"You could be the most unassuming, overweight, balding, sweaty government official by day...and then by night, in Portal, you could have the physique and libido of a 21 year old decathlete and a lifestyle to match..."
Welcome to Portal, `the most dangerous drug on the streets'... `a danger to society', according to the government. Or the ultimate high, according to its users and addicts... "You can be super-fucking-man or woman, nothing can hurt you...You're so strong and sure about every decision you make...and then you come out" says one addict who's attempting to go clean.
Set somewhere down some back streets in the north, Portal, the series, centres on a doctor, a dealer and a dominatrix whose lives are interweaved between the virtual and real world that the banned drug creates.
Its users lie on beds in an induced coma, their heads covered with strange furry helmets, while their brains and being go on a journey of excitement where they experience `their deepest desires'. And then, stuff happens...
"Portal is either an entertaining look at what could happen if social media engulfs us all and becomes both a drug and a digital game; or it's a multilayered look at the state of society, the dangers of technology companies and how corrupt they are, owning all your data and a digital version of yourself, and being able to be exploitative of this" explains Mark Ashmore of Future Artists, the Salford-born company which has made the futuristic seven-part net series .
"One of the big themes in Portal is power, mega tech giants like Apple have god-like power over a very large, ever growing consumer base and who, in turn, become brand ambassadors preaching from on high" he adds "This business model with religious connotations, if used for good, could be transformative for society, but if in the wrong hands; if a Lex Luther type CEO is at the wheel, what will this mean for the millions of devotees?
"As we enter the next phase of digital dominance in our lives, with virtual reality becoming mainstream in the same way that social media is now widespread, we must be mindful of the potential pitfalls" he says "It's my job as a story teller to show this black mirror to the world, and I guess that's what Portal is about. You could always watch it for the pretty pictures, though, it looks great!"
Portal, funded by Daily Motion and Screen Yorkshire, clocked up over 100,000 viewers around the world for its first episode, and part two is now also on release, with five more to follow each week. Loads of its cast and crew have local connections, from Salfordian lead actors Clay Whitter, who plays the dealer, and Victoria Connett, who plays the doctor; to University of Salford graduates, Chelsea Edge, who plays Sara/Sophie, and co-producer Sarah-Lee Jones.
"Salford is in our blood" says Mark, who founded Future Artists in the city in 2008, shot short films like Broken Britain and the feature length Lost Generation here, and then tried to build an art space at the Black Lion pub, before rates and landlords priced out the dream.
"Although I can't afford to hire the studios or have an office there, I did move from Derbyshire to this area over London because of the promised land of Media City" he explains "What we are seeing at the moment is the slow evolution of Salford as a creative Mecca. I will always be based in the north, I have no intention of going anywhere, and I hope this is the start of something big."
Future Artists productions always have big themes and big apocalyptic questions of the times hanging over them. Portal is no different...
"Lost Generation was about our addiction to fame and how the media can control us, and Portal is about the addiction to media and how corporations can control us, so I guess there is a clear through-line for what I am about as an artist" says Mark "I would make social issue based documentaries all day long, if I could, if I thought people would watch them and then go and change their ways...but I have learnt that people want their social messages sugar coated, and so I have to be a bit of a smuggler."
Portal is certainly sugar coated in terms of its visuals lots of skimpy-dressed people, sexy backdrops and eye popping graphics. Beyond the sugar coating, however, something very bitter might just be going off...
To watch Portal go to the Daily Motion website...
For Episode One click here
For Episode Two click here
To watch a behind-the-scenes documentary on the making of Portal click here.
For more details on the work of Future Artists, which goes beyond film, see www.futureartists.co.uk
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