In this week’s Webseries Wednesday, we’re traveling to an indeterminate time in a galaxy some distance away to celebrate Space Janitors and chat with the show’s creators!

Space Janitors is a science-fiction comedy series which imagines the lives of low-level men and women who keep the gears of a hilariously familiar ‘Evil Empire’ turning smoothly. (Well, more or less.) The show, which just concluded its second season, was created by Davin Lengyel and Geoff Lapaire and is currently hosted on YouTube by Geek & Sundry.

Set on a militarized space station, Space Janitors focuses on ambitious janitor Darby Richards (Brendan Halloran) and the members of his designated social group. Darby’s circle includes fellow janitor Mike (Pat Thorton), computer psychologist Edith Kingpin (Evany Rosen), beautiful android Elle (Tess Degenstein) and a friendly armored clone named Dennis 4862 (Scott Yamamura.) Each week, the show follows the members of social group 417 as they play musical lightsaber, fall in love with robots, accidentally impersonate Dark Lord, and keep the station floors shining.

Though replete with winking references to Star Wars and other stories of intergalactic adventuring, Space Janitors is also wholly unique. Its largely computer generated sets are impressive, as are the costumes and surreal scenarios, all of which make Space Janitors feel simultaneously fresh and familiar.

But what makes Space Janitors really special is the show’s perfect balance of humor and heart. Not only does Space Janitors make us laugh at its quirky characters, but it also makes us care about them. Darby and his friends are silly but loveable, and they all display hidden depths as the show progresses. Sure, we’re all for a free and democratic galaxy – but if you spend a few minutes alongside Darby, Mike, and the rest, we can guarantee you will never watch Star Wars the same way again.

Interview with ‘Space Janitors’ creators Davin Lengyel and Geoff Lapaire:

Besides a certain film franchise set amongst the stars, what was the inspiration for ‘Space Janitors’?

Davin: I watch movies and shows while I work. In fact, I’m watching The Walking Dead as I type my answer right now! I was working with Geoff on a few ideas while watching Empire [Strikes Back] for about the 500th time. Spoiler alert: Luke gets his hand cut off by Vader towards the end.

When that scene came on, I started daydreaming about what life was like on Cloud City for all the people that aren’t involved in the big space opera. Someone’s job was to clean the dishes after Vader’s surprise reception. Someone has to mop up the bottom of that chasm after nearly getting hit by Luke’s hand. And, BINGO! That was it. A funny scene about two janitors trying to figure out what the heck this light-y saber-y thing is (after all, body parts falling from the gangways above is probably all in a day’s work).

I was going to call the idea Janitors in Space, but when I pitched the idea I called it Space Janitors for short and it stuck. We had a lot of ideas we were developing at the time, but that title and that idea just kept making us laugh. It’s such a rich idea for comedy.

Take us through the process of creating an episode of ‘Space Janitors.’

Geoff: First we sit down and come up with a story, sometimes inspired by our favorite sci-fi, or the stuff we DON’T see in our favorite sci-fi, but we’re sure is going on somewhere in the universe. A few jokes, or a funny scene later, the story starts to come together. You know you’ve got something when the writers room gets excited, then we figure out how to wrap up the story in a nice package that sometimes touches on the season arc. Repeat that process for 8 scripts then we break down the shooting of the entire season into blocks.

We shoot all of the hallway scenes for all 8 episodes at once then we move on to a different set, following the production schedule very closely. Mike and Darby’s quarters is usually shot out in an entire day, for example.

Once shooting is done, the long process of post-production begins, which is Davin coordinating his team of VFX artists, and me working on the editing, sound, and music. We usually deliver a final episode a day before it airs on YouTube.

Our interview with Davin and Geoff continues on page 2!

Do you feel any pressure to be faithful to the canon of star-set film franchise?

Geoff: We have our own unique universe that borrows from a variety of others and includes some original elements. We have our own canon that we’d like to develop and keep consistent. We think that the most engaging way to develop a show. Despite all of “borrowing” that’s going on, Space Janitors is quite original.

Between the sets, effects, and costumes, ‘Space Janitors’ seems like a daunting series to try and make. Was there something in particular that inspired you to produce the series?

Davin: It is a really difficult show to make, but rewarding as well. I had just finished another web series for fun called Brotherhood of Leet. It was a mash-up of World War II drama and 8-bit video games. There were a lot of small scale effects and some 3d work in that show – just enough for me to think that maybe we could pull off a larger series like a sci-fi. We had a lot of help with the sets and costumes from some really talented people, but we were confident that we could pull off the props and special effects ourselves, and a lot of energy went into sketching out ideas and shots before we got into the studio.

That being said, the first day that we filmed in the studio with ONLY green in the background – no sets, no props, just a sketch of what the environment would probably look like a half a year later – I had butterflies in my stomach. I wasn’t sure if we’d be able to pull it off. Truth be told, I’m not even sure we did! The effects were very rough when we first released season one on The Escapist, and it wasn’t until we went back with a full season of experience under our belt and remastered the whole season for Geek & Sundry that I think we had a great looking show.

Do you find that ‘Space Janitors’ lends itself well to the webseries medium?

Geoff: We sort of think of it as a series of short films, all fitting together in one big story arc – which I think is great for the webseries medium. The webseries art form is it’s own thing, it’s different from television, which has, over it’s history, evolved into several types of refined and rigid storytelling structures. On the web, there’s a lot of experimentation going on, and we’re happy to be a part of it.

What part of the process of creating the show do you enjoy most?

Geoff: Being on set and working with the talented cast and crew. I’ve been surprised many times, especially when the actors are improvising. It’s good to be working with people that make the show better and better at every stage.

What has been the most challenging aspect of creating Space Janitors?

Davin: Making a show is surprisingly complex. The creative part is thrilling, but there’s a whole business aspect to the production that we have to take care of as well. People have to get paid, studios and vans have to be booked, sets have to be built, a crew of 30 has to be hired and fed. It’s probably boring to hear about, but I think the most challenging aspect for me personally is doing a great job on the business side even when my head and my heart are focusing on the fun and creative side. I suppose the fact that I have to work 80 hours a week on post-production just to hit our release deadlines is a bit of a challenge as well, but that challenge is pretty easily overcome by coffee.

Has there been anything that has surprised you during the production?

Davin: I think we were all surprised as how “real” the production felt while we were shooting. Geoff and I had finished a television series called Pure Pwnage that had about 20x the budget, but when we walked into the studio to film the first day of Space Janitors the atmosphere was just as grand, just as professional, just as inspiring.

Other surprising insights: The instant mashed potatoes used for the “mush” was really tasty. Never ever sleep overnight on a set, even when it’s a “bedroom” set. It’s almost impossible to sit in “squall trooper” armor.

Which is your favorite episode so far?

Geoff: I think “Pyus Dunes” (episode 2×05) is my favorite so far. All of the cloning and VFX – it’s our most ambitious for sure, and I think it’s a great story that will surprise you and make you laugh at the same time.

What are your plans for the future of ‘Space Janitors’?

Davin: I believe Space Janitors is alive and well. We’re raising money for season three and working hard on getting all the pieces together to make a video game. We’re also talking to TV broadcasters about a television reboot, but it’s difficult to predict how those type of efforts will pan out. There’s still so much story to tell, and if you had been in the room with Geoff, Andy Hull (Marf) and Brendan Halloran as we brainstormed ideas for season three, you’d be as excited as I am to see those come to the small screen – really funny stuff.

Come back tomorrow to Hypable for an interview with the cast of Space Janitors!

You can follow Space Janitors on YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter.