So the AV Club has started covering the New York Television festival, in the hopes of elevating the medium. Watching all these premieres, I've been struck by the way that, despite the way that a zillion cable channels have radically opened up the kinds of stories that can get told on TV, there's no working independent television model. Stuff like this came out of the writer's strike, which makes me think that incredible things could happen if TV writers and producers could do things outside of the studio model.
So it's worth checking this stuff out--the wave of the future, and all that...
I don't know that I'd say there's no independent TV model: stuff on the web treads a fine line between serialized short film and bona fide TV series. I think there's something happening there, but it's not happening with a lot of fanfare or hubbub, in part because it weirdly lacks "outsider" cred, or any compelling, package-able narrative for the press to hold on to. There are a surprising number of enterprising, independent creator/producers out there, making web series and such, but it's all done fairly cheaply, but usually by people with some professional experience, which gives it some style and it's just bubbling along. Since I started working on my webseries, I've brushed up against this world quite a bit and it's pretty lively and interesting. I just think the big corps haven't figured out how to monetize it yet, so they're wary of it.
Posted by: 99 | September 23, 2010 at 10:20 AM
Also, the comment thread to that A/V Club piece is an absolute riot.
Posted by: 99 | September 23, 2010 at 10:25 AM