KGYT's Exclusive Angel on Campus Set Report
Written by: Kat Walcott
Having the chance to visit the set of the upcoming Family Channel series Angel on Campus on August 11th, 2009 was quite an exciting experience. Not only did I, along with my sister Kayla, get to observe production and filming, which took place in an old, former Catholic high school building which was transformed into a fully functional, diverse set (which included a bedroom, living room, multiple classrooms, lockers and hall ways and a principal office), but I also had the opportunity to sit down for a few minutes with the two young stars of the show Dylan Everett and Demetrius Joyette.
I sat down with Dylan first, a bright eyed, 15 year old who, even though he is small built, gives off big personality and holds a certain maturity and confidence rarely seen in people more than double his age.
He plays the central character of the show, a high school student named Carl who deals with common teenage issues of being unpopular, a loner and luck not always necessarily being on his side, who gains the help and guidance of a mischievous Angel- in-Training named Porter (Demetrius Joyette) who must accomplish the task of making Carl popular in order to get his wings.
When asked whether or not he was anything like his character, Dylan smirks and says that he does in fact have a nerdy side. He cites that where he comes from not a lot of people act and that that made him stand out and perhaps come across as strange to some people. He also jokes that, like his character, he is sometimes a “spazz”.
Since the show involves his character having a guardian angel sent down to help him, I only felt it appropriate to ask what he thought a real guardian angel would be useful for. He jokingly says that he’d have it take care of his homework and that he’d use it mostly for fun, nothing too serious.
When asked about his past projects and how they compared to Angel on Campus, Dylan said that the latter was special because it was his first starring role, his past acting experience consisted mostly of minor roles and voice acting in shows such as The Latest Buzz, The Doodlebops and Super Why!, and could possibly open more doors for him in the future.
When asked about what his hopes were for his future in acting he expressed his interest in playing a vast variety of roles ranging from comedy to drama, citing Seth Rogen and Johnny Depp, two very different type of actors, as two of his favourites.
Before Dylan left I had to ask him about his relationship with his co-star Demetrius and whether or not they shared the same type of bond their characters did. Dylan smiled and shared that they are very good friends and have been ever since they met when he made an appearance on The Latest Buzz, a show that Demetrius was a regular on. He explained that they didn’t just have a “working relationship” and that they were actually friends and that Demetrius was an awesome guy.
With that genuine remark, I said goodbye and let him go and he shook my hand kindly.
A few moments later I was introduced to the Angel on Campus himself, Demetrius Joyette who’s appearance was of great contrast to Dylan’s.
Demetrius was a tall, deep-voiced boy reminiscent of a young Barack Obama in both appearance and demeanour. Very mature, intelligent and kind.
I started out by asking him how his experience working on the show has been so far and how it stood out from his past projects, which included roles in many other Family Channel programs such as The Latest Buzz, Darcy’s Wildlife and the Roxy Hunter movies.
He said that he enjoys this role because it was a departure from his past roles in which he mostly played nerds and this time around he gets to play a cool, popular character. When asked whether he was more of a nerd, like his co-star’s character Carl, or more like his character Porter in real life, he chuckles and responds that he’s more like Porter, “but not as irresponsible”.
When asked about what his favourite scene to film has been so far, Demetrius responds that in the few weeks they’ve been filming everything has been fun, but he particularly likes shooting the basketball scenes since he’s a fan of the sport.
I then went on to ask him, as I did with Dylan, which actors he was a fan of and admired. He automatically, without hesitation or a second thought, states Denzel Washington saying that he respects not only his work, but him as a person. For a 15 year old, he definitely knows his stuff and I was pleasantly surprised and very impressed.
Finally, I asked him if sometimes being on set felt less like work and was just fun because of the great relationship he has with his co-star. He smiles and says that sometimes he forgets that he’s working a job because he has so much fun and genuinely enjoys what he does.
With that, I shook his hand goodbye, thanked him, and let him go to get ready to rehearse a scene.
Before I left I was able to stay and watch Dylan and Demetrius through a monitor, screen test a scene. During the time I was there they were working on a scene which consisted of them talking to clone decoys of themselves whom Porter had conjured in order for them to sneak out to the school dance, even though they were grounded.
While they were filming, the “decoys” were stand in actors who, which was explained to me by executive producer/ creator Frank Van Keeken, would later be replaced, through the magic of television (AKA split-screen technology), by a shot of Dylan and Demetrius themselves, to be filmed later, to make it appear as if they were talking to themselves.
Even though it felt like a sauna on set and there was a thunder storm crashing outside, there was a certain calmness and very laid back feel on the set. It was casual and everyone was at ease, as if doing what they did was like breathing to them. No one, including the camera crew, director, producers or Dylan and Demetrius (whom I watched act out the same scene about four times) seemed stressed or frustrated.
With that, our visit was over. Kayla and I thanked everyone for giving us such a wonderful opportunity and left to start our five hour journey back home.
We feel so lucky to have gotten the opportunity to get an insight on the production of the show and talk to the cast. If what we saw means anything, then we can definitely say that Angel on Campus will be a show you won’t want to miss when it hits the Family Channel next year!