydney’s northern beaches promise more stripes and new struggles as the characters prepare for the social event of the year – the White Party.

The first series was a resounding success and won an award for the best use of social media or content – cultural or lifestyle at the 22nd annual AMY awards – Australia’s most prestigious digital industry awards – earlier this year. 

It’s a look into the life of the totally empowered and franchised – “happiness is expensive” – but ask producers and directors Bruce Walters and Felix Williamson if the series is satire or documentary, and opinion is split. “Mockumentary” is the term preferred.

Williamson says he and Walters argued whether events in this season were too realistic for viewers to actually believe.

“I went to a barbecue in Avalon, they had a pig on a spit … the pig caught fire, so they had to rush to put it out. Of course you would use San Pellegrino. So then they went ‘OK, the pig’s out’ and at that point, you’d go, right, the pig is out, maybe next time we’ll put a jug of water there if it happens again. No, here’s two more bottles of San Pellegrino in case it happens again.

“That doesn’t seem real and it can’t go in because it seems ridiculous.”

Walters adds that several crew members thought the events in the show were just a joke until they came to shoot scenes on location.

Williamson explains: “Put it this way: we’re shooting something and 10 people walk past in a stripy shirt and the crew go, ‘Oh, are they extras?’ and you go ‘No, they’re just people walking down the street’.

“We planning to have a story meeting, Bruce and I, and Bruce goes, ‘Look, I’m going to be late because I have to go up and vote Green and get the bunny inoculated’. And I was like ‘Keep talking’.”

Domain chief editorial and marketing officer Melina Cruickshank, who doubles as Avalon Now‘s executive producer, says the series has grown brand awareness of Domain as being more than a real estate listings company.

“We are reaching completely new audiences that wouldn’t have considered Domain before,” she says. “People engage with these short films online and become advocates for Domain by sharing it tens of thousands of times, over and over again. 

“We all love to laugh. Getting serious brand cut through via humour is a great space for us. Overtly selling messages through content isn’t effective marketing and won’t work — consumers want authenticity and relevancy. Subtle awareness is much more powerful. We’re really pleased with how this is evolving.”