I attended the Cambridge International Digital Forum last week and Mark Atkins, director of Crossover Labs (http://www.crossoverlabs.org/) talked about commissioning and producing for convergence.
He said, while TV and film have been dominant forces in 20th century media, the 21st century will see moving image content consumed on a vast array of platforms – at a time and a place that is determined by the consumer. Successful individuals and companies will be those who grasp the opportunities offered by this changing landscape; those that confine their operations to a single platform are more likely to struggle, or will certainly limit their growth and creative potential.
Mark continued by saying it's all about "Authentic TV". Successful examples of convergence have been recently live experiences, such as the live surgery on Channel 4. For four consecutive nights, top surgeons carried out life-changing operations in front of a studio audience and live on Channel 4. While performing brain surgery on an awake patient, open heart surgery and more, the surgeons answered live questions asked via Twitter. For more information, visit: http://www.channel4.com/explore/surgerylive/
Another trend are live events, for example the Skins gigs, like "Skins House - a two week house party in Bristol". The line-up included performances from huge players such as Plan B, Example and I blame Coco (http://www.e4.com/skins/skins-house/introduction.html)
I think all web series producers are already multiplatform users, but maybe there are more ways of engaging with the audience than social media websites and forums. Why not trying to be even more interactive?!
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Lumina - The Web Series
Can you find love in a mirror? That's the question the 9-part web series Lumina raises. The series is a dark, densely woven fantasy set against the sparkling backdrop of Hong Kong.
Lumina Wong lives alone, works too much and feels as if life is passing her by. Although she lives in a city of millions, she still feels lonely and isolated. Late one night, she meets a handsome young man from another world that she can see in mirrors and darkened window reflections and they fall in love.
Here is a sneak peek:
Lumina revels in the fantasy relationship until mirrorspy Eben Sanchez comes into her life, warning her of the treacheries of the people of the Dark Realm. Soon Lumina must choose between the safety of the world she knows and the deadly allure of the unknown. You're intrigued now? Watch Episode 1:
This fantasy thriller series is written and directed by Jennifer Thym. It is shot on the cutting edge RED One and stars JuJu Chan and Michael Chan as well as many other AlivenotDead artists:
http://www.alivenotdead.com/luminaseries
The episodes are available in English with Chinese, Japanese, Spanish, French, Italian, Norwegian and Portuguese subtitles. But you can not also watch the latest epsisodes on: http://www.luminaseries.com/
You can also check out photos, the original soundtrack, and download the official Lumina poster.
Lumina Wong lives alone, works too much and feels as if life is passing her by. Although she lives in a city of millions, she still feels lonely and isolated. Late one night, she meets a handsome young man from another world that she can see in mirrors and darkened window reflections and they fall in love.
Here is a sneak peek:
This fantasy thriller series is written and directed by Jennifer Thym. It is shot on the cutting edge RED One and stars JuJu Chan and Michael Chan as well as many other AlivenotDead artists:
http://www.alivenotdead.com/luminaseries
The episodes are available in English with Chinese, Japanese, Spanish, French, Italian, Norwegian and Portuguese subtitles. But you can not also watch the latest epsisodes on: http://www.luminaseries.com/
You can also check out photos, the original soundtrack, and download the official Lumina poster.
Monday, March 21, 2011
She's a Hollywood Girl
....the road to Stardom is full of missteps.
Courtney Zito can tell you a thing or two about it and that's why she decided to create this comedy web series called Hollywood Girl which is based on her real life experiences in the city of angels.
The series follows Quinn Monroe a self-proclaimed cliché: actress by day and and waitress by night. She is broke, tired, confused, and constantly tripping over her mark. But nevertheless she is delightfully determined and never defeated. With life, heart, spirit and the carefree, fun-loving support of her three best friends, Quinn looks past the setbacks and black-and-blues to see her shining star on the walk of fame, which to her isn't too far ahead. Or maybe it is? "Two steps forward and ten steps back," like the show's original theme song says, "She's there for life: She's a Hollywood Girl."
Check out Episode One in order to gain a little more insight into Quinn's life in Hollywood:
The USP of Hollywood Girl is that it features original music by various artists in each episode. They have teamed up with producer Jon Santos and 1176 Studios to find the hottest new artists out there and bring them on the show. If you think it could be you, get in touch with them by sending an email to: 1176studios@gmail.com
Get ready for Episode 4 which will air Sunday March 27th on their YouTube channel www.youtube.com/hollywoodgirltv and their website www.hollywoodgirltv.com
Courtney Zito can tell you a thing or two about it and that's why she decided to create this comedy web series called Hollywood Girl which is based on her real life experiences in the city of angels.
The series follows Quinn Monroe a self-proclaimed cliché: actress by day and and waitress by night. She is broke, tired, confused, and constantly tripping over her mark. But nevertheless she is delightfully determined and never defeated. With life, heart, spirit and the carefree, fun-loving support of her three best friends, Quinn looks past the setbacks and black-and-blues to see her shining star on the walk of fame, which to her isn't too far ahead. Or maybe it is? "Two steps forward and ten steps back," like the show's original theme song says, "She's there for life: She's a Hollywood Girl."
Check out Episode One in order to gain a little more insight into Quinn's life in Hollywood:
The USP of Hollywood Girl is that it features original music by various artists in each episode. They have teamed up with producer Jon Santos and 1176 Studios to find the hottest new artists out there and bring them on the show. If you think it could be you, get in touch with them by sending an email to: 1176studios@gmail.com
Get ready for Episode 4 which will air Sunday March 27th on their YouTube channel www.youtube.com/hollywoodgirltv and their website www.hollywoodgirltv.com
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Blood and Bone China
Blood and Bone China is a 12-part Victorian Vampire web series which is created and directed by award winning Stoke-On-Trent based filmmaker Chris Stone and starring TV's Rachel Shenton as Anna Fitzgerald. The first two episodes were released on 6 March and tonight you can watch Chapter Three!
The synopsis is described as follows:
It is 1897 and a city is in turmoil. In the smoky, dirty depths of middle England, the people are terrified. The once bustling streets of Stoke are empty, the silence is only broken by the whispers of devils, demons and vampires. Poor souls are being taken, vanishing without a trace. When the local doctor is snatched away, word travels to his brother, a young vet by the name of Newlyn Howell. Spurred on to discover the truth by the enigmatic Alexander Pyre, Newlyn's dark adventure into the depths of Victorian Stoke begins… and what he discovers is beyond belief.
It does sound spooky, doesn't it? Check out Chapter One: "The Man in Black"
For further information about British filmmaker Chris Stone, go to: http://www.chrisstonefilms.com/ and to check out the brand new episode tonight at 6pm visit: http://www.bloodandbonechina.com/
Friday, March 18, 2011
La Suerte y la Virgen - a 60 sec soap
The web series Luck and the Virgin (La Suerte y la Virgen) is a 60 second soap that takes you on a wild ride of how things can go very wrong in a small Mexican city. It's shot completely on location in the colonial city of San Miguel de Allende in Guanajuato and each episode is in both Spanish and English with subtitles.
Here is a sneak peek:
The comedy crime series is about Ricardo - a burnt out hit man with a funny accent - and Valentina - a clueless woman who is running from her boyfriend with all his drug money. They end up getting involved in some unfortunate ways after their bags are switched accidently at a tamale stand.....
What sets this series apart from anything else out there, is that every single episode is no longer than 60 seconds long, including short recaps.
Writer and director, Jaime Byrd, of Blind Lyle Films, took on a large Latin endevour with this Mexico based webisode and got selected for L.A. Web Fest in 2010. The second season is coming up soon!
Check out their website: http://www.blindlylefilms.com/luckandthevirgin/
Here is a sneak peek:
The comedy crime series is about Ricardo - a burnt out hit man with a funny accent - and Valentina - a clueless woman who is running from her boyfriend with all his drug money. They end up getting involved in some unfortunate ways after their bags are switched accidently at a tamale stand.....
What sets this series apart from anything else out there, is that every single episode is no longer than 60 seconds long, including short recaps.
Writer and director, Jaime Byrd, of Blind Lyle Films, took on a large Latin endevour with this Mexico based webisode and got selected for L.A. Web Fest in 2010. The second season is coming up soon!
Check out their website: http://www.blindlylefilms.com/luckandthevirgin/
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
The Best Friend
You know how in romcoms there’s always that gorgeous woman who has everything? Well, this web series is not focusing on that girl, but on her best friend. The story is told through the eyes of the best friend character.
Check out the teaser of The Best Friend:
Millie Miller and Soozana V. Shephard (aka Sooze) have been friends since fourth grade. It was only recently that Millie realized that she has been living in Sooze's shadow for the last 14 years. While Sooze is MIA because of her "new love" Rick, Millie makes what she feels is another life altering discovery about their relationship. Despite her Mother's protests, Millie heads back to her therapist, hoping for a quick fix and confessing to him that she thinks she is the ugly friend. Instead, her "fresh-out-of-therapy school" neighbor / therapist hands out advice that even Millie's over-protective Mother would approve of: "You're not the ugly friend, you're the neurotic friend."
In the 1st episode Millie's best friend Sooze stops in for an unexpected visit, giving a whole new meaning to "cleaning house":
The USP of this show is that Millie is a struggling songwriter and hence The Best Friend uses original music which you can download on iTunes. The lyrics are written by Marilyn Anne Michaels who plays Millie. Together with Allie Smith who plays Sooze, she also created the web series which premiered on http://www.koldcast.tv/
You can subscribe to their YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/thebestfriendtv To get more background information, please visit: http://thebestfriend.tv/
Monday, March 14, 2011
The Institute - Enroll Now!
"Whenever someone asks me what I do - I tell them I'm an educator!" says Edwin, and that's how the comedic web series The Institute starts. The show is set in the San Fernando Valley in the 70s and about the mismatched brothers, Edwin and C.J., who start an acting school that teaches students how to break into the exciting new world of erotic cinema. Every episode of Season 1 (12 filmed) shows the comical origin of a sexual term, such as "rusty trombone", "dirty sanchez", "Cincinnati bowtie", etc.
In the first episode called "Dirty Sanchez", Edwin must mediate a conflict between two students while we learn about the origin of the world's first porn school. Have a look at the pilot episode:
The team of filmmakers who created The Institute are a professional bunch, but they were out to have a little fun. The producer, Mike Anderson, has produced films and documentaries starring actors, like Michael Clark Duncan and Mandy Moore. But he figured, who doesn’t love a little porn-mockumentary every now and again?! David Martin Cohen, who is usually a writer for award shows and feature length screenplays, is responsible for the creative absurdity behind the writing, and those porn-tastic performances were directed by the up and coming, award winning director, Tyrone Huff. All the madness was pulled together with the stellar editing magic of big Drew Kilcoin, who works on projects with Kevin Spacey and does a multitude of feature films. The series stars Mo Mandel, the winner of Comedy Central’s Open Mic Fight, as well as the star of the controversial show of the Amazing Racist series Ari Shaffir.
If you wanna see more of this crazy web series, go to their website http://theinstitutefilms.com/ or check out their YouTube channel http://www.youtube.com/enrollingnow
In the first episode called "Dirty Sanchez", Edwin must mediate a conflict between two students while we learn about the origin of the world's first porn school. Have a look at the pilot episode:
The team of filmmakers who created The Institute are a professional bunch, but they were out to have a little fun. The producer, Mike Anderson, has produced films and documentaries starring actors, like Michael Clark Duncan and Mandy Moore. But he figured, who doesn’t love a little porn-mockumentary every now and again?! David Martin Cohen, who is usually a writer for award shows and feature length screenplays, is responsible for the creative absurdity behind the writing, and those porn-tastic performances were directed by the up and coming, award winning director, Tyrone Huff. All the madness was pulled together with the stellar editing magic of big Drew Kilcoin, who works on projects with Kevin Spacey and does a multitude of feature films. The series stars Mo Mandel, the winner of Comedy Central’s Open Mic Fight, as well as the star of the controversial show of the Amazing Racist series Ari Shaffir.
If you wanna see more of this crazy web series, go to their website http://theinstitutefilms.com/ or check out their YouTube channel http://www.youtube.com/enrollingnow
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Sands of Mexico
Samantha Hatch - director of Sands of Mexico - just tweeted: "I look at web series today like Music videos of the 90's." and I couldn't agree more! I think music videos used to be the perfect field for experimenting with different genres and styles and that's what web series are nowadays. Due to her wise words, I'd like to present Sands of Mexico today!
The story begins with Daniel, his girlfriend and another couple coming to a Mexican villa. They're celebrating just graduating from college and find some adventures in Mexico. Daniel’s family owns the villa, but he has not been back to this place since his mother died. Months later, his cousin Sebastian comes to visit him, too. He's a soldier who is on leave from Afghanistan. And, another special visitor appears all of a sudden and surprises Daniel. Sometimes the most beautiful places contain the darkest secrets....
Check out Episode 1:
Samantha herself says about this project that it's still in its infancy. It's in a single genre based context and has low production value. But she's trying to take it to the next level by using interesting setting, richer characters, and more engaging stories. The first two episodes were shot on HDV and the last 4 were shot on the Canon 7D full HD camera. You can also help funding the post production of this web series. For further information please visit: http://sandsofmexico.net/
The story begins with Daniel, his girlfriend and another couple coming to a Mexican villa. They're celebrating just graduating from college and find some adventures in Mexico. Daniel’s family owns the villa, but he has not been back to this place since his mother died. Months later, his cousin Sebastian comes to visit him, too. He's a soldier who is on leave from Afghanistan. And, another special visitor appears all of a sudden and surprises Daniel. Sometimes the most beautiful places contain the darkest secrets....
Check out Episode 1:
Samantha herself says about this project that it's still in its infancy. It's in a single genre based context and has low production value. But she's trying to take it to the next level by using interesting setting, richer characters, and more engaging stories. The first two episodes were shot on HDV and the last 4 were shot on the Canon 7D full HD camera. You can also help funding the post production of this web series. For further information please visit: http://sandsofmexico.net/
Monday, March 7, 2011
You're either in Sheen's-Korner or you're with the trolls!
Well, after Charlie Sheen's web show Sheen's Korner hit 1 million views, drew a lot of interest online and he just hit the 2 million mark on Twitter, I guess I should mention his show.
His hour-long broadcast on Ustream included such great contributions, like poetry recitals, fan shout-outs, the reveal of his new "Winning" tattoo on his left wrist, the mocking of NBC News correspondent Jeff Rosen, and a lot of wasted air time with nonsensicals. I'll only touch on the end, where he was drinking from a sippy cup and repeating the word "duh."
Sheen's Korner drew 113,251 concurrent viewers at its peak (but quickly lost viewers), and over 1 million on-demand views by now, a lot of media attention, and at least one outspoken critic. Sheen himself called his web show “treasonous to the movement,” and promised his audience he would plan better for next time. If you want, take a peek at Part 1 of Sheen's Korner:
At least Miley Cyrus could make a joke out of it. When hosting SNL on Saturday she sang:
"I danced on a pole and people called it sinning, but at least I didn't date a porn star and tell everyone I'm winning!"
His hour-long broadcast on Ustream included such great contributions, like poetry recitals, fan shout-outs, the reveal of his new "Winning" tattoo on his left wrist, the mocking of NBC News correspondent Jeff Rosen, and a lot of wasted air time with nonsensicals. I'll only touch on the end, where he was drinking from a sippy cup and repeating the word "duh."
Sheen's Korner drew 113,251 concurrent viewers at its peak (but quickly lost viewers), and over 1 million on-demand views by now, a lot of media attention, and at least one outspoken critic. Sheen himself called his web show “treasonous to the movement,” and promised his audience he would plan better for next time. If you want, take a peek at Part 1 of Sheen's Korner:
At least Miley Cyrus could make a joke out of it. When hosting SNL on Saturday she sang:
"I danced on a pole and people called it sinning, but at least I didn't date a porn star and tell everyone I'm winning!"
Friday, March 4, 2011
Unlocked
"What their real lives needed was a Strategy Guide..."
The comedy web series Unlocked focuses on the daily lives of a group of friends who share common interests in gaming, film, tv, comics and music. More precisely, it follows the lives of seven comic reading gamer geeks as they strive to get on with each other and get a better gamerscore.
Check out their trailer to get a first impression:
It's written, produced, directed by and also starring the members of Cheesemint Productions. To get more information, go to: http://www.unlockedtheseries.com/
This web series is supposedly for fans of British comedies such as Spaced and the IT Crowd, as well as fans of The Big Bang Theory and Scott Pilgrim. It's full of cultural references and sharp, witty humour.
The comedy web series Unlocked focuses on the daily lives of a group of friends who share common interests in gaming, film, tv, comics and music. More precisely, it follows the lives of seven comic reading gamer geeks as they strive to get on with each other and get a better gamerscore.
Check out their trailer to get a first impression:
It's written, produced, directed by and also starring the members of Cheesemint Productions. To get more information, go to: http://www.unlockedtheseries.com/
This web series is supposedly for fans of British comedies such as Spaced and the IT Crowd, as well as fans of The Big Bang Theory and Scott Pilgrim. It's full of cultural references and sharp, witty humour.
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
NEWS: Interactivity is everywhere!
Discovery Communications has launched a Facebook game based on its popular fishing reality series Deadliest Catch. It's called "Deadliest Catch The Social Game", has been developed by San Francisco-based start-up Hive Media and gives players the chance to act as the captain of their own crab boat, navigating the Bering Sea.
AETN's History channel has teamed up with Foursquare in the UK, giving people the ability to 'check-in' at places like the Tower of London to learn more about them and earn virtual badges and discounts in the process. "Through our partnership with Foursquare, History is moving towards entertaining a wider viewing audience, including tech-savvy, brand-conscious people," said AETN UK MD Tom Davidson. "We are engaging with people in a new and innovative way."
A website that calls itself 'Facebook for children' is preparing to launch a video service that claims to shake-up kids TV. It's gonna be called "Moshi TV", is still in development and will combine user-generated content, in-house productions and third-party animation, according to Mind Candy, the UK firm behind the project. The service's social elements will allow kids to rate content, send messages to friends and vote for the shows they want to see.
AETN's History channel has teamed up with Foursquare in the UK, giving people the ability to 'check-in' at places like the Tower of London to learn more about them and earn virtual badges and discounts in the process. "Through our partnership with Foursquare, History is moving towards entertaining a wider viewing audience, including tech-savvy, brand-conscious people," said AETN UK MD Tom Davidson. "We are engaging with people in a new and innovative way."
A website that calls itself 'Facebook for children' is preparing to launch a video service that claims to shake-up kids TV. It's gonna be called "Moshi TV", is still in development and will combine user-generated content, in-house productions and third-party animation, according to Mind Candy, the UK firm behind the project. The service's social elements will allow kids to rate content, send messages to friends and vote for the shows they want to see.
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