It's been awhile, but I'm sharing the Women in Webseries panel from Geek Girl Con with everyone that reads this blog because it was a very interesting discussion. Hope you enjoy it!
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Saturday, October 1, 2011
Steamboat
There's something to be said for being able to make fun of yourself. If you're really good at it, you're just funny.
Steamboat is a comedy about the behind the scenes shenanigans of the cast and crew of a soap opera on the verge of cancellation. Written and produced by former soap stars, Steamboat is a hilarious romp through egos and crazy.
The production quality is top notch, with nary an out of focus camera or audio glitch to be seen. The show is shot in a mockumentary directing style, which many web series are. What the premise lacks in originality it makes up for in in-jokes and meta storytelling
Performances from named actors and unknown alike are strong and deliciously hammy. Dialogue is fast and witty and samples juvenile jokes for shockingly high brow humour.
Steamboat is a comedy about the behind the scenes shenanigans of the cast and crew of a soap opera on the verge of cancellation. Written and produced by former soap stars, Steamboat is a hilarious romp through egos and crazy.
The production quality is top notch, with nary an out of focus camera or audio glitch to be seen. The show is shot in a mockumentary directing style, which many web series are. What the premise lacks in originality it makes up for in in-jokes and meta storytelling
Performances from named actors and unknown alike are strong and deliciously hammy. Dialogue is fast and witty and samples juvenile jokes for shockingly high brow humour.
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Life From the Inside
Disclaimer: I have received promotional material such as DVDs from the creator of this series.
Agoraphobia. You'd think a series set around a character who can't leave his home would be a drama about someone suffering from a debilitating disease, but for Mason, lead character of the long running web series Life From the Inside, it's the least of his many hilarious problems.
Episodes are typically in the window of half and hour, broken up into 3 or 4 parts. The editing is serviceable, with no noticeable issues. The sound is clear and never tinny.
The early episodes are not shot in HD, but they are all well shot and the scenes have clever background music. The 80s-inspired episode even has music that could be taken from that decades radio.
Characters are well defined, and the acting is top notch. The dialogue is also witty and rarely goes for the easy joke, instead preferring to remain intelligent.
Agoraphobia. You'd think a series set around a character who can't leave his home would be a drama about someone suffering from a debilitating disease, but for Mason, lead character of the long running web series Life From the Inside, it's the least of his many hilarious problems.
Episodes are typically in the window of half and hour, broken up into 3 or 4 parts. The editing is serviceable, with no noticeable issues. The sound is clear and never tinny.
The early episodes are not shot in HD, but they are all well shot and the scenes have clever background music. The 80s-inspired episode even has music that could be taken from that decades radio.
Characters are well defined, and the acting is top notch. The dialogue is also witty and rarely goes for the easy joke, instead preferring to remain intelligent.
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Devanity
Sex. Drugs. Lies. No, this isn't a GOP convention, it's the everyday lives of the twisted Devanity family. There's the rapist, the druggie, the controlling asshole, and the party girl fighting over the inherited empire as they sleep with each other's spouses and sometimes each other.
The show goes for a glamorous look and knocks it out of the park. Production values are high, the locations are expansive, and it's highly reminiscent of a 1980s primetime soap opera without network censors. The main weak spot is the occasionally spotty sound, most of which is in the first episode.
The acting is usually strong, though sometimes the performances aren't over the top enough to match the writing and setting. Katie Caprio in particular is a treasure as the drugged up Bianca.
As for the writing itself, it's so mired in trash that Maury Povich would pass on it and Jerry Springer would have to make it a pay-per-view special. It is what Days of our Lives, Passions, and other campy daytime and primetime soap operas wish they could be. There is no taboo too strong for the Devanity clan. However, the shock value is never a detriment to the overall plot.
There is a chance that Devanity may cross the line for some viewers, but whichever side of the line you end up on it's a fun ride.
The show goes for a glamorous look and knocks it out of the park. Production values are high, the locations are expansive, and it's highly reminiscent of a 1980s primetime soap opera without network censors. The main weak spot is the occasionally spotty sound, most of which is in the first episode.
The acting is usually strong, though sometimes the performances aren't over the top enough to match the writing and setting. Katie Caprio in particular is a treasure as the drugged up Bianca.
As for the writing itself, it's so mired in trash that Maury Povich would pass on it and Jerry Springer would have to make it a pay-per-view special. It is what Days of our Lives, Passions, and other campy daytime and primetime soap operas wish they could be. There is no taboo too strong for the Devanity clan. However, the shock value is never a detriment to the overall plot.
There is a chance that Devanity may cross the line for some viewers, but whichever side of the line you end up on it's a fun ride.
Monday, September 12, 2011
Girl Parts
Being honest, there is such a deluge of "actors making it in LA/New York" web series that I'm about to institute a moratorium on watching them. It's not that they're all terrible, just that there isn't much different between the shows than the casts.
Today's show, Girl Parts, doesn't do anything terribly new in the subgenre, but it's still a solid and genuinely funny show. Main character Ash and her boss are the breakout characters. They play off each other well, and have great chemistry as the actors clearly try to one up each other.
While the actresses all give great performances, there really isn't a whole lot differences in Ash's roommates. This could be because the season is only five episodes in and they're just supporting characters, but it's hard to tell who is who at times.
The show looks good, and has some interesting camera angles like a shot from within the fridge in the pilot. The sound is also excellent, as is the 60s British Rock-inspired theme song. Overall, the production is good and I can't find any flaws that interrupt the viewing process.
Episodic is the name of the game. There isn't much of a continuing story, but there is a strong sense of continuity between the episodes, such as a running gag about Bill Murray.
If you can get past the original setup, Girl Parts is an enjoyable little show, albeit a little on the bubblegum side. I'd definitely recommend giving it a chance.
Today's show, Girl Parts, doesn't do anything terribly new in the subgenre, but it's still a solid and genuinely funny show. Main character Ash and her boss are the breakout characters. They play off each other well, and have great chemistry as the actors clearly try to one up each other.
While the actresses all give great performances, there really isn't a whole lot differences in Ash's roommates. This could be because the season is only five episodes in and they're just supporting characters, but it's hard to tell who is who at times.
The show looks good, and has some interesting camera angles like a shot from within the fridge in the pilot. The sound is also excellent, as is the 60s British Rock-inspired theme song. Overall, the production is good and I can't find any flaws that interrupt the viewing process.
Episodic is the name of the game. There isn't much of a continuing story, but there is a strong sense of continuity between the episodes, such as a running gag about Bill Murray.
If you can get past the original setup, Girl Parts is an enjoyable little show, albeit a little on the bubblegum side. I'd definitely recommend giving it a chance.
Friday, September 9, 2011
Heroes of the North
What do you get when you mix Canada, super heroes, and a lot of latex together? You get the comic-inspired Quebec-based web series Heroes of the North!
Set in a world where super heroes and vigilantes both fight crime, and sometimes each other, Heroes definitely fills a niche that many other web series definitely ignore: comic book nerds. Sure, a geek-filled web series may make a pop culture reference to Krypton or The Fantastic Four, but this is a show built from the ground up for fans of heroes who fight crime and look badass while doing it.
The production is easily the strongest part of this series, as the look and sound are both great. The camera work is clever and never for fan service, which I'm sure is a welcome relief to the female audience. The special effects, while not on the same level as a hundred million dollar Hollywood film, are never cheap looking.
The writing starts out slow, with all of the characters being introduced separately so the audience knows whom each hero is, but without an overarching story there's little reason to continue watching. However, when the main story kicks in it quickly becomes riveting, and occasionally funny.
The acting is very good, as is the choreography for the fight scenes. Sometimes the dialogue is difficult to understand as English is clearly not the first language for many of the actors, but the facial expressions and body language of the actors express clearly enough what their accents can't.
Individually and as a whole, Heroes of the North is an excellent web series and should be watched by everyone. The only problem, per se, is its status as a Koldcast TV exclusive, as that website's player is known to have freezing and buffering issues, but if you can get past those technical difficulties you're in for a real treat!
Set in a world where super heroes and vigilantes both fight crime, and sometimes each other, Heroes definitely fills a niche that many other web series definitely ignore: comic book nerds. Sure, a geek-filled web series may make a pop culture reference to Krypton or The Fantastic Four, but this is a show built from the ground up for fans of heroes who fight crime and look badass while doing it.
The production is easily the strongest part of this series, as the look and sound are both great. The camera work is clever and never for fan service, which I'm sure is a welcome relief to the female audience. The special effects, while not on the same level as a hundred million dollar Hollywood film, are never cheap looking.
The writing starts out slow, with all of the characters being introduced separately so the audience knows whom each hero is, but without an overarching story there's little reason to continue watching. However, when the main story kicks in it quickly becomes riveting, and occasionally funny.
The acting is very good, as is the choreography for the fight scenes. Sometimes the dialogue is difficult to understand as English is clearly not the first language for many of the actors, but the facial expressions and body language of the actors express clearly enough what their accents can't.
Individually and as a whole, Heroes of the North is an excellent web series and should be watched by everyone. The only problem, per se, is its status as a Koldcast TV exclusive, as that website's player is known to have freezing and buffering issues, but if you can get past those technical difficulties you're in for a real treat!
Monday, September 5, 2011
The Cavanaughs
Honestly, this is a show that should have failed, and in many respects it does. The camera work is fuzzy, the directing is only adequate, the sound is uneven, and the acting varies wildly between amazing and wooden.
What saves The Cavanaughs from being a complete pass? Heart. The show is clearly a labour of love and every episode leaves you feeling warm inside. For all of their technical merits, many of the high end web series come off soulless at best, so it's at least interesting to see what the inverse looks like.
The characters are all fleshed out thanks to the good writing that carries the show through the rough production. Dialogue is sometimes awkward and clumsy, but the overarching story is rather clever. The web series is based on a failed pilot, but on screen and off, and is about a production company that comes together to recreate it and sell the show again because they believe in the end product.
The show within a show format is there mainly to set up some incredible character interactions, like the actress who gets fired because she's dating the ex-boyfriend of the studio exec who wants to buy the show. Then there's the sorta love triangle of Mark/Sarah/Scott. I say "sorta" because Mark and Sarah are interested in each other at different times, but Scott is also interested in the heterosexual Mark. Serving as den mother for The Cavanaughs is Ginger Snappz as the flambouyant drag queen/transsexual Noreen Cavanaugh.
There is a really good show to be found here, but unfortunately you have to be really forgiving of some very critical flaws in the production, and until they get those issues fixed I really don't feel comfortable recommending The Cavanaughs.
What saves The Cavanaughs from being a complete pass? Heart. The show is clearly a labour of love and every episode leaves you feeling warm inside. For all of their technical merits, many of the high end web series come off soulless at best, so it's at least interesting to see what the inverse looks like.
The characters are all fleshed out thanks to the good writing that carries the show through the rough production. Dialogue is sometimes awkward and clumsy, but the overarching story is rather clever. The web series is based on a failed pilot, but on screen and off, and is about a production company that comes together to recreate it and sell the show again because they believe in the end product.
The show within a show format is there mainly to set up some incredible character interactions, like the actress who gets fired because she's dating the ex-boyfriend of the studio exec who wants to buy the show. Then there's the sorta love triangle of Mark/Sarah/Scott. I say "sorta" because Mark and Sarah are interested in each other at different times, but Scott is also interested in the heterosexual Mark. Serving as den mother for The Cavanaughs is Ginger Snappz as the flambouyant drag queen/transsexual Noreen Cavanaugh.
There is a really good show to be found here, but unfortunately you have to be really forgiving of some very critical flaws in the production, and until they get those issues fixed I really don't feel comfortable recommending The Cavanaughs.
Sunday, September 4, 2011
Hello and Haywire!
This whole blogging thing is new to me, so please bear with me as this will surely go through some growing pains and has a high probability of being abandoned in the future out of laziness.
For my first blog, I'm going to be covering the horror/sci-fi web series Haywire, which can be found Here.
The show starts off with a bang, with no lead in as to how things in the besieged town of Monroe, NY functioned beforehand outside of some snippets from the credits. The simplest synopsis is that after a mysterious flash in the sky, the people who saw it have become stuck in a time loop and, if interrupted in the task they are trying to accomplish, they become filled with violent and murderous rage.
While the overarching story itself is rather well done, the individual episodes leave a lot to the imagination. People show up at and leave locations with no explanations, and if they do get one it's vague at best.
Most of the characters are interesting, especially the young girl Cassie who is too sheltered to understand what exactly is going on and her self-appointed guardian Nikki. There's also a group of older men who have taken it upon themselves to stop the madness by attacking the affected people and binding them.
The cinematography is generally well done, though there is a shaky cam feel but it's usually fairly steady and not distracting. There are no noticeable sound issues, and the soundtrack is never intrusive but instead compliments what you're seeing on the screen.
The acting is top notch, aside from some of the members of the science team who, while not bad, are still a bit wooden. The ones who really shine are Larissa Laurel, who plays the (possible) widow Gracie and Jenn Crane Turner. Turner really captures the heartache of Caroline, a mother who doesn't know what's happened to the son she lost after the event that sent things into motion.
If there is one real downside to this series, it's the monthly release schedule. There is such a long wait between releases that, unless you've subscribed to the youtube channel or signed up for e-mail updates, the average viewer will likely forget about the show before the next episode premiers.
This show definitely gets a recommendation and you can check out the first episode below!
For my first blog, I'm going to be covering the horror/sci-fi web series Haywire, which can be found Here.
The show starts off with a bang, with no lead in as to how things in the besieged town of Monroe, NY functioned beforehand outside of some snippets from the credits. The simplest synopsis is that after a mysterious flash in the sky, the people who saw it have become stuck in a time loop and, if interrupted in the task they are trying to accomplish, they become filled with violent and murderous rage.
While the overarching story itself is rather well done, the individual episodes leave a lot to the imagination. People show up at and leave locations with no explanations, and if they do get one it's vague at best.
Most of the characters are interesting, especially the young girl Cassie who is too sheltered to understand what exactly is going on and her self-appointed guardian Nikki. There's also a group of older men who have taken it upon themselves to stop the madness by attacking the affected people and binding them.
The cinematography is generally well done, though there is a shaky cam feel but it's usually fairly steady and not distracting. There are no noticeable sound issues, and the soundtrack is never intrusive but instead compliments what you're seeing on the screen.
The acting is top notch, aside from some of the members of the science team who, while not bad, are still a bit wooden. The ones who really shine are Larissa Laurel, who plays the (possible) widow Gracie and Jenn Crane Turner. Turner really captures the heartache of Caroline, a mother who doesn't know what's happened to the son she lost after the event that sent things into motion.
If there is one real downside to this series, it's the monthly release schedule. There is such a long wait between releases that, unless you've subscribed to the youtube channel or signed up for e-mail updates, the average viewer will likely forget about the show before the next episode premiers.
This show definitely gets a recommendation and you can check out the first episode below!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)