Tag Archives: Shows

In this Internet age, it is relatively easy for anyone with a camera, a computer and a few dollars to make his or her own web series. But can the independent ones live up to the web series supported by big dollars?

The two web series, “Oh, Inverted World” and “Suite 7”, are a good example of how indie web series and big-budgeted web series can both have their good and bad.  “Oh, Inverted World” is a low-budget series from Long Island about a young socially-awkward woman along with her three bearded friends dealing with zombies and the crashing of the moon. “Suite 7,” starring Shannen Doherty (“Beverly Hills 90210” and “Charmed”) and Wilson Cleveland, follows a heartbroken hotel guest who finds comfort in an emotionally distant hotel manager.

Visually and story-wise, “Oh, Inverted World,” was on par with larger budget web series. Its use of black-and-white film was aesthetically distinctive and the imagery did not give away at all that this was an independent series. The story line also was different from the norm. The first episode, “Neighborhood,” keeps the audience guessing with a random opening in which a zombie-looking man dies in the first few seconds. The rest of the episode was as puzzling with a bar scene involving the main character, Mina, and her friends, “the bearded three,” but at least it is thought-provoking.

Where the series falls short, however, was in the acting. The problem with independent shows is that because of the low budget, sometimes the best actors are not chosen for the show. Instead it is who the creators are able to get. While the actress who plays Mina had a strong presence, the other actors in the show were awkward in their deliverance of lines.  Often the acting was not convincing; the comical parts were not that .

In “Suite 7,” the emotional interaction between Shannen Doherty and Wilson Cleveland was powerful. However, some people in the class did not agree. “The story was clichéd, stranger meet stranger, and the acting was kind of bland,” said Ying Chan. I agree that the story was typical (it is a mainstream web-series after all), the chemistry between the two actors was there within the intimate setting of the hotel room.

Surprisingly, the bigger-budget web series was visually lacking. The visuals are sort of dull and blurry, and the camera is a little shaky. I do not know if it was meant as a means for the viewers to focus on the two actors or as a reflection of the emotions of Shannen Doherty’s character, but it is not appealing to the eye. The strength of the web-series lies in the words spoken, not the way it looks.

But what is great about the Internet is that “Oh, Inverted World” and other independent web series are given the same chance as more mainstream web series like “Suite 7”. They have equal opportunity for me to play or for me to click away.