On Web Series

vlog (ˈvlɒɡ) — n

a video journal uploaded to the internet

Vlogs (video blogs) are one of the cooler products of YouTube's popularity, allowing random strangers insight to other random strangers' lives. Among my favorite vloggers are the brothers Green (creators of educational channels CrashCourse and SciShow; John is also a #1 New York Times-bestselling author.) I've followed the duo online for about 3 years, and attended an awesome event they held last year at a local indie book store in celebration of John's new novel The Fault in Our Stars.

As it happens, I also follow John on Twitter. Last April 9^th, he linked to a video which sounded interesting, a new project of his brother Hank’s. It was called the “Lizzie Bennet Diaries” – a modern version of Jane Austen’s classic “Pride and Prejudice.” I was familiar with the story, so watched the video with interest. But what caught my attention was its format.

It was a vlog. A fictional one, that is. Videos were released regularly, and soon other characters in the story universe began their own vlogs. Characters created Twitter and Tumblr accounts, too, creating an interactive experience.

As I later learned, the "LBD" isn't the first of its kind. According to Wikipedia:

A web series is a series of videos, generally in episodic form, released on the Internet or also by mobile or cellular phone, and part of t he newly emerging medium called web television… While the popularity of web series is continuing to rise, the concept itself isn't entirely new. Scott Zakarin created the first advertiser supported web series in 1995, The Spot.

There are a thousand media through which to tell a story. I deal with written forms: novels, short stories, poems, et cetera.  Other popular media include musicals, films, and television. As a storyteller, I feel it’s important to have an understanding of each of these forms.

So, it came as a surprise when I discovered web series. Curious, I looked into the classics, including lonelygirl15 and The Guild. I searched through list, like this one from Flavorwire.

Poster for Submissions Only, one of my favorite web series.

Web series are curious to me. Though their budgets are generally small (H+ is one exception), they’re often of surprisingly high quality. For example, I enjoyed seasons 1 and 2 of “Submissions Only” much more than many popular television shows I’ve seen. I was also impressed by “Burning Love” and “Dirty Work” (just a note: “BL” includes blurred nudity, “DW” language.) Other great shows include “Squaresville” and “Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog,” which is actually a musical of Joss Whedon’s. (When I heard about “Dr. Horrible”, I had a little heart attack. A Whedon musical featuring Felicia Day, Neil Patrick Harris, and Nathan Fillion? The music is fantastic, and the story is powerful. Watch till the end and you’ll understand what I mean.)

Web series come in all shapes and sizes (or lengths, that is.) Just a few examples:

1. “The Lydia Bennet”, a tie-in series with the “Lizzie Bennet Diaries.” Installments last only two or three minutes. Both fictional vlogs are designed to be interactive (discussed at 25:00 in this podcast), and have gained a strong fan base, or “fandom.” Viewers are mostly women, though the age range is wide. The series is sometimes comedic, sometimes dramatic, but always engaging. This series could easily have turned out badly, but luckily both its writers and actors are quite talented. In fact, watching this latest video of Lydia’s prompted me to write a paragraph-length comment on Lydia’s psychology. 
2. “Dirty Work”, a dark comedy from Rides.tv. Episodes last 20 minutes each but are split into three acts. The show provides some fun bonus content, including additional video clips and optional messages to your phone or desktop (sent by the characters, so that the viewer becomes a part of the story.) The show depicts the misadventures of three Los Angelenos working in the crime scene clean up business.
3. “Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog”, a tragicomedic musical from the wonderful Joss Whedon. It’s split into three 14-minute acts. From Wikipedia: The show tells the story of Dr. Horrible (played by Neil Patrick Harris), an aspiring supervillain; Captain Hammer (Nathan Fillion), his nemesis; and Penny (Felicia Day), their shared love interest.

Whatever your interests, whichever experience type you prefer, there’s a web series for you.

Probably, that is. It might just be me, but most web series seem to fit into more specific niches than television shows. For example, though I found “GeekTherapy” to be cute, I found the show dull. (This is mostly because I didn't understand its geeky references.)

If you've never watched a web series, I’d encourage you to look into the media. It has a lot to offer, and can only grow more diverse and engaging with time.

Update: The Lizzie Bennet Diaries eventually went on to win an Emmy, and I fell in love with sequel series Emma Approved as well as Freddy Wong's creation Video Game High School. The 1st season might need some video game knowledge to appreciate, but even clueless me loved season 2. 

What Are You Shooting For? Lessons from "The Avengers"

Yesterday evening, I went to see "The Avengers."

Unless you live on Mars, you've probably heard of it. If you're not clear on the plot, here it is:

Iron Man, the Incredible Hulk, Thor, Captain America, Hawkeye and Black Widow answer the call to action when Nick Fury, director of the international peacekeeping agency known as S.H.I.E.L.D., initiates a daring, globe-spanning recruitment effort to assemble The Avengers team to defeat an unexpected enemy threatening global safety and security. Despite pulling together the ultimate dream team, Nick Fury and longtime confidant Agent Coulson must find a way to convince the superheroes to work together when the powerful and dangerous Loki gains access to the Cosmic Cube and its unlimited power.

You might be confused. Bored. That's kinda how I generally am regarding this sort of movie. It also brings up an important point for writers: What are you shooting for?

Obviously, the creators of "The Avengers" were shooting to entertain a younger, more male, audience. (Though as the box office has proven, nearly everyone's seen it.)

(FUTURE UPDATE: I’m lol’ing at myself. Superhero flicks generally do appeal more to guys than girls, but the biggest “Avengers” fans usually seem to be girls. Of course, who doesn’t lust after Tom Hiddleston?)

However, the movie's goal was typical for an action movie. Lotsa fighting, romantic elements present but receiving little attention. Some humor and wit, too, especially from Iron Man (Robert Downey, Jr.)

And cliche moments. One example is when Evil-God-Dude Loki visits Germany and suppresses a crowd outside a theater. As an Evil-God-Dude, he has a staff/sword item to magically force his minions to kneel.

Once everyone's kneeling, Loki lifts the spell and begins to give a grand speech about taking over the world. Naturally, one old man stands up, to give a short line about freedom. Then, just before Loki can evilly extinguish the man's life, Captain America swoops in.

At other times, "The Avengers" just has some faulty psychology. The worst of it arrives as the Avengers battle Loki's forces to protect Manhattan.

At a point in the sequence, Captain America swoops onto a car beside two police officers. He pauses for a moment to deliver evacuation instructions, to which one of the policemen replies: "Why the hell should we follow you?" When C.A. swiftly spins and delivers blows to two of Loki's alien fighters, the policeman also turns and begins to bark C.A.'s directions to bystanding officers.

I cringed a little at that moment. Once again, cliche resistance. But there was something else: the policeman's reaction didn't strike me as natural. Humans are sheep!: if we see a hero/leader giving orders in a terrifying situation, we're going to follow them.

Now, I don't totally want to disparage the movie. (And with Joss Whedon as screenwriter, I'm not sure it was possible for this flick to be truly bad.)

My point is the question I presented at the beginning of the post: What are you shooting for? Because, truthfully, "The Avengers" was quite a good movie. Sure, the who's-more-macho fights got tiring after a while, but there were some pretty funny moments (such as the Hulk pounding Loki against the ground, before he can give another I-am-a-god! speech.) The Black Widow was very cool, and I was interested by her relationship with Hawkeye, though it didn't receive much attention. Plus, the performances weren't terrible: I enjoyed Mark Ruffalo's (as Hulk) in particular.

So what kind of humor do you want to employ in your writing? How much action, romance? Who's your audience?

Just something to consider.

Other weekend news:

1. Loving Marina Diamandis's new album, Electra Heart.
2. Loving "Bridget Jones's Diary." Can't believe I didn't see it before! (It also inspired lots of Colin Firth love.)
3. Also: began to watch the 1995 "Pride & Prejudice" miniseries (feat. Colin Firth)

Who's your audience? Did you see anything over the weekend? 

Aiming for the Heart: Another Hunger Games Post

Last week, I talked about the Hunger Games' recently popularity. Today, I want to talk about a revelation I had at the end of Mockingjay, the series' 3rd and final book.
...

First thing I have to cover is the history of my affair with these books. I read The Hunger Games 3 years ago and began Catching Fire, but quit early on due to boredom. I wasn't invested in the characters.

Now comes the movie. The teens falling head over heels, the Internet swarms, the whole phenomenon. So I decide to borrow back books one and two from my friend.

Josh Hutcherson

I read them in a day. I see the movie. I fall totally in love with Josh Hutcherson (Peeta), though he's short, and I'll never forgive Suzanne Collins for his name.*"Son of a breadmaker...", scans audience for appropriate facepalms*

(ALSO: Birdy's song "Just a Game", featured on the movie's soundtrack, makes me cry. Though I have to mention that her music usually does.)

- Point being that I fall in love with the books the way I didn't 3 years ago, but the way every reader seems to be doing now. I feel appreciation for Katniss. Gale is complicated. Then, as I've said, I've totally fallen for Peeta. (Or Josh Hutcherson, the line is blurry here.)

What I do have to say: It was Mockingjay, the end of the series, that made me impressed. That tought me something about my own writing. The first and second books definitely provide a lesson for plotting and raising the stakes, but they didn't hit me the way Mockingjay did.

It was the death of a character and Katniss' subsequent meltdown that did it. Sure, I was effected by *possible spoiler* Rue's death (and the flowers!), but it didn't make me cry the way I did at the series' end.

Here's my point: Think of your reader as a target. If you shoot him in the foot, it'll hurt (and probably irritate him.) If you hit his upper arm, it will hurt more. But hitting him in the heart will completely rock him. (You could also try hitting his head, but then you might miss him completely. Or knock him over.)

The end of Mockingjay hit me in the heart, and led to some serious blood loss.

How I feel about the series now:

I'm glad it's popular, because it's the kind of thing teens should be reading. It's not just some silly love story, it's about the desensitization of violence in entertainment/the media, and war and survival. It poses morality questions and features a fantastic female protagonist (which is, in YA, pathetically rare.)

How I feel about the movie:

- I'm not a fan of Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss - I'd prefer someone younger, who acts more like... well, a terrified girl struggling to maintain her compusure and figure out this boy thing while surviving. Katniss definitely isn't a damsel in distress, but is only 16 in the first book.

(FUTURE UPDATE: I still think JLaw might be a little old for the part, but I don’t care, because she is amazing. She’s a fantastic actress and a super role model.)

- I don't get all of the fan outrage I've been seeing. (To me it's a little silly after surviving through 8 Harry Potter adaptions.) I actually enjoyed some of the changes, such as the choice of character who gives Katniss her symbolic mockingjay pin. In the books, it's Madge, the mayor's daughter, who's cut out of the movie completely. Instead, it's an old woman from the Hob (the black market), who gives the pin away for free. Though Madge is more likely to own the gold pin, and has enough resources to give it away, it's not her kind of person - the mayor's family - who gives Katniss power. *possible spoilers* Katniss' defiance of the Capitol is symbolized by the mockingjay and leads to riots and revolution. Revolution by the poor, weak, and oppressed - epitomized well by the old Seam woman. Even if Madge got the pin from her mother's sister, who died in the Games (if I remember correctly.)

- I wish the movie was creepier, even if it was necessary to tone down some bits. The scariest part, and the only part I remembered from 3 years ago, was taken out! *spoilers* (that is, the eyes and hair of the dead tributes in the muttations)

- Josh Hutcherson is mine. Hands off!

Have you read the books? Seen the movie? What did you think? And what stories hit you in the heart?

Reflections: The Hunger Games & Teens Reading

This isn't a post I planned to write, but I feel like mentioning something I've noticed: A lot more teens reading.

So why are they?

Suzanne Collins's The Hunger Games.

I first read the YA novel in 2009, right after its paperback release, and the release of the series' second book, Catching Fire. I read the first book fairly quickly, drawn in by the plot. Just in case you're not familiar with it, here's the synopsis:

In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. Long ago the districts waged war on the Capitol and were defeated. As part of the surrender terms, each district agreed to send one boy and one girl to appear in an annual televised event called, "The Hunger Games," a fight to the death on live TV. Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives alone with her mother and younger sister, regards it as a death sentence when she is forced to represent her district in the Games. The terrain, rules, and level of audience participation may change but one thing is constant: kill or be killed.

This book definitely isn't a bore. It's plotted very well. However, none of the characters stuck with me after my first read through. Yesterday, I reread the novel, and had more appreciation for them, but still no mind-blowers. It's not that they're underdeveloped - it's just that, being pretty well-read, they don't stand out for me.

Hunger Games fan art.

They definitely stand out for most teens. I've mostly gotten this sense by scrolling through Tumblr. I've got to have seen a million artsy photos of the books, pages with highlighted quotes, and fan art. Then, there was a girl at school the other day, who was going on forever about how she'd stayed up till 2 AM to read the first half of the first book. It was the first time she'd read (or planned to read) an entire novel since elementary school.

That's several years. Of barely reading.

Anyway, as I've mentioned, I've been reading the books again. I gave them to a friend and borrowed them back for spring break, and I'm already farther than I was three years ago. I got through the first book about just as fast, then stayed up to 2 AM, ironically, to get as far as I could in the second. (Page 328 of 391, when exhaustion had simply caused the words to lose meaning.) I'm still not in love with the characters, but I've got more respect for them. And I do plan to buy Mockingjay, the third and final book of the series.

So what's my point? I'm not sure I've got one. I suppose I just find it odd that, for the first time, I fail to be swept up by a teen reading phenomenon. (Even Twilight I loved originally, though I did happen to be 12.) Instead, when I read the books, my inner editor scrambles to mention possible improvements. I find Katniss's love life much less interesting than the underlying messages about technology and entertainment and the media (plus lots of similarites between the Capitol and Rome), which I hope other teens will also recognize. I'm also hoping that the movie, which I'm seeing tonight, will focus on these themes. Fingers certainly crossed.

Have you read the books? Did they sweep you up or leave you bored to tears? What about the movie? And what about all these teens reading?