Webisodes, Weady or What?

FOR MANY OF us who've been trenching over the last little while, the idea of the webisode is still something freakish, and half formed, like Philip Seymour Hoffman or that genetically engineered perfect CBC Radio listener they hunted down and killed in the Atrium last week. (Didn't hear about one? Oh, it happened. Jian and Peter Mansbridge and Rex Murphy are all in on it. George too. But I digress.)

I've seen very few webisodes that I ever really loved. Even ones that connected to shows that I really do like quite a bit. Battlestar Galactica's were mildly interesting. But the idea that they're going to "out" a character in a future webisode just leaves me feeling rather meh. And I'm not entirely convinced that some webisodes under his belt are going to make Jimmy Fallon any better as a future talk show host.

Now that StrikeTV is up and running, you can go and see for yourself if there are any unpolished gems that are getting through without the network 'man' standing in the way.

Of course, here in Canada, it's 1959. The networks here haven't even really started to figure out that they actually need to start making things if they're going to survive at all. (Expect the license renewals later this year to be filled with whinges about 1) how come you won't give us 50 cents per subscriber? and 2) because you won't give us 50 cents per subscriber, we can't make Canadian shows anymore and you shouldn't make us. 3) Wahh. We need to be changed. (I may be stretching the truth on that last one.)

Here's where the CBC -- lamented, complained about, always pilloried -- actually shows a bit of worth.

Being Erica is one of the new shows that's coming to CBC in January. I saw the pilot and it was good, but I haven't seen anything else.

Well, with the launch of their site, BeingErica.ca, you can get a taste of the characters for yourself. The webisodes introduce you to the main character, played by the very winning Erin Karpluk.

But here's where webisodes offer an intriguing way forward, something that benefits both the industry from a training perspective, and the expansion of this new medium.

The Being Erica webisodes were written by the show's story coordinator, under the supervision of one of the other writers. It's a good deal -- a chance to cut your teeth writing. In shorter episode orders, it's not always possible to throw the story coordinator a script. But here's an on-the-job model that allows an opportunity to stretch and have the person try it out.

I think in the future, this is going to be an important first gig for newbie writers before you land your first script. And the best part is, since they're covered as of the last contract -- writing a webisode for a WGC Show can get you your WGC membership.

It may not be paid at a princeley level, but it's a good opportunity, and a model that more shows should try to pursue.

If you're working in the Canadian biz, you can't look to the private networks for the inside scoop on what's going on. They're hopelessly behind the curve. Jill Golick has been blogging recently on her story2oh site about most recent developments. And I have to concur with one of her recent recommendations.

If you loved Dr. Horrible's Sing Along Blog, go let Jill tell you why you should be checking out Felicia Day's "The Guild."

It's probably the best webisode series I've ever seen. Why? As Jill puts it:

It's Inside the Web World

The Guild gets the web and makes lots of inside jokes that cater to the geekdom. There are hilarious lines like "I lied to my own webcam" and "In the world of management 2.0, you have to be able to trust all your widgets." In Episode 201, there's a great exchange between Codex and Zaboo about T1 lines that almost ignites a romance. There is no one who has their finger more firmly on the pulse of today's web than Felicia Day. And no one who can match her ability to find the humour in it.

It's in the Medium and the Close-Up

The shooting is web-perfect; simple and in close enough to read the emotion on the faces. There's nothing elaborate about the camera work, no dollying or even panning. It's just clean and brightly lit. But the simplicity and nice close shooting helps you connect emotionally with the characters. That connection -- between viewer and character -- is one of the big keys to why this series is so compelling.

She also points to the characters, and the shape of each ep as standout reason why this webisode series works where so many others leave you cold.

I'll make it easy for you. Here's episode one:



If you like what you see, you can always buy the DVD of Season One here.

What about you, readers? Have you discovered any webisode 'gems?' Or is the genre still not ready for pixel-prime time?