It is time again for a journey across the globe… via the Internet. Next stop… The IndieNet and Beyond! It’s more news and web series episodes, plus I give you a quick update on my own web series.
I’ve been working away on my very own web series called Reality On Demand. We have filmed half of season one and next week begin filming the second half. I have chatted with many web series creators over the years, especially over the last few months and I have heard all of their stories about scheduling problems, technical issues, etc. And I’ve worked on both short and feature length films, and figured it wouldn’t be a big deal… yeah. Let’s just say I now have even more respect for this particular field of filmmaking.
But I’ve learned a lot, lessons that will come in very handy for season two and any other future web projects. I’m always asking web series creators on this column what advice they would give filmmakers wanting to make a web series, so it’s only fair that I do the same. So, here are a few lessons I’ve learned so far in this journey of making a web series:
- Don’t create a cast video introducing your cast until you’ve finished filming. We lost one of our actors very early on—just a week or so after releasing our cool introducing-the-cast video—and needed to do some quick re-casting. Needless to say, we’ll have to swap that out in the near future, but now we are too busy actually filming the series to be able to film the replacement spots needed. Oops.
- Don’t let your cast roam the streets with your prop guns. Even if you tell them to keep them hidden, expect the inner child of every actor to make them unable to resist and you’ll have five police cars called on you and one of your cast will almost get arrested. Or shot. Either way, you may find yourself needing to do even more re-casting. (See lesson 1.)
- And on a more inspirational note: never give up. No matter what. No matter what gets thrown at you. No matter what surprises arise. Always keep working away until you are done. We had some technical glitches that required re-shooting, some location surprises and the surprise loss of a cast member, but I and the cast & crew keep working to create a web series that we’ll be proud of and that hopefully you’ll enjoy.
Reality On Demand has been a challenge, but it has been a really fun challenge. I love our cast and crew and I know that when it is finished, it won’t get shelved or shown at a handful of film festivals before fading away. It will be shown to the world and hopefully start the first season of an ongoing series that will get better with each and every season. Especially with sponsors. (Hint, hint to any potential sponsors reading.)
Now lets see what else is happening in Online Land.
Elsewhere On The Web
Is the Internet the future of entertainment? Lets see…
Yahoo! premiered the first made for the web feature length film with Girl Walks Into a Bar.
Then Netflix green lighted their first original series House of Cards, directed by David Fincher and starring Kevin Spacey. According to Hollywood Reporter, they aren’t stopping there.
And now Adweek says Yahoo! is about to launch 7-10 new original series.
Attack Of The Trailers!
Here is a trailer for a web original series that caught my eye.
Vampire Mob Season Two Teaser Trailer
Vampire Mob season two is in the works. Here is a teaser just for you.
What I’m Watching… Are You?
I’ve been scouring the web… for new web originals to watch and share with you. Enjoy!
Aidan 5 – Episode 5: In Sheep’s Clothing
It’s the future, and cloning has changed the world. Cops, clones, and conspiracy—oh my!
Black Box TV – Episode 14: No Way Back Now
I’ve recently discovered Black Box TV, an anthology series with 5 minute episodes. Some of the stories are better than others, but I love that horror anthology feel enhanced by catchy music and eye catching cinematography.
Black Box TV – Episode 15: Unforgivable
And another episode…
Blood and Bone China – Chapter 5 – “There’s No Such Thing As Vampires”
Blood and Bones China, a Victorian vampire web series, is one of my new favorites. It’s fun and fast storytelling with fangs. Here is episode 5 for your viewing pleasure.
Fresh Hell – Episode 1
Don’t pull a ‘Brent Spiner’ by not checking out this comedy. It’s not really a scifi show, but it does star Data from Star Trek… I mean Brent Spiner.
Mind’s Eye – Episode 17: “Hide & Seek”
More episodes of the family-friendly fantasy series Mind’s Eye.
“Missing children reports mount as Dolgrath amps up his search for Illia. The Dreamweavers prepare for battle and Darius hides a drowsy Illia somewhere safe.”
Mind’s Eye – Episode 18 – “Harsh Reality”
“Illia learns more about the Dreamweavers and their place in the world, and faced with that new understanding he must come to terms with his role in the battles to come. ”
Mortal Kombat: Legacy – Episode 1 & 2 “Jax, Sonya and Kano”
The highly anticipated Mortal Kombat web series has been a hit with millions of views, more view than many popular traditional TV shows get. If you are a fan of Mortal Kombat and like a dark action series, then you’ll probably love this series.
Vampire Zombie Werewolf – Episode 6 “There Wolves”
I suppose all good things must come to an end. Season one of Vampire Zombie Werewolf ends with these two episodes.
“The moon’s full, the party’s hit a snag, and the vampires’ blood is boiling. It’s time for Tad and Bunny to act!”
Vampire Zombie Werewolf – Episode 9: “Meta-Morphosis”
The last episode of season 1.
“Teeth are bared, hackles rise, and everything comes to a head.”
31 the series: Episode 1
Talk about short episodes. 31 episodes. 31 seconds. 31 days. A daily horror series. What do you think? To short of episodes or does it intrigue you to watch more?
That’s A Wrap
Got a web series, web comic, web… whatever, then I want to know about it. Contact me at: marxpyle@scifipulse.net
That’s a wrap for now. Take care friends. Until next time… marX out.
You can follow me on Twitter @MrMarx
Follow ScifiPulse on Twitter @SciFiPulse
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Marx H. Pyle is a writer, martial artist and American independent filmmaker. A graduate of Vancouver Film School, he has worked on a number of projects including the short film he wrote and directed, Silence of the Belle. He is currently in production of his scifi web series Reality On Demand.
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