Monthly Archives: February 2011

Kings reign supreme!

The “kings” have the loudest voice. Their voice can be heard beyond any village and any country. The “kings” of the media have included prominent web-video sites and sponsors. These sites and sponsors generate millions of dollars. Just like a King would subsidize his legions of workers, prominent web sites and their sponsors have subsidized the media. Any dynasty or hierarchy will be tested by opposition.

Because of the Internet, many individuals can find different venues of entertainment. These venues are explored in different blogs and articles.

Mike Hale, a blogger from the New York Times Blog, “Arts Beat”, has recently created a new Watch List, a blog where Hale provides several links of videos, called “Web Series with Polish.” Web Series with Polish includes two links that indicates the vast differences between two different webisodes. The first link includes the web series Oh Inverted World. Directed by Terence Krey and Daniel Fox, Oh Inverted World is not your typical show or series.

Oh Inverted World is a black and white production that follows the life of Mina and her Bearded Three. Pamela Bell plays Mina, a girl in her mid-twenties who wakes up at two-o clock in the afternoon everyday. As she looks at her New York University diploma with resentment, she always knows that she has her Bearded Three, which includes: Art, Finn, and Rob. It is not filmed in a huge set. It is an independent production that hopes to use their sarcastic and hipster appeal to reach the masses.

Although it is somewhat comedic, the show has solemn music which is made by Dan Cohen. Solemn music is played throughout Mike Hale’s other link, which includes Lifetimes’s web series, Suite 7.  Suite 7, stars Shannon Doherty, who is known for her work in the original Beverly Hills 90210.

Shannen Doherty plays Adrienne, a woman who is coping with a loss of a boyfriend. As she stays in a hotel, she finds comfort with the hotel manager, who is played by Wilson Cleveland. Unlike Oh Inverted World this show is sponsored by “The Better Sleep Council,”who can be followed on www.betterslep.org. Suite 7 is directed by Mark Gantt and is produced by A CJP Digital Media. Even though Suite 7 was more well done, I actually liked Oh Inverted World much better. Ying Chan agrees with my sentiment. “It felt different. Suite 7 is the same thing as most other shows,” says Chan. Sherese Francis disagrees with the both of us. Francis said that she liked Suite 7 more because she felt that the “acting was better.” There will always will be a disagreement between what is better. That is for you to decide.

Webisodes are becoming the hot new alternative to television shows.  They have gained major popularity though out the last few years, and it’s understandable why. They have a major convenince factor and are easily accessible, rather than having to wait for it to come on on television. Yet, like television, there is always the dissappointment of coming across cheesy webisodes, which in my experience turned out to be  Oh, Inverted World and Suite 7, I had the bad luck with both.

Oh, Inverted World follows a group of twenty-something’s first getting out of college and unsure where to really go from there. They arrive back in their hometowns and hit up the local bar as if nothings changed.  Through this seemingly bland story line, writer and producer Terence Krey decides to throw in a random apocalyptic concept of the moon crashing into the earth.

As if the story line isn’t sporadic enough, the flow of the webisode will drive you in for a loop. As fellow viewer Joe Jackson puts it “ I was lost, I wasn’t sure what kind of emotions they were trying to portray and the plot just kept jumping around from place to place, I really didn’t get it.” That makes two of us.

Though, if you want to get into conveying emotion, nothing really tops Suite 7, starring Shannen Doherty, Brian Austin Green and in the webisode I happened to watch, Wilson Cleveland (Yeah, I don’t know who he is either).

This dramatic story of a depressed guest seeking love advice from the doofy hotel manager turns out to be flat out comical. Though I would say the acting in this is no doubt better than Oh Inverted World, that is only because Doherty does have some acting experience under her belt (90210 anyone?) but it doesn’t save the downright sappy, unrealistic story line that follows. I wasn’t really expecting much better, it is on Lifetime after all.

Now, if I had to pick between these two, I suppose I would give credit where credit is due and choose Oh, Inverted World. Its supported by “black and white production” aka a low budget indie company, and yet still conveys creativity, hard work and overall some originality which Suite 7 seemed to lack. This is probably all the actors first real films anyway so you can’t expect them to give Oscar-worthy performances. I don’t know if there really any excuse for Suite 7 though.

Left: Shannen Doherty of Suite 7, Right: Oh, Inverted World

The brave new world of web series production is certainly a promising industry and one that will allow a wide array of audiences to find something that suits their specific interests, appeases certain desires, and gives them the opportunity to explore fresh faces or appreciate a familiar face in a different light.

The online world has given independent producers a chance to hone their skills at their own level of experience, budget, and creativity. A new addition to this industry of the web series, however, is the more established producers, directors, writers, and actors who are testing the waters of new audiences with original plot lines unrelated to their previous work, but with the same prominent feel of a mainstream production.

The realm of the web series has something for everyone. The variety ranges from big-budget productions such as Mark Gantt’s Suite 7, a seven-episode web series based in a hotel and sponsored by The Better Sleep Council, to more raw, unrefined productions like the uncouth series about the mysterious happenings in a small town focusing on four wayward college graduates, Oh, Inverted World.

While productions of the likes of Suite 7 have the obvious appeal of familiar faces, such as Shannen Doherty, Illeana Douglas, and Brian Austin Green, as well as the expected fancy camera angles and background music to set the scenes, I still believe the web series market is more fit for the new guys, the do-it-yourselfers.  The expectedly lower budget of independent web series can be a barrier when producing a clean final look, but the consequent realness and relatability could quench the thirsts of many viewers.

The characters of Oh, Inverted World are in fact so relatable because they belong to you, the viewer. They are new, unknown, and only exist in the realm of the series. While some don’t necessarily see this as a plus, I personally find it gives the series the charm and down-to-earth atmosphere that makes you want to keep watching.

One viewer, Teresa Roca, feels similarly. “It was more relatable [than Suite 7], and the setting went along with the tone of what was going on.” That is, the awkward camera angles, the absence of constant background music, and the overall gloominess of the production fit perfectly with the plight of the post-grads settling back into life in their hometown and finding that they are still the odd ones out.

While I may be biased in choosing independent productions over those featuring established actors with prominent sponsors (I’m a sucker for subculture), I could easily see why many others would agree that the small works definitely have something worth following.

V.S.

Drawing a distinction between a D.I.Y. film and a film laden with sponsors is kind of like comparing a mansion in Southhampton to a Victorian in Williamsburg – while one may have the good looks and bells and whistles of a well-oiled machine, the other has charm and plenty of silly moments intertwined with sharp dialogue and rough edges.

With D.I.Y. independent films, you can’t help but feel that you’re as much a part of the show as the actors themselves –  I could just see “The Bearded Three” cracking up after their implied fight scene behind the scenes, and something about that just feels much more personable than having  Jaime Murray spew dialogue at me – which, I must admit, she’s significantly better at than either Mina or, really, anyone in Inverted World. That’s not to say that the home video feel of Inverted World is any less, well, perfect than Good in Bed, which was sponsored by Lifetime — rather, what I felt Good in Bed’s biggest problem was that it was absolutely unrealistic (because in what sort of reality does a guy like Eddie McClintock get a woman like Jaime Murray?) and it was hard to find their situation personable and relatable. Yes, the failed marriage aspect worked, but it was difficult to like either character,  and the overabundance of downright cheesy lines (“Sometimes I miss the things I hate about you”? Really?) make it difficult to take the short film seriously. However, the acting chops of Murray and McClintock were an easy disguise for less-than-stellar dialogue and plotline for some:

“I like the Lifetime movie more, because I could sense her feelings because she portrayed them very well.” said Diana Coats, a student.

Short films, like cars and like houses, filter through two categories for me – one being the charming, home video-esque films that reek of both charm and wit, while the others, the ones that get the financial backing to be able to afford actors like Shannon Doherty and Jaime Murray tend to have lackluster appeal – frankly, I’m not charmed by a fancier set or by a better camera.

A web series is a shorter and cheaper alternative to television and film that numbers in the thousands and can all be seen on the internet, according to Mike Hale in his NYTimes blog post “Watchlist:A New Look at Web Video.”

Hale, who is paid to “spend his days sitting on a couch,” has taken it upon himself to watch every web series recommended to him and post a review of those he deems worthy for his readers.

Two notable series he mentions in his post “Mishaps in Politicking, Single-Parenthood and Finding a Partner,” are “Oh, Inverted World” done by an independent filmmaker and Lifetime’s “Suite 7”.

“Oh, Inverted World” is a series “about your mid twenties and the moon falling into earth,” according their web page. None of the actors are established and the setting is the filmmaker Terrence Krey’s hometown of Amytyville, New York. The shooting is done entirely on location and is shot with what seems like nothing more than a camera and a ludicrous fake beard. As if the beard wasn’t bad enough, the acting is also laughter inducing.

“It seems like they aren’t even trying,” said Ashley Lofters after viewing the first and last episodes.

The plot, which is only revealed after the final scene in the basement, is also unbelievably unrealistic; the moon is going to fall on the earth.

“None of this makes sense,” added Lofters.

“Suite 7,” by contrast looks stylized when compared to the “Oh, Invented World” series. The lighted is moody when necessary and Shannon Doherty’s acting is emotional and believable. The soundtrack’s production value is also much more fitting than the single electric guitar used to create tension in Krey’s series.

“Suite 7,” however does not possess the most attractive quality that “Oh, Invented World” has, a direct link to their intended audience of twenty somethings.

Photo Credit: Michael McInerney

After watching both Oh, Inverted World, an independent web series, and Suite 7, a more prominent web series, I definitely prefer Oh, Inverted World. It has an interesting storyline, with several characters that come home from college and visit a bar in their hometown.

Three of the characters, also known as the bearded three, are approached by a damsel in distress. They immediately offer her their assistance and instead, she kidnaps them. The ending left me in suspense and I was curious about who the mysterious woman was.

“I liked the bad acting, because it made it seem like a mockery,” says David Ospino, student at Baruch College. “It put emphasis on other aspects of the show and it was funny.”

Like Ospino, several of my peers agree that Oh, Inverted World is not like typical shows you see on TV, such as Suite 7. While the acting in Suite 7 was better than Oh, Inverted World, I felt the plot still came across as boring. The two characters in Suite 7, a hotel guest and a hotel manager, exchange conversations about how lonely they both are.

Right away, you can think of a million shows with this same plot. It definitely didn’t leave me wanting to watch more or to know what happened. Also, the episode only featured one setting, the hotel room, but the Oh, Inverted World episode took place in a car, a house, a bar, outside, etc.

A change in scenery keeps the viewer awake, and wondering where the characters will end up next. Oh, Inverted World grabs a hold of this concept, while Suite 7 falls short.

As far as definitions go, Web series are shows aired exclusively online and they are increasingly gaining popularity in the entertainment industry. Some come from established networks and some from independent filmmakers. If I had to choose between Web series with polish or rough edges, I prefer the rough edges. I just think they’re far more original and provocative. But in the end, I feel that both aim to entertain and they do.

I feel that independent Web series have a more raw sense of humor, targeted for more narrow groups of audiences. But they still need some work, and that’s part of the allure. It’s just as matter of pushing the limits. “Diy independents” can take more liberties with the material and they take advantage of that. Black and White’s production of “Oh, Inverted World” certainly does, with its interesting direction style with black and white picture, unknown actors and an off kilter plot. It’s a fantasy series about recent college graduates who come back to their hometown and discover the moon may be collidingwith the Earth. Oh, and there are zombies too.

I don’t necessarily like all of the material independent filmmakers produce, and didn’t in this case, but enjoy the idea that they are willing to cross some boundaries of popular film and television. The casts and crews are nearly always avant-garde artists that create fresh storylines and use different aesthetics, like they did here. Similarly, one of my favorite Web series is “We Need Girlfriends.” It’s about recent college graduates, all guys, who find themselves single for the first time. It’s fresh and sarcastic in a way polished shows aren’t. Such diy independents tend to produce the content I feel is actually fit for the motto “It’s not TV, it’s ____.”

The Web series supported by prominent channels, on the other hand, may be fun to watch but sound just too scripted, tailored for electronic applause sequences at just the right places. They have actors with fan bases that mean there will always be a following and a crew that perfect the scenes fit for commercial break—fit for revenue. Independents tend not to think that way. However, these writers know their stuff and know just what makes people laugh, cry, or yell in surprise, and we respond in kind. I tune in to Lifetime and other networks for the dramas and comedies that I know will always treat me the way I expect to for that given weekday or weekend, daytime, primetime, anytime and all the time.

Likewise, Lifetime Suite 7’s production, “For Richer or Poorer,” didn’t disappoint. About a pair of newlyweds who have their first big fight about money troubles—after just arriving to the honeymoon suite, it makes you laugh, even just a little bit. Queen Esquijarosa said, “I thought it was funny but I wish it was longer.”

In general, I much prefer the independent genre. I like being moved on a profound level or laugh at dry, unrehearsed humor, not just be entertained for a single evening. That’s where the sponsored series lose me. But it doesn’t matter, if the point is just to raise a rating, they’ll get it anyway.