Webtainment Taking Over? Is TV dying a slow death?

I haven't posted a conversational entry in, well, I can't remember when. I now feel the need. For those who follow me as Ann Wilkes the sci-fi writer, this year has been a bit of a sabbatical on that front. I have written what I think is an awesome flash this year, got an article which I wrote last fall published and have kept the blog going. Other than that, I've been a dancing fool, going out dancing five or six times a week. The divorce from the non-dancing husband was final in January and I've been making up for lost time. So, I'm still expressing myself, but with a different medium. ;) Besides, it don't mean a thing if you ain't got that swing... du wop, du wop.

But you didn't come here to read about my dancing exploits. You came here because you love sci-fi. I have an opportunity to get back into writing with a vengeance. I'm so excited about this project that I can hardly contain myself. But contain myself I will. Suffice it to say I'd be teaming up with a big name in the animation industry. Y'all keep your fingers crossed for me, you here? Meantime, I'm going to start shooting the stories back out that need to find their first or second homes. I've also been chairing a local sci-fi contest. The winners will be announced in September. And I'm volunteer coordinator for the Sonoma County Book Festival. So, I haven't been idle. Just not writing much new fiction. I guess I'll have to give up a couple dance nights to work it back in.

For now, I have a question for my readers. Are we going so digital that TV will be a thing of the past in the near future? I keep seeing new web series sprouting up and the quality of some of them is pretty awesome. Do you envision a day very soon when we'll just watch our entertainment on our computer monitors, laptops and handheld devices? Would you switch to this willingly, or kicking and screaming? What about the quality and quantity?

I watched shows on Hulu for a while, until my Internet access went south. It's great that the commercials are shorter, but at least watching shows on the DVR, I could fast forward through them. Online, I can neither do that nor mute them as easily as I could on the TV.

Check out this pilot for a web series before you weigh in. Enjoy and have a great weekend!

Chronicles of Humanity: Descent and Friday teasers

Last night I watched all 8 episodes of a new science fiction webseries made with Moviestorm. Damien Valentine is writer (with Kim Genly), director and editor. Said Damien, "Every frame of every scene was created using just one computer thanks to Moviestorm..." Episode one was released Tuesday (April 26th). It even had a big screen showing in the UK.


The story opens in the 24th century with an "accident" on a Titan mining colony. The only survivor happens to be a reporter, which seemed contrived until I saw the episode explaining how she happened to be that far from the blast. She suspects the government is behind the explosion that devastated the colony and mining facility. She ends up on a freighter with a couple, Adam (Charlie Allen-Wall) and Ravyn (Gabrielle Pugliese) that want to help her after her traumatic experience.

Meanwhile, Admiral Yasuko (Kim Genly) lays her evil plots using the unsuspecting Capt. Heyman and her black ops agent/assassin.

I don't know what the limitations are with Moviestorm, but for a DIY (do-it-yourself) animated movie, it's not bad. The storyline and script held my attention. Some of the voice actors gave performances that would be nearly flawless if I closed my eyes. The mouth animation and stilted movements were a little distracting. Worst of these was an embrace that came out of nowhere and seemed to miss. I mean their arms didn't connect right. And it didn't fit right with the dialog.

Richard Grove (Captain Heyman) delivered his dialog with authority, character and a natural flow, as did Ingrid Moon (Commander Fulmer). Authority and being comfortable in that captain's chair is important. Need I mention Scott Bakula as Captain Archer of the Enterprise? I actually joined a Star Trek message board just so I could post "Archer must die!" Captain Heyman, on the other hand, I could listen to all day and hang on his every order.

And Commander Fulmer had just the right amount of spunk. Her personality added spice to the bridge.

Katherine McDonald needed more action scenes. I wanted to see her actively investigating and snooping, not just hearing about it afterward.

I encourage you to check it out. If nothing else, it will inspire you to do great things with one computer yourself.

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GeekChicDaily LA launched today. It's an e-newsletter to keep geeks in LA informed of the latest local science fiction haps, including "film festivals, gallery openings, comic/anime/manga conventions, gaming tournaments and signings, as well as profiles of local artists and personalities."

A little bird told me there are more steampunk Pinkerton episodes on the way. Stay tuned for more about The Pinkerton Files. Meanwhile, you can read my review of the first episodes here (You'll find a Falling Skies trailer there, too.).

Also, I'm dying for some more Minister of Chance. I'm thinking that if more people buy the first episode, they'll release the episode two sooner. Money talks, right? Check out Minister of Chance for your own entertainment and so I can get my MOC fix! Read my review.

TNT sent me a press kit that included the first two episodes of its new science fiction series,Falling Skies, and a cool cotton, drab olive shoulder bag. I'm thinkin' it could easily double as Browncoat (Firefly) gear. You'll see a review of the series complete with an interview with Connor Jessup very soon. Falling Skies premieres on June 19th and stars Noah Wyle. It's a DreamWorks Television production with executive producer, Steven Spielberg.

TRAILER TIME!
Rise of the Planet of the Apes and Immortals. Happy Friday and enjoy the trailers!

Riese: Kingdom Falling SyFy Web series

Riese: Kingdom Falling, even though it's steampunk, has a fairy tale feel to it. It put me in mind of the Brothers Grimm in that there is an exiled princess and young innocents – in this case infants – in danger. The narration by Amanda Tapping certainly added to this overall impression. The difference, of course, is that in 2010 the hero is a heroine. The princess doesn't cower in a dungeon waiting for rescue, but fights, defends and rescues.

Another great aspect of the show is that Riese has a wolf companion. I recently learned that all domestic dogs are descended from the white wolf. Fenrir is loyal and fierce. But he has to stay to the shadows as he is also hunted by Amara's new regime.

The cast includes Christine Chatelain as Riese (photo upper left by Adam Blasberg), Sharon Taylor as Amara, Ben Cotton as Herrick, Patrick Gilmore as Trennan , Ryan Robbins (from Sanctuary) as Rand, Emilie Ullerup as Aliza, Alessandro Juliani as Garin and Allison Mack as Marlise.

L to R: Patrick Gilmore as Trennan, Alessandro Juliani as Garin and Sharon Taylor as Amara. All photos by Adam Blasberg.

I interviewed co-creator and Executive Producer Ryan Copple to find out more about this wave of the future.

AW: Can you tell my readers a bit about the spark for this story idea?

RC: The story actually began as an idea for a short, but Kaleena Kiff (the other co-creator) saw the script and said we should develop it into a series. As for the inspiration, we really wanted to tell a story about someone journeying through a bizarre, but hauntingly similar world to our own. Once we decided to turn it into a series, we introduced the royalty background for Riese and other serialized elements.

AW: Is this the first time SyFy has acquired a Web series? Does it have plans to acquire more in the future?

RC: As far as I know. They did a webseries for Battlestar Gallactica, but I think we’re the first original acquisition. They’re definitely looking into doing more online content though. The fun thing about Syfy as well, is that if the programs do well online, there’s the possibility they’ll develop for other mediums.

AW: I have only peeked at one other Web series, but I gather that there is a definite difference in the medium. The episodes are very compressed, rather like a "previously on ____" summary. As a matter of fact, I was just marveling at one of those for Eureka. Putting those summaries together is an art in itself. Like flash film instead of flash fiction. But I digress. My question is, if Riese becomes a TV series, will it have the same look, or will it be more fleshed out, less compressed? Would it still be narrated, or was that a necessary device for the Web medium?

RC: Riese as a television show would be extremely similar aesthetically, but telling a story on the web is much different than telling it on television. We’d definitely want to flesh out the characters, the world, and especially the steampunk elements. When working on the web, you definitely don’t have the same budget that you would for a television show.

I honestly can’t say about whether or not narration would be part of the television series. It was crucial for the webseries, because we needed a way to smoothly introduce much of the backstory for Riese and the other characters. It also served as the glue for our re-edits, allowing us to move scenes around and bring footage from later episodes into earlier ones. If we do have a narrator, I think it’ll serve a much different purpose than it did in the Web series.

AW: What sort of metrics are you using to track its popularity and what can fans do to help?

RC: Views are definitely the most important metric. Syfy is monitoring the traffic for Riese, so the more eyes fans can get on the series, the better. I also recommend watching them more than once.

Syfy’s also watching the online response as well, so the more positive things people say about the series, the more likely they’ll consider it a good fit for their channel.

AW: When might you know if it will make it to TV?

RC: Syfy is going to wait till all 10 episodes air online before discussing the possibility of a television show internally. I’m guessing we won’t know anything either way until the new year.

AW: Will the present cast continue in that event?

RC: They’re all on board verbally, as they love the story and the characters. However, it’ll really depend on their schedules once we start talking television.

AW: What prompted this shift in story acquisition?

RC: Online serials and dramas are becoming increasingly popular, and it’s a medium that everyone’s trying to dig themselves into and find a way to make it work for their specific brand. For someone like Syfy, it’s an affordable way to do a ‘test run’ for a property without shooting a pilot.

AW: Can you speak to the current trends in TV series production (shorter seasons with shared spots, mini-series instead of a full run, influences from and marketing through the Internet and social media) and how this new method of acquisition might improve programming?

RC: With shows now having a mid-season hiatus, the web can really open up opportunities to keep their fans engaged with supplemental content or additional storylines while waiting for the broadcast episodes to return. Social media is also a force to be reckoned with, because now fans can actually become engaged with the people behind their favorite shows, and really do become part of the team. We’ve always said that if Riese were to go to television, we’d still want to embrace the online aspects of the show as much as possible.