The Power of the Web Compels You...

DMc has a great post up today regarding the change that is raining down over Canadian television (or perhaps a better phrase would be lack of change in certain corners of their business), and how creative people are leading the way - "story" in hand - to create better looking, more dramatic shows such as FLASHPOINT, THE BORDER and BEING ERICA (which I haven't seen yet). This is in the face of an industry that is seemingly ill-prepared to embrace the future.

But that's kind of how it always is isn't it? The "creatives", the "weirdos" leading the charge "...half a league, half a league half a league onward... into the valley of death..."

(Okay, maybe that wasn't a good analogy)

But the creative types see not how things are, but what they could be... what they hope and work at it to be. Because that's part of the sustaining energy and excitement of it all.

Never was that more evident than at last night's premiere party for COMPULSIONS a new web serial created and written by my friend Bernie Su. This was a compelling piece of work that looked good. Tee Vee good... but different. Made for a fraction of the cost. (I write that because the economics of it always factor into these things).

Tubefilter has a nice write up of the event here:

Last night in Los Angeles, in a packed screening premiere at Cinespace a room full of some 200 or so lucky ones had a chance to collectively writhe and squirm through the first 4 episodes. “I know the expectations are high,” wrote creator Bernie Su in a post before the premiere, “especially for independent web content but I honestly don’t know if the general audience will love it or not. Our show is dark, intense, and gritty. Though I can say this… our show is definitely something else.”

The series centers on three hidden desires, or compulsions, afflicting three respective main characters. There’s Mark (Craig Frank), the compulsive sadist chillingly unaffected by his routine torture games. Mark’s mysterious handler Justine (Janna Bossier) who’s compulsive “trophy hunting” has something to do with tracking down a missing “package.” And Mark’s office co-worker Cassandra (Annemarie Pazmino) who delivers a tech-infused modern day twist on compulsive voyeurism.

Here's the trailer:





Bernie and co. are doing something new-ish for the web, creating something they wanted to see made that didn't fit into the normal "box." If the last night's audience response was any indication, they struck a nerve.

When was the last time you read something like that about a series on television that wasn't written by the PR department of the network?

Striking. A. Nerve.
Plowing. New. Ground.
Making. Something. Yours.

And Bernie isn't the only one. Good friend of the blog James Moran (Twitter: @jamesmoran), writer of the recent TORCHWOOD series CHILDREN OF EARTH, struck out on his own (okay, with others in his merry band) and created GIRL NUMBER 9.



So, where am I going with this?

Well, to quote Denis:

See, I'm really not doing it justice. And that's the point. Reaching back to an earlier form, the rules are different, the delivery different, but what was there, gloriously alive and vibrant and entertaining -- was the story. The story will survive, no matter what form or challenge we throw at it. For those of us whose business is story, that's got to come as a comfort, no matter how backward and antiquated and maddeningly out of touch the captains of the industry seem, it's we, who have rolled with the punches and changed what we do already over the last few years...it's we who will survive.

Yes, we will survive. Thrive even. If we own it, grow it and deliver it ourselves. So, in light of everything Denis talks about in his post I have this to say:

Go web, young man, and grow up with the world.

Millions of Fans Not Millions of Dollars and That's Okay...

From Wired.com - an interview with the freckled face of online entertainment, Felicia Day:

Wired.com: It’s strange that you’re watched by millions but are completely off Hollywood’s radar.

Day: It would be nice to get a few guest stars here and there. They’re very busy making huge, multimillion-dollar shows. It really is two different worlds. That’s why there aren’t a million web series out there that are watched by millions of people. I think that’s changing. The fragmentation of the audience will encourage people to seek other forms of entertainment. But like I said, we still shoot in our garage. There’s no paradigm for it and I think Hollywood is reluctant to see things outside the normal way of doing things. Independent film is kind of on the wane and it used to be huge. Maybe the web series can be that place where new talents and voices can be found.

Wired.com: The YouTube generation is stepping up to fill the role of the film-school generation. The Guild is a bit like Clerks in the way. Can your success inform the future of web video the way Kevin Smith informed indie filmmakers?

Day: I would hope that. L.A. does have a thriving community of people who are doing web series. The funny thing is, with web series it’s not just that you need to be a filmmaker and a producer and get good content. The format of the web series is still being invented. There’s no, “This is how you do it.” I feel like there’s still a format issue — people are open to experiment, but at the same time the sheer power that you have to have on the internet to get the word out about something is something that even huge studios with millions of dollars in marketing have figured out.

Things You Wish You Knew Beforehand

From the Tubefilter article by Rochelle Dancel, I present:

Confessions of Indie Web Series Creators: Things They Wish They Knew

But of course my little pulpsters here know all this stuff already. You're a crafty lot ...very, very crafty.

Web Creators: A Call to Action

Marc Hustvedt over at Tubefilter News has written a wonderful Call to Action for anyone and everyone who has been comtemplating creating or distributing a web series.

Must reading.

Of particular note:

Your Audience is Out There - Go Find Them

I mean this, actively go out and find people who might be interested in your series. You have a series about the perils of dieting and dating in your thirties? Awesome. There are plenty of people who can relate to that. But they probably aren’t hanging out on YouTube every day watching Jessica Alba clips. Go find them. The world is niche.

To all the actors and writers out there, you have to get over the idea that someone else is going to promote you. This is an old school Hollywood relic of an idea that has to go. It’s time to find your own audience and connect with them directly. Having an actual personal connection with your audience means you have to be the one that responds to comments, emails, tweets, phone calls.

Think Startups Not Pilots

Web series are startups. Creators are entrepreneurs and need to think that way. Seriously, ditch the old Hollywood mindset right now. Stop waiting for someone to pick you, find you, groom you or pitch you. You have everything you need right now to grow your audience. So get off your asses.

Put every bit as much of the attention you put into your creations into your press outreach, your social media connections, your fan correspondence, your business development. A lot of you know every frame of the final cuts your series. I need you to take that obsession into knowing every pixel of your web sites. I can’t tell you how many web series I’ve seen with the most garish pieces of junk web sites. What gives? It’s like trying to sell people on a car with two shot tires and no paint. Doesn’t matter how fancy your engine is if they aren’t even going to open the hood.

Streaming video will go down as the single greatest advancement in entertainment since the television set. We owe Chad Hurley (founder of YouTube) and dozens of others for getting us where we are today. They have literally handed over the keys to a new entertainment medium, for free. There used to be only three channels that controlled all the moving images in you living room and now every single one of us can have their own channel. That’s a big deal.

And to wrap it up:

It’s time for all of us to start making a living doing this. It comes down to this: attention is moving online in leaps and bounds. That’s happening no matter what the economy does. And no matter which numbers you look at, the trend is this: online video advertising dollars are heading into the billions this year.

This revolution in entertainment means we’re all on equal footing here. Don’t talk yourself out of doing something great just because the ‘big guys’ have more money or a bigger name than you. Get that out of your heads for good.

The next Felicia Day or Joss Whedon is out there. This is the year to get serious. Trust me, the ones who do we’ll be talking about in the same sentence as those two this time next year.

Encouraging News: Nets Prep for Online Originals

From Content Agenda:

"Even though NBC has been wracked by huge layoffs and a tanking economy, the network’s digital division will start shooting a pilot this week for an online late-night talk show, one of nine planned Web shows for 2009. "

Full story here in TV Week.

So, as NBC scales back its TV network, it works to bolster its web presence...hmmmm.

That's Groovy...

My friend Curt Purcell over at Groovy Age of Horror sent me a message this morning to tell me of this new web-based show: www.vampirekillers.tv

He posts the first episode up over at his site, and I have to say it's pretty good. The first episode is a nice tease for us to access the series. Fans of this sort of "Beautiful Lesbian Vampires" sub-genre abound so I am sure the creators will have plenty of traffic as long as the sex equals the gore quotient. I love the way the image above looks like an ad for AMERICA'S NEXT TOP MODEL.

Gunn Nailed It!

(Or is it Nail Gunned It?)

Short. Sweet with a twist. It ends with a bang.
(All puns intended. Denny Crane)




More here.

Filling In BLANK SLATE

So we were talking about two different BLANK SLATES the other day, and I finally got the chance to sit down and watch the good one (Harsh, yes...but there's reasons why this is the good one).

Watch it now. (I'll wait)

Now, why this BLANK SLATE above is the good one, and the other one isn't, goes to something we've discussed here on Pulp 2.0 many-a-time.

The TNT BLANK SLATE jumps right into the story.

We are presented with a puzzle that moves the main character - Anne Huston- along and into the narrative...all within the first episode. (Momentum, kids...never forget momentum)

The OTHER BLANK SLATE meanders and substitutes obscurity and possibility for momentum. We don't start feeling the narrative until episode 3 or so...by then it's too late.

In every other aspect - look, production value, tone - both shows are on similar ground. (And yes, we do have Clancy Brown in the TNT show, but his part COULD be performed by an unknown if necessary). So YOU CANNOT SAY that budget was a major factor in quality.

It's the story that made all the difference in the world.

With TNT's BLANK SLATE we want to fill in the blanks...we know we are plunging toward more cool information to come because we end on a hard cliffhanger (I won't spoil it).

So how did they create the momentum?

I have it on good authority from someone involved with the production that they shot it as a feature and chopped it up (knowing they would do so). So at the get-go the entire show was designed as a single story with continual escalations of tension, drama, character, etc...

I have no doubt we will see the feature version of this show on DVD after its run on TNT. They may even premiere it there as a Saturday Night Feature or something.

My one problem with the TNT and Dean Devlin's Electric Entertainment BLANK SLATE is that I can't embed it here on my blog so that people can click and jump right into the story from here instead of having to click over to the TNT.tv site...

Webisode Dissection Goodness

Jill Golick has taken the time to dissect the new web serial BLANK SLATE - a series which "airs" both on the cable channel TNT and their website.

Her first post is here.

Then she follows up on reader comments about the show here.

This is the sort of thing that's going to be important as we understand how to do the 3-minute web serial extravaganza - dissection and incorporation(synthesis).

My thinking on this is that we have to first approach this as a big slab of roast beef story that we then put in the slicer to make a dozen or so sandwiches.

And what Jill fails to mention is that the dialogue and delivery are absolutely pretentious.** I am going to watch the webisodes prior to this to see if I can parse a story here.

More later as I figger this'en out.

** as well as the fact that I've eaten at the restaurant they show and my favorite coffee shop in LA is just around the corner. Yeah, this is my neighborhood near my office.

N Is Here

An interesting experiment by Stephen King, his publisher and Marvel Comics, N is a graphic novella told in short run webisodes (25 in all) as a prelude to the novel's release. Art is by Alex Maleev (DAREDEVIL) and story adapted by Marc Guggenheim (ELI STONE).

Perfect for the mobile phone and laptop.
Go to www.NisHere.com for all the webisodes.

Get Ready for "Scary City"

In a bit of good news - investment in web entertainment - the executive producer of "LonelyGirl15" is readying the launch of SCARY CITY a $5.2M web project spanning several countries.

From Content Agenda:

The U.S. version of the story revolves around a haunted Los Angeles apartment complex and the missing 10-year-old daughter of an architect who battles the building's unseen evil forces. Tenants from all over the world who get caught up in the global intrigue.

The Japanese version begins with a murder mystery that a Tokyo high school girl tries to solve.

Future versions of the mystery are planned for Korea, Israel, the U.K., France and Thailand, with the international casts involved in the globetrotting narrative.

Series will start with five episodes of 11/2 to three minutes. Viewers will be able to email episodes of the show; installments will also be syndicated to sites such as Facebook, MySpace and YouTube.

Aoyagi intends to distribute content to mobile phones and adapt the plot as manga graphic novels. She also hopes eventually to develop the property into a full-length feature. "It's like a full-fledged pre-release campaign, with each story in every country serving as a trailer for the movie," Aoyagi said.

I Am Going Home...

to collapse and watch STARSHIP TROOPERS 3: MARAUDER.

It has been a marathon sprint to get to Comic Con and the way life has been handing me lemons lately I haven't had the time to take my shoes off, wash my feet, jump up and down and make lemonade.

But tomorrow's another day and I need those lemons to ripen a bit before I stomp.

I've been reading that homework that Scott Kirsner had for us the other day and every word of the first article regarding where the big money in the internet was really sent my blood pressure through the roof.

Apparently Break A Leg - a web series with 1.5 M hits per episode -- that's been sponsored by several companies-- and only cost $500 / episode to produce - hasn't made any money. They have a Cafepress store with all sorts of merchandise in it and they still can't make a dime.

Well, duh.

Who wants to buy the crap they're selling? Really? Does slapping their logo on it really make it special? Answer - no.

What we have here is a complete failure by a producer to see who his audience is and come up with the stuff they like. I look at the merchandise and it all looks slapped together instead of designed. No slogans, no catchy, vibrant designs that are large enough to see. Not even a ringtone that I could see...or hear.

And really, who thinks that Break a Leg is merchandise-able in the first place?
Do we really need to see or want to buy merchandise from a show about producing a sitcom?
Am I the ONLY one who sees that this project didn't stand a chance in hell of selling anything other than a DVD collection of its webisodes? The producers say they need a TV deal to continue.

No guys - the fat lady sang a long time ago. She was singing the woes of poor cash flow.

When you got the deal with Motorola to sponsor you - you should have had someone out there lining up your next sponsor. You knew the cash-cow was going to run out. The clock was ticking and you should have had your agent lining up more work, more sponsorships, etc...building the business.

How is it that Askaninja.com is making money these days? Could it be they did things the right way with an agent and ad sponsors? Could it be the concept of their show was instantly merchandise-able? Could it be they treated it as a business and grew it with a DVD release, merchandise and a movie deal (as well as a deal for Ninja's creators to handle the ATTACK OF THE KILLER TOMATOES remake)

Well, duh...

This isn't rocket science guys. The fact you were befuddled that you had to keep your day jobs is amusing to say the least, but garners no sympathy from me and mine. Every startup business (which this is - a startup business) and its founders went through the same thing.
They succeeded.

You are not new. You are not special. You're incredibly egotistical to think that just because you make it-- it means they will come. You also signed deals with SAG (what were you thinking? You couldn't afford that!) .

There IS a good revenue model for the web.

You guys just didn't follow it.

Heroes on the Web...