OK, I'm going to put out my broad definition of web series. For the purposes of things I post, when I refer to "web series", I'm referring to serialized shows that are intended to be watched via a device that connects to the interwebz. So this very broad definition includes (for me) not only your YouTube friendly shows, but those shown on channels such as Kold Cast , Blip, Vimeo, and, yes, Netflix and Hulu.
This may show my age (I'm twenty. Twenty, I tell you) but I remember when online videos were actually just cute annoying home videos that were for families to enjoy while the rest of us pretended to be fascinated that Bobby could now count to thirty. Then, they evolved into mini episodes of your favourite TV show (translation: available through your cable package chock full of commercials) usually involving a secondary character but mostly designed to carry the audience through to next season.
But not-so-quietly breaking ground outside of this realm came the gamechangers. Now, you may not agree with my picks on this front but in my opinion, these guys kick the door open for the rest of us. Felicia Day and Joss Whedon. Felicia Day, after realizing that her online gaming addiction was proving more steady than Hollywood, wrote, produced, and starred in "The Guild". Using the age-old adage of writing what she knew, it's about online gamers. From it's humble beginnings (all those names in the credits are people who donated to the production) to it's uber-huge presence on Netflix and XBox, that show paved the way for creators who were sick of the traditional gatekeepers.
Then came a musical blog by Joss Whedon. "Dr. Horrible's Sing Along Blog" was created while the WGA strike was raging a few years ago. Basically, Joss wanted to be working on something. So did his friends. So he called up his buddies to see if they wanted to play. For free. And behold, the awesomeness which is Neil Patrick Harris, Nathan Fillion, and Felicia Day singing about superheroes, villainy, and love was born. The three part series was released slowly over a month or so and proved so popular that not only did it win awards, it broke the internet. Seriously, the mountains of viewers disabled the site's servers. Constantly.
And now here we are. Everything is viewed online. Videos are the key to business even outside the film world. Just look at any moderately current website. There's probably a video on there. I count myself lucky that the Toronto web series community is one of the best in the world. Don't believe me? Do some Googling of "Out With Dad", "Clutch", "Mircowave Porn", "Pretty in Geek", or "Pete Winning and The Pirates". These indie productions are mostly self-funded a la Dr. Horrible and are garnering a ton of international and national attention.
While these shows are entering their second and third seasons, a whole new crop of series are breaking out of the gate. It's an exciting time for indie producers and creators. People are watching and sharing. And the big wigs are taking notice. So much so, the big studios are funding their own web series but that's a whole other post. So let's suit up and show 'em what we've got.
Happy creating!
Sunday, March 3, 2013
Monday, February 25, 2013
One Small Choice
Recently, I went out for coffee with a friend I haven't seen in fifteen years. While even just the fact I can say that I have friends that I haven't seen in over a decade is mind-boggling (aren't I still sixteen?), it came to light during our discussion that one of my biggest regrets in life could have been a huge opportunity. Let me set the stage:
I'm fifteen and accompanying my then boyfriend to an audition in Toronto. This is HUGE deal because we are from a super small town and he has an actual agent and is being sent on actual auditions. So cool, right? We have both been acting in our community theatre for years so this sort of thing is amazing to us. He's excited and nervous but really wants to break into musical theatre. Like a good teen girlfriend, I helped him with his sides. Quite frankly, I thought it was the weirdest thing I've ever read, all chock full of mutant teenagers or possibly aliens. But preparing is preparing.
So I'm sitting in the waiting room and the casting director (or possibly assistant. I was fifteen and didn't really pay attention to anything but my teenaged angst) comes out of the audition room. She stopped and looked at me for a moment before asking if I wanted to audition. I giggled nervously and assured her that I was only an amateur actor doing community theatre. So no auditioning for me. I was just waiting for someone.
And that was that. I've often wondered where my life would have ended up if I had said yes to that casting director. Would I still be acting? Would I have met some of my dearest friends? Would I have met my husband? But mostly, I shrugged it off as a learning experience.
Turns out that audition for something I thought was kinda weird? It was for a huge franchise. I'm talking huge. They're still making movies for it. Fifteen. Years. Later.
New lesson for me: I said "no" to something because I didn't know what it was and I wasn't sure of myself. By saying "no" to it, I passed on something that could have been life-altering. I'm not saying that I would have gotten a part but imagine if I had. Or imagine if I had started along the professional acting path almost a decade sooner than I did. Would I be in LA now? I'm not saying it's probable but I am saying it's possible.
So here's the moral of the story. Don't say "no" just because you don't get it. Definitely don't say "no" because you don't think you can do it. Just say "yes" because you never know what mutant franchise starring future Oscar nominees you might be cast in.
Happy creating!
I'm fifteen and accompanying my then boyfriend to an audition in Toronto. This is HUGE deal because we are from a super small town and he has an actual agent and is being sent on actual auditions. So cool, right? We have both been acting in our community theatre for years so this sort of thing is amazing to us. He's excited and nervous but really wants to break into musical theatre. Like a good teen girlfriend, I helped him with his sides. Quite frankly, I thought it was the weirdest thing I've ever read, all chock full of mutant teenagers or possibly aliens. But preparing is preparing.
So I'm sitting in the waiting room and the casting director (or possibly assistant. I was fifteen and didn't really pay attention to anything but my teenaged angst) comes out of the audition room. She stopped and looked at me for a moment before asking if I wanted to audition. I giggled nervously and assured her that I was only an amateur actor doing community theatre. So no auditioning for me. I was just waiting for someone.
And that was that. I've often wondered where my life would have ended up if I had said yes to that casting director. Would I still be acting? Would I have met some of my dearest friends? Would I have met my husband? But mostly, I shrugged it off as a learning experience.
Turns out that audition for something I thought was kinda weird? It was for a huge franchise. I'm talking huge. They're still making movies for it. Fifteen. Years. Later.
New lesson for me: I said "no" to something because I didn't know what it was and I wasn't sure of myself. By saying "no" to it, I passed on something that could have been life-altering. I'm not saying that I would have gotten a part but imagine if I had. Or imagine if I had started along the professional acting path almost a decade sooner than I did. Would I be in LA now? I'm not saying it's probable but I am saying it's possible.
So here's the moral of the story. Don't say "no" just because you don't get it. Definitely don't say "no" because you don't think you can do it. Just say "yes" because you never know what mutant franchise starring future Oscar nominees you might be cast in.
Happy creating!
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