John Visclosky
12/12/07
IML 346
IML 346 Midterm Thesis Proposal Outline
I. TITLE: Creative Merger: Viewing Serialized, Web-Based Storylines as an Innovative Avenue Toward Critical Research
II. ABSTRACT: I am exploring web-launched, serialized storylines - otherwise known as webisodes - to discover what technical and narrative characteristics they share, so that I can demonstrate the capacity to use formulaic patterns, manipulations, and conventions to create popular Internet-based entertainment. In exploring webisodes, I’m attempting to gain an understanding of viral web videos as a creative art form, a widely ranging cinematic/technical discipline, and an instructional tool. Primarily, I want to understand how web videos without a preexisting fanbase are produced and popularized, and in so doing, to test whether it is in fact possible to synthesize and combine pre-existing characteristics of successful webisode series. The project is an attempt to discover if analytical patterns of analysis can be manipulated to ensure creative success.
III. DESCRIPTION:
1. Genre – Experiential, Viewer-Reflexive, Faux-Documentary
2. Methodology – I’ve conducted academic research into the history, and different generic conventions of webisodes as an art form. I also interviewed cultural and technological theorists about the perceived impact of webisodes on society and pre-existing forms of entertainment, i.e. television and film. By drawing parallels between successful webisodes series, and contrasting these factors with the shared characteristics of unpopular viral web videos, I am attempting to establish an analytical framework for critical and creative analysis. By analyzing serialized, web-launched storylines, I will be able to extrapolate patterns for successful (or at least popular) narrative conventions, cinematic techniques, and delivery format.
The webisodes as a whole will comprise a series known as “The Reunion,” and will revolve around the different members of a family who are all meeting for one weekend at an annual reunion. Each episode will include documentary-style interviews, shaky-hand-held camerawork, and an improvisational script. Most successful webisodes are comedic, with a quirky, off-color sense of humor. They have archetypical characters such as the normal guy, the stupid person, the annoying one, and, surprisingly, the slutty girl. They are all under five minutes in length, and jam-packed with jokes. And they all have a main dramatic thread, a single, semi-serious story arc that permeates throughout the entire season.
I have tried to create a story that would include and elaborate on all these elements. The main character in “The Reunion,” is Ben, the normal guy who hates his job because he seems to be the only one who notices the stupidity of writing greeting cards. There is lots of rather raunchy, off-color humor, and a stupid character as well as the token annoying guy from work, Dave. The main dramatic thread of the entire series will be Ben’s attempted love affair with a girl named Jen, whom he sees for the first time in 10 years at the family reunion. As the audience watches Ben try to win back the girl of his dreams, they will be entertained by various other family members and their individual story arcs. One cousin will be struggling with how to come out to his family, another will be contemplating marriage to a recent immigrant from Mexico who doesn’t speak English, and yet another will try to reconcile working at a dead-end career merely because it pays well.
3. Delivery Format: One shared characteristic of successful webisode series is expediency of release, and display on popularized, and well-publicized websites. Towards this end, I will be releasing the ten episodes on a weekly basis on YouTube, with a link to an accompanying blogsite, where I will be keeping a record of the development and creation of the series. The blogsite will also serve as a forum in which viewers can discuss their thoughts and concerns about the webisodes, the object being to discover if viewer-responsive, interactive engagement will help cultivate the success and popularity of the series.
4. Project Goals: This project will cover the creation of a webisode series from every angle of the filmmaking process. A variety of supplemental material will augment each episode. Written materials and photographs will be incorporated in the blogsite as a way of structuring and delineating the episodes. The viewer should not only be entertained, but also come away with an understanding of the amount and type of work that goes into the production of such a series. Viewers should also be able to engage the webisode creators and each other in a thoughtful discussion about the issues raised by “The Reunion.” What makes this project so academically valuable is its ability to instruct on not only the creative process, but also the many technical disciplines involved in filmmaking (cinematography, editing, and musical composition).
By detailing the creation of a webisode series from inception to completion, this project will not only establish a forum for future research on the topic, but also promote discussion of the double-edged sword that is the compromise between creativity and feasibility. By examining and appropriating techniques used in successful webisode series, it will also help to annotate and criticize pre-existing works of art already circulating on the Internet. Because of its placement on the web, it will no only be useful for teaching students at USC, but available to interested viewers anywhere around the globe.
5. Project Significance: As webisode series and viral videos become more and more prominent in popular culture, it becomes increasingly necessary to analyze their creative and technical characteristics in order to judge what lasting impact (if any) they will have as an entertainment medium and as a cultural teaching tool. As society becomes more entrenched within the realm of Internet based interaction, it is essential to analyze how we use this constantly evolving technology as an interactive medium. Human interfacing is increasingly filtered through the intermediary of the internet. If we recognize how these filters can be manipulated and usurped, than we can better understand how to use them ourselves or even how to avoid them. Advertising functions under the same basic principles; if we know how advertisers are seeking to manipulate us as viewers, then we will be better equipped to function as responsible, knowledgeable consumers. By the same token, if we know how viral videos are attempting to manipulate us and gain our viewership, then we will be more discerning of an art-form that is already being used for commercial purposes and political propaganda (i.e. the 2008 Presidential YouTube video contests).
IV. TIMELINE:
3/1/08 – Have first webisode, “Ben,” edited and ready, including all supplementary materials (original script, director’s commentary, deleted scenes, outtakes, production stills, and making-of video)
3/30/08 – Have web site venue selected and prepared
4/30/08 – Have second webisode created, along with all supplementary materials
5/15/08 – Have third webisode edited, polished, and ready to go, including all supplementary materials
6/1/08 – Have fourth webisode complete
6/15/08 – Complete fifth webisode
6/30/08 – Complete sixth webisode
7/20/08 – Complete seventh webisode
8/15/08 – Complete eighth webisode
9/1/08 – Post first webisode
9/8/08 – Post second webisode
9/15/08 – Post third webisode
9/22/07 – Post fourth webisode
9/30/08 – Post fifth webisode
10/7/08 – Post sixth webisode
10/14/08 – Post seventh webisode
10/21/08 – Post eighth webisode
11/15/08 – Create ninth and tenth webisodes, incorporating viewer comments and suggestions
12/1/08 – Post ninth webisode
12/8/08 – Post tenth and final webisode of the season
V. BUDGET: The first episode will cost roughly $50 dollars to produce, so the total production budget should be somewhere around $500 dollars. Depending on the cost of website production and upkeep, the total budget could vary between $1,000 and $2,000 dollars. Unfortunately, I’m not able to personally finance this budget. My faculty advisor (David Maquiling) might be helpful in crafting an appropriate financial plan for my thesis project.
VI. CONFIRMED ADVISORS: David Maquiling, Virginia Kuhn
VII. PRESENTATION/DISTRIBUTION PLANS: I plan to initially release the series on YouTube while simultaneously promoting it on social networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace. After this, I plan to post the whole series on a personal website along with the material already published on the blogsite. After the conclusion of the first season of “The Reunion,” depending on budget concerns and viewer interest, I will make the entire series available on DVD. I am also planning to compile the separate episodes into a feature-length film and send that off to different film festivals.
VIII. PRODUCTION RESOURCES: I will require website writing software, word programs, Final Cut Pro, a DV camera, DV tapes, actors, producers, cameramen, props, and DVDs.
IX. PRIOR RELATED WORK: I have over 20 short films under my belt, including two that won awards at the Montgomery County Media Festival back in high school. I also have an extensive writing background, having written hundreds of poems, dozens of short stories, 12 screenplays, and one (albeit short) novel.
X. RESEARCH BIBLIOGRAPHY:
http://www.efilmcritic.com/review.php?movie=8857&reviewer=198
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/red_vs_blue/
http://rvb.roosterteeth.com/home.php
http://www.tvseriesfinale.com/2007/05/campus_ladies_oxygen_sitcom_dropped.php
http://www.machinima.com/film/view&id=275
http://mashable.com/2007/05/14/vmix-ifc/
http://www.vmix.com/ifctv
http://www.tilzy.tv/GettingAwayWithMurder
http://www.scifi.com/scifiwire/index.php?id=42833
http://www.aintitcool.com/node/33337
http://www.oxygen.com/campusladies/
http://www.tv.com/campus-ladies/show/35733/summary.html
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Carolyn French Final Thesis Proposal
Carolyn French, IML Thesis Proposal
December 11, 2007
Working Title
Examining Welfare Reform
Project Abstract
I am investigating welfare reform because I want to evaluate the impact of different approaches on poverty in order to demonstrate to voters the most effective form of assistance for impoverished children and families. My investigation focuses on the switch from ADFC (Aid For Dependent Families and Children) to TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families). I will evaluate the differences and similarities between these two policies and the cultural, economic, and political motivations behind the creation of the TANF legislation. TANF was created to appease critics of welfare, but it is debatable if it has fixed the problems that critics claimed were a part of AFDC.
I plan to start my project by focusing on just one social service organization located in Los Angeles (to be determined, but most likely the Department of Children and Family Services), and focus on the ways that this agency and the people it serves were affected by this change in legislation.
Tag words
Welfare reform, social policy, poverty, children and families in urban America
Description
Genre:
Documentary: evidence, testimony, opposing viewpoints. The goal is to paint a complete picture of welfare reform, not focusing on one perspective.
Narrative: including characters personally affected by welfare reform, such as: welfare recipients, social workers, policy makers, those eligible for welfare but do not receive it.
Multi-perspectival: my goal is to present multiple viewpoints and to examine multiple interpretations.
Clear articulation of project goals:
Public knowledge of a lot of national policies is limited solely to their name or the politician attached to the policy. It is important to delve deeper into these policies and examine if they are doing what they are intended to do. I would like to raise awareness of some of the limitations of these policies. For a lot of people, the idea of welfare comes with negative connotations and the general population in America are strongly against America becoming what they consider a “welfare state”. The goal of this website is to give people an opportunity to familiarize themselves with this policy and examine the validity of their assumptions. I would like to give a “human” perspective of welfare by giving people a view of the new TANF policy in practice. TANF was created to address some of the criticisms of welfare. I would like to evaluate this policy and its’ effectiveness. Has it addressed these problems and successfully proposed an alternative solution? Or has it simply created more problems? My thesis, from what I know of this subject so far, will be that TANF has actually created more problems for the population it is intended to help.
Statement of significance within contemporary scholarship in field:
This would offer a new perspective and could be a model for comparing other policies that are directed towards fixing social inequality. A lot of Social Workers and Sociologists hold the view that policies like TANF are a detriment to a society as a whole and contribute to social inequality. My website will aim to convey these views to the larger population. Books and text research on this topic are already available, but they are not compiled in a way that can effectively reach a mass audience. Additionally, previous research on this topic can prove confusing, especially as statistics can be distorted based on personal interest.
360degrees.org is a similar project to mine whose model I would like to follow. This site offers various perspectives on violent crime which question the basic assumptions many in society hold about this topic.
Justification for using Multimedia:
I will create a website that offers an interactive way to explore welfare reform. My website will be accessible and simple, people can learn as much or as little about these policies, can spend as much time as they want on this website whenever they desire, and can choose which component of this policy they would like to learn about. This user control will encourage interest and education among voters.This would encourage people to educate themselves about this policy which affects their lives. The inclusion of audio interviews and pictures will also give people options to learn about welfare reform in whichever way they prefer. This website also presents an opportunity to examine how multimedia can be used to examine social change and effect social policy.
Timeline
Final Thesis Proposal: December 2007
Text Research: Completed by August 2008
Multimedia supplements to text research: August ‘08-October ‘08
Putting together website: October-December 2008
Finished Project: December 2008
Budget
Less than $100: transportation costs, miscellaneous
Advisors
Dr. Carrie Lew (School of Social Work) Awaiting Confirmation
Dr. Karen Sternheimer (Sociology) Awaiting Confirmation
Undecided (IML)
Presentation Plans/Venues
Website
Production Resources
Software Needs
Flash
Website
Digital camcorder
Audio Recorder
Audio editing software
Video editing software
Presentation Needs
Computer, Internet
Prior Related Work
Previous Coursework:
Sociology 305, Sociology of Children
Social Work 304, Children and Families in Urban America
Volunteering with UNICEF, interaction with families currently using TANF
Research Bibliography
Whose Welfare?: AFDC and Elite Politics (Studies in Government and Public Policy)
by Steven M. Teles
American Dream: Three Women, Ten Kids, and a Nation's Drive to End Welfare
by Jason DeParle
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Final Thesis Proposal
Adam Church
IML 346
IML THESIS PROPOSAL
I. TITLE: “In Lulz We Trust”
II. ABSTRACT: I am investigating a largely unacknowledged or unknown internet subculture called “anonymous,” where internet subversives and cyber-terrorists congregate and pursue “lulz.” Many of those who call themselves “anonymous” are children, and more often than not they seem to have come by their infamy innocently enough, accidentally. However, substantial illegal and otherwise questionable internet activity arises from websites like 4chan.org, an online forum for posting images where so-called delinquent hackers congregate. Thanks to their ingenuity, the people behind this website remain mostly anonymous, and any posted content is erased after a very short while. The majority of the activity could be described as childish indulgence or pranking, but there exists a very disturbing underbelly. With a daily user base over 7 million, the frequency of identity theft, piracy, and even child pornography, is concerning to say the least. Sometimes the overall behavior is pointless and absurd, but actions often allude to a vigilante mentality, with strong tendencies towards the sadistic, perverse, or macabre. In any case, the actions and perceptions from without of anonymous are changing the landscape of the future, impacting everything from internet law to the software coding/authoring to the very way people interact online, the ways they understand the virtual as it bleeds more and more into the real.
III. DESCRIPTION:
1.Genre – Docu-Narrative Experiential
Methodology – I’ve conducted first hand research in a kind of ethnological, sociological mode. I’ve been interviewing people in the groups, and people who are authorities on the subject. Also, I’m using pre-existing theoretical frameworks to motivate and clarify the issues.
Delivery Format – A website, mimicking the aesthetic and interface of donniedarkofilm.com, where the user follows a loose narrative that both explains the subject matter and illustrates its relevance to society at large.
2. Project Goals – I feel this project needs to be realized in multimedia because so much of the activity on these websites is content driven. It’s difficult to convey the significance of a picture or video clip, of which the production is never ending in “anonymous”, when confined to a text filled essay. The viewer will hopefully take from this project a greater awareness of online activity, knowledge of the subversive undercurrents of these forums, and a sense of their significance in both the day-to-day and in other realms such as politics. I feel this project is valuable in an academic context because no one is really looking at the intersection of convergence culture and online networking. The soul of humanity is laid bare through the myriad activities and content of forums like 4chan, and I believe this evidences a larger change in the collective consciousness and structure of society.
3. Project Significance – These groups are pushing the boundaries of current internet law and shaping its future. I aim to both create an awareness of and open up for discussion the social and political significance of lulz. I hope as well to shed light on this often overlooked section of society. My research has applications across a number of levels, from issues of privacy rights, to cyber crime, to the role of identity on the internet as individuality seems more and more to be assimilated into this anonymous culture.
IV. TIMELINE: I will have completed all of my research by the start of next semester. As well I will have a model of the basic structure of the website. Production will begin in January of 2008 and finish in the fall of that year.
V. BUDGET: So far, I’ve spent roughly $500 on travel and another $500 on materials. I don’t anticipate putting much more into this, but I may travel to interview a few more people. The upper cap is $2000, though I intend to keep costs to a minimum because this is all out of my own pocket.
VI. CONFIRMED ADVISORS: Bill Whittington, Holly Willis
VII. PRESENTATION/DISTRIBUTION PLANS: Beyond the IML class presentations, I will publish the website and then wave goodbye.
VIII. PRODUCTION RESOURCES: So far I have been working on a fairly basic level with a DV cam and a shotgun mic to record things. Future interviews may be either video or audio only. I know I will be using Photoshop, Final Cut Pro, After Effects/Motion. I will also need to learn and employ web software and Flash.
IX. PRIOR RELATED WORK: This semester I wrote a fairly weighty term paper on the subject of internet censorship, and the research I did in preparation for that paper will be of particular aid to me here. Last semester I sort of created a machinema for the purposes of a Second Life critical analysis, but that is only connected in that it familiarized me with internet cultures. Further, the only known public acknowledgment of, or address to, my topic is a very biased, mis-information laden FOX 11 news report. There is no previous academic work in the field of “anonymous”.
X. RESEARCH BIBLIOGRAPHY: selected works from Danah Boyd, Katherine Hayles, Henry Jenkins, Georges Bataille, Guy Debord, Michel Foucault, Bakunin, and possible more as I come across them.
IML 346
IML THESIS PROPOSAL
I. TITLE: “In Lulz We Trust”
II. ABSTRACT: I am investigating a largely unacknowledged or unknown internet subculture called “anonymous,” where internet subversives and cyber-terrorists congregate and pursue “lulz.” Many of those who call themselves “anonymous” are children, and more often than not they seem to have come by their infamy innocently enough, accidentally. However, substantial illegal and otherwise questionable internet activity arises from websites like 4chan.org, an online forum for posting images where so-called delinquent hackers congregate. Thanks to their ingenuity, the people behind this website remain mostly anonymous, and any posted content is erased after a very short while. The majority of the activity could be described as childish indulgence or pranking, but there exists a very disturbing underbelly. With a daily user base over 7 million, the frequency of identity theft, piracy, and even child pornography, is concerning to say the least. Sometimes the overall behavior is pointless and absurd, but actions often allude to a vigilante mentality, with strong tendencies towards the sadistic, perverse, or macabre. In any case, the actions and perceptions from without of anonymous are changing the landscape of the future, impacting everything from internet law to the software coding/authoring to the very way people interact online, the ways they understand the virtual as it bleeds more and more into the real.
III. DESCRIPTION:
1.Genre – Docu-Narrative Experiential
Methodology – I’ve conducted first hand research in a kind of ethnological, sociological mode. I’ve been interviewing people in the groups, and people who are authorities on the subject. Also, I’m using pre-existing theoretical frameworks to motivate and clarify the issues.
Delivery Format – A website, mimicking the aesthetic and interface of donniedarkofilm.com, where the user follows a loose narrative that both explains the subject matter and illustrates its relevance to society at large.
2. Project Goals – I feel this project needs to be realized in multimedia because so much of the activity on these websites is content driven. It’s difficult to convey the significance of a picture or video clip, of which the production is never ending in “anonymous”, when confined to a text filled essay. The viewer will hopefully take from this project a greater awareness of online activity, knowledge of the subversive undercurrents of these forums, and a sense of their significance in both the day-to-day and in other realms such as politics. I feel this project is valuable in an academic context because no one is really looking at the intersection of convergence culture and online networking. The soul of humanity is laid bare through the myriad activities and content of forums like 4chan, and I believe this evidences a larger change in the collective consciousness and structure of society.
3. Project Significance – These groups are pushing the boundaries of current internet law and shaping its future. I aim to both create an awareness of and open up for discussion the social and political significance of lulz. I hope as well to shed light on this often overlooked section of society. My research has applications across a number of levels, from issues of privacy rights, to cyber crime, to the role of identity on the internet as individuality seems more and more to be assimilated into this anonymous culture.
IV. TIMELINE: I will have completed all of my research by the start of next semester. As well I will have a model of the basic structure of the website. Production will begin in January of 2008 and finish in the fall of that year.
V. BUDGET: So far, I’ve spent roughly $500 on travel and another $500 on materials. I don’t anticipate putting much more into this, but I may travel to interview a few more people. The upper cap is $2000, though I intend to keep costs to a minimum because this is all out of my own pocket.
VI. CONFIRMED ADVISORS: Bill Whittington, Holly Willis
VII. PRESENTATION/DISTRIBUTION PLANS: Beyond the IML class presentations, I will publish the website and then wave goodbye.
VIII. PRODUCTION RESOURCES: So far I have been working on a fairly basic level with a DV cam and a shotgun mic to record things. Future interviews may be either video or audio only. I know I will be using Photoshop, Final Cut Pro, After Effects/Motion. I will also need to learn and employ web software and Flash.
IX. PRIOR RELATED WORK: This semester I wrote a fairly weighty term paper on the subject of internet censorship, and the research I did in preparation for that paper will be of particular aid to me here. Last semester I sort of created a machinema for the purposes of a Second Life critical analysis, but that is only connected in that it familiarized me with internet cultures. Further, the only known public acknowledgment of, or address to, my topic is a very biased, mis-information laden FOX 11 news report. There is no previous academic work in the field of “anonymous”.
X. RESEARCH BIBLIOGRAPHY: selected works from Danah Boyd, Katherine Hayles, Henry Jenkins, Georges Bataille, Guy Debord, Michel Foucault, Bakunin, and possible more as I come across them.
Monday, December 10, 2007
IML 346 Final Proposal:
John Visclosky
11/14/07
IML 346
IML 346 Final Proposal:
Creative Merger: Viewing Serialized, Web-Based Storylines as an Innovative
Avenue Toward Critical Research
I am exploring web-launched, serialized storylines—otherwise known as webisodes—in order to discover what technical and narrative characteristics they share, so that I can demonstrate the capacity of individuals to use formulaic patterns, manipulations, and conventions to create popular internet-based entertainment.
Through my thesis project, I’m trying to gain an understanding of web-launched, serialized storylines as both a creative art form, and an instructional tool. Mini, serialized webisodes offer all the advantages of a syndicated television show with few of the drawbacks. They are a creative medium through which you can continually examine and reexamine the stories and interactions of a select number of fictional characters. In other words, webisodes surpass films in their capacity for emotional and creative depth simply by offering the possibility to emotionally probe and explore your characters an infinite number of times rather than once for a two-hour span. Unlike a television series however, webisodes are unconstrained by pesky running times (they can be 3-5 minutes rather than 23), and censorship.
Webisodes are also a great medium through which to explore and learn about theories of creative production. Television shows have the benefit of legions of paid employees devoted to promoting their creation and success. With webisodes, you are forced to be your own writer, director, and producer, and to successfully deal with internet-based advertisers should the serial become widely viewed. It is a wonderful discipline because it is a creative venture steeped very deeply in technical principles; you have to be an emotional filmmaker who is also highly technically proficient.
Webisodes are an interesting creature. You have to create characters that are entertaining in only five minutes, yet who will have enough creative life to be sustained over a long overall period of time. They have to leave the viewers wanting more, but never unsatisfied. It is a difficult balance to strike, one which poses significant challenges in writing, editing, and performance. I want to discover firsthand, precisely how an artist might go about creating such characters, and such environments.
In the creation of these webisodes, I want to help my viewers understand how this mode of serialized storytelling is created and popularized. By keeping a firsthand-account-via-blog of the entire creative/fiscal/technical process of creating a webisode series, I will be providing a valuable instruction manual not only for creative artists but for intellectual and technological theorists as well. How are such art forms created? What are their benefits and drawbacks? How are they sustained and popularized? And what does their failure or success mean for the future of film and television as creative/fiscally successful mediums? The webisodes as a whole will comprise a series known as “The Reunion,” and will revolve around the different members of a family who are all meeting for one weekend at an annual family reunion. It will be shot in a faux-documentary style. In other words, the different episodes will be created in such a way that viewers could take them to be an actual record of real people. Each episode will include documentary-style interviews, shaky-hand-held camerawork, and an improvisational script.
All successful webisodes share a few common characteristics. They are mostly all comedic, with a quirky, off-color sense of humor. They have archetypical characters such as the normal guy, the stupid person, the annoying one, and, surprisingly enough, the slutty girl. They are all under five minutes in length, and they are jam-packed with jokes. And they all have a main dramatic thread, one single story arc that drives the entire season. As such, I tried to create a story that would include all these elements while elaborating upon them. The main character in “The Reunion,” is Ben, the normal guy who hates his job because he seems to be the only one who notices how stupid all of his coworkers are. There is lots of rather raunchy, off-color humor, and a stupid character as well as the token annoying guy from work, Dave. The main dramatic thread of the entire series will be Ben’s attempted love affair with a girl named Jen, who he sees for the first time in 10 years at the family reunion. As we watch Ben try to win back the girl of his dreams, we will be entertained by various other family members and their individual story arcs. One cousin will be struggling with how to come out to his family, another will be contemplating marriage to a recent immigrant from Mexico who doesn’t speak English, and yet another will try to reconcile working at a dead-end career merely because it pays well.
The whole point of this project is to synthesize pre-existing characteristics shared by successful webisode series, and combine them to create a popular story. Webisodes are so interesting because, as Wikipedia puts it, they are a “form of new media that characteristically features a dramatic, serial storyline, and where the primary method of viewership is streaming online over the Internet.” Anyone, anywhere, at anytime can watch and get enjoyment from them.
The webisodes will be posted and presented on YouTube, along with deleted scenes and outtakes to accompany each episode. I will also regularly post on a separate blogsite, where I will keep an extensive, weekly updated record of the creative process involved in the creation of “The Reunion.” Viewers will also be able—and indeed, will be encouraged to—comment on the blogsite, to write in their feelings about the show, about all the work that goes into it, and even to make suggestions on the future direction that it might take. If the suggestions are good, then they will be incorporated into the actual series, and in this way, “The Reunion,” will be a constantly evolving, and viewer-responsive form of art, in which those who appreciate it can actually affect it’s future direction.
This project covers the creation of a webisode series from every angle of the filmmaking process, providing an inside view of what it is like to create such content. It must be realized in multimedia simply because of the amount of supplemental material required to augment each episode. There have to be written materials, and photographs, all of which must be incorporated within a blogsite as a way of structuring and delineating them. The viewer should not only be entertained, but also come away with an understanding of the amount and type of work that goes into the creation of such a series. Viewers should further more be able to engage the webisodes creators and each other in thoughtful discussion about the issues raised by “The Reunion.” What makes this project so academically valuable is it’s ability to instruct on not only the creative process, but also the many technical disciplines involved in filmmaking (i.e. cinematography, editing, and musical composition).
By detailing the creation of a webisode series from inception to completion, this project not only creates a forum for future research on the topic, but also promotes discussion concerning the double-edged sword that is the compromise between creativity and feasibility. By examining and appropriating techniques used in successful webisode series, it will additionally help to annotate and criticize pre-existing works of art already circulating on the Internet. Because of its eventual placement on the web, it will be useful in not only teaching students at USC, but interested viewers anywhere around the globe.
The timeline for the completion of this project will most likely oscillate depending on any number of factors, but as it stands now, my webisode series should be completed sometime next fall:
3/1/08 – Have first webisode, “Ben,” edited and ready, including all supplementary materials (original script, director’s commentary, deleted scenes, outtakes, production stills, and making-of video)
3/30/08 – Have web site venue selected and prepared
4/30/08 – Have second webisode created, along with all supplementary materials
5/28/08 – Have third webisode edited, polished, and ready to go, including all supplementary materials
6/1/08 – Post first webisode on YouTube, along with outtakes
6/15/08 – Advertise webisode series through connections on social networking sites, such as Facebook and MySpace
6/30/08 – Post second webisode on YouTube, including outtakes
7/20/08 – Create fourth webisode
8/30/08 – Launch website with first two videos and all corresponding supplementary materials included
9/15/08 – Have third video and all supplementary materials posted
9/30/08 – Shoot and edit fifth and sixth episodes
10/10/08 – Post fourth segment and all supplementary materials
10/17/08 – Post fifth episode and all supplementary materials
10/30/08 – Shoot seventh episode, and post sixth webisode, along with any supplementary items
11/15/08 – Post seventh episode and supplementary materials
11/30/08 – Shoot and post eighth episode
12/15/08 – Shoot and post ninth episode
12/31/08 – Shoot and post tenth and final(?) episode of the season
The first episode cost roughly $50 dollars to produce, so the total production budget should be somewhere around $500 dollars. Depending on the cost of website production and upkeep, the total budget could oscillate anywhere between $1,000 and $2,000 dollars. Even with grants however, I’m not prepared to pay upwards of $2,000. My faculty advisor (David Maquiling) might also be essential in helping me to craft an appropriate budgetary plan for my thesis project.
As stated, I plan to initially release the series on YouTube while simultaneously promoting it on social networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace. After this, I plan to post the whole series on a personal website along with the material already published on the blogsite. After the conclusion of the first season of “The Reunion,” depending on budget concerns and viewer interest, I will make the entire series available on DVD. I’m also planning to compile the separate episodes into a feature-length film and send that off to different film festivals. I will require website writing software, word programs, Final Cut Pro, a DV camera, DV tapes, actors, producers, cameramen, props, and DVDs in order to complete this very complicated, but still very fun, thesis project.
Although it is a significant undertaking, I am confident in my ability to successfully produce a creatively challenging and entertaining webisode series. I have over 20 short films under my belt, including two that won awards at the Montgomery County Media Festival back in high school. I also have an extensive writing background, having written hundreds of poems, dozens of short stories, 12 screenplays, and one (albeit short) novel. I’m absolutely ready to write, direct, act, learn, and live.
Research Bibliography:
http://www.efilmcritic.com/review.php?movie=8857&reviewer=198
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/red_vs_blue/
http://rvb.roosterteeth.com/home.php
http://www.tvseriesfinale.com/2007/05/campus_ladies_oxygen_sitcom_dropped.php
http://www.machinima.com/film/view&id=275
http://mashable.com/2007/05/14/vmix-ifc/
http://www.vmix.com/ifctv
http://www.tilzy.tv/GettingAwayWithMurder
http://www.scifi.com/scifiwire/index.php?id=42833
http://www.aintitcool.com/node/33337
http://www.oxygen.com/campusladies/
http://www.tv.com/campus-ladies/show/35733/summary.html
11/14/07
IML 346
IML 346 Final Proposal:
Creative Merger: Viewing Serialized, Web-Based Storylines as an Innovative
Avenue Toward Critical Research
I am exploring web-launched, serialized storylines—otherwise known as webisodes—in order to discover what technical and narrative characteristics they share, so that I can demonstrate the capacity of individuals to use formulaic patterns, manipulations, and conventions to create popular internet-based entertainment.
Through my thesis project, I’m trying to gain an understanding of web-launched, serialized storylines as both a creative art form, and an instructional tool. Mini, serialized webisodes offer all the advantages of a syndicated television show with few of the drawbacks. They are a creative medium through which you can continually examine and reexamine the stories and interactions of a select number of fictional characters. In other words, webisodes surpass films in their capacity for emotional and creative depth simply by offering the possibility to emotionally probe and explore your characters an infinite number of times rather than once for a two-hour span. Unlike a television series however, webisodes are unconstrained by pesky running times (they can be 3-5 minutes rather than 23), and censorship.
Webisodes are also a great medium through which to explore and learn about theories of creative production. Television shows have the benefit of legions of paid employees devoted to promoting their creation and success. With webisodes, you are forced to be your own writer, director, and producer, and to successfully deal with internet-based advertisers should the serial become widely viewed. It is a wonderful discipline because it is a creative venture steeped very deeply in technical principles; you have to be an emotional filmmaker who is also highly technically proficient.
Webisodes are an interesting creature. You have to create characters that are entertaining in only five minutes, yet who will have enough creative life to be sustained over a long overall period of time. They have to leave the viewers wanting more, but never unsatisfied. It is a difficult balance to strike, one which poses significant challenges in writing, editing, and performance. I want to discover firsthand, precisely how an artist might go about creating such characters, and such environments.
In the creation of these webisodes, I want to help my viewers understand how this mode of serialized storytelling is created and popularized. By keeping a firsthand-account-via-blog of the entire creative/fiscal/technical process of creating a webisode series, I will be providing a valuable instruction manual not only for creative artists but for intellectual and technological theorists as well. How are such art forms created? What are their benefits and drawbacks? How are they sustained and popularized? And what does their failure or success mean for the future of film and television as creative/fiscally successful mediums? The webisodes as a whole will comprise a series known as “The Reunion,” and will revolve around the different members of a family who are all meeting for one weekend at an annual family reunion. It will be shot in a faux-documentary style. In other words, the different episodes will be created in such a way that viewers could take them to be an actual record of real people. Each episode will include documentary-style interviews, shaky-hand-held camerawork, and an improvisational script.
All successful webisodes share a few common characteristics. They are mostly all comedic, with a quirky, off-color sense of humor. They have archetypical characters such as the normal guy, the stupid person, the annoying one, and, surprisingly enough, the slutty girl. They are all under five minutes in length, and they are jam-packed with jokes. And they all have a main dramatic thread, one single story arc that drives the entire season. As such, I tried to create a story that would include all these elements while elaborating upon them. The main character in “The Reunion,” is Ben, the normal guy who hates his job because he seems to be the only one who notices how stupid all of his coworkers are. There is lots of rather raunchy, off-color humor, and a stupid character as well as the token annoying guy from work, Dave. The main dramatic thread of the entire series will be Ben’s attempted love affair with a girl named Jen, who he sees for the first time in 10 years at the family reunion. As we watch Ben try to win back the girl of his dreams, we will be entertained by various other family members and their individual story arcs. One cousin will be struggling with how to come out to his family, another will be contemplating marriage to a recent immigrant from Mexico who doesn’t speak English, and yet another will try to reconcile working at a dead-end career merely because it pays well.
The whole point of this project is to synthesize pre-existing characteristics shared by successful webisode series, and combine them to create a popular story. Webisodes are so interesting because, as Wikipedia puts it, they are a “form of new media that characteristically features a dramatic, serial storyline, and where the primary method of viewership is streaming online over the Internet.” Anyone, anywhere, at anytime can watch and get enjoyment from them.
The webisodes will be posted and presented on YouTube, along with deleted scenes and outtakes to accompany each episode. I will also regularly post on a separate blogsite, where I will keep an extensive, weekly updated record of the creative process involved in the creation of “The Reunion.” Viewers will also be able—and indeed, will be encouraged to—comment on the blogsite, to write in their feelings about the show, about all the work that goes into it, and even to make suggestions on the future direction that it might take. If the suggestions are good, then they will be incorporated into the actual series, and in this way, “The Reunion,” will be a constantly evolving, and viewer-responsive form of art, in which those who appreciate it can actually affect it’s future direction.
This project covers the creation of a webisode series from every angle of the filmmaking process, providing an inside view of what it is like to create such content. It must be realized in multimedia simply because of the amount of supplemental material required to augment each episode. There have to be written materials, and photographs, all of which must be incorporated within a blogsite as a way of structuring and delineating them. The viewer should not only be entertained, but also come away with an understanding of the amount and type of work that goes into the creation of such a series. Viewers should further more be able to engage the webisodes creators and each other in thoughtful discussion about the issues raised by “The Reunion.” What makes this project so academically valuable is it’s ability to instruct on not only the creative process, but also the many technical disciplines involved in filmmaking (i.e. cinematography, editing, and musical composition).
By detailing the creation of a webisode series from inception to completion, this project not only creates a forum for future research on the topic, but also promotes discussion concerning the double-edged sword that is the compromise between creativity and feasibility. By examining and appropriating techniques used in successful webisode series, it will additionally help to annotate and criticize pre-existing works of art already circulating on the Internet. Because of its eventual placement on the web, it will be useful in not only teaching students at USC, but interested viewers anywhere around the globe.
The timeline for the completion of this project will most likely oscillate depending on any number of factors, but as it stands now, my webisode series should be completed sometime next fall:
3/1/08 – Have first webisode, “Ben,” edited and ready, including all supplementary materials (original script, director’s commentary, deleted scenes, outtakes, production stills, and making-of video)
3/30/08 – Have web site venue selected and prepared
4/30/08 – Have second webisode created, along with all supplementary materials
5/28/08 – Have third webisode edited, polished, and ready to go, including all supplementary materials
6/1/08 – Post first webisode on YouTube, along with outtakes
6/15/08 – Advertise webisode series through connections on social networking sites, such as Facebook and MySpace
6/30/08 – Post second webisode on YouTube, including outtakes
7/20/08 – Create fourth webisode
8/30/08 – Launch website with first two videos and all corresponding supplementary materials included
9/15/08 – Have third video and all supplementary materials posted
9/30/08 – Shoot and edit fifth and sixth episodes
10/10/08 – Post fourth segment and all supplementary materials
10/17/08 – Post fifth episode and all supplementary materials
10/30/08 – Shoot seventh episode, and post sixth webisode, along with any supplementary items
11/15/08 – Post seventh episode and supplementary materials
11/30/08 – Shoot and post eighth episode
12/15/08 – Shoot and post ninth episode
12/31/08 – Shoot and post tenth and final(?) episode of the season
The first episode cost roughly $50 dollars to produce, so the total production budget should be somewhere around $500 dollars. Depending on the cost of website production and upkeep, the total budget could oscillate anywhere between $1,000 and $2,000 dollars. Even with grants however, I’m not prepared to pay upwards of $2,000. My faculty advisor (David Maquiling) might also be essential in helping me to craft an appropriate budgetary plan for my thesis project.
As stated, I plan to initially release the series on YouTube while simultaneously promoting it on social networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace. After this, I plan to post the whole series on a personal website along with the material already published on the blogsite. After the conclusion of the first season of “The Reunion,” depending on budget concerns and viewer interest, I will make the entire series available on DVD. I’m also planning to compile the separate episodes into a feature-length film and send that off to different film festivals. I will require website writing software, word programs, Final Cut Pro, a DV camera, DV tapes, actors, producers, cameramen, props, and DVDs in order to complete this very complicated, but still very fun, thesis project.
Although it is a significant undertaking, I am confident in my ability to successfully produce a creatively challenging and entertaining webisode series. I have over 20 short films under my belt, including two that won awards at the Montgomery County Media Festival back in high school. I also have an extensive writing background, having written hundreds of poems, dozens of short stories, 12 screenplays, and one (albeit short) novel. I’m absolutely ready to write, direct, act, learn, and live.
Research Bibliography:
http://www.efilmcritic.com/review.php?movie=8857&reviewer=198
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/red_vs_blue/
http://rvb.roosterteeth.com/home.php
http://www.tvseriesfinale.com/2007/05/campus_ladies_oxygen_sitcom_dropped.php
http://www.machinima.com/film/view&id=275
http://mashable.com/2007/05/14/vmix-ifc/
http://www.vmix.com/ifctv
http://www.tilzy.tv/GettingAwayWithMurder
http://www.scifi.com/scifiwire/index.php?id=42833
http://www.aintitcool.com/node/33337
http://www.oxygen.com/campusladies/
http://www.tv.com/campus-ladies/show/35733/summary.html
Saturday, December 8, 2007
Noah Macinskas Thesis Proposal
Thesis Proposal: Virtual Goods
“What is a rose? It’s 3 things: the actual rose, the thought of the gift and the look of the rose. 2 out of 3 isn’t bad.”
I. Project Abstract
a. The project will be an investigation of virtual goods. I am going to research who buys them and why. What value do users see when they buy virtual goods? Can taxonomy be made about the different types of virtual goods and their respective values? Is there any kind of correlation between a user’s buying practices in the real world versus the virtual world?
II. Description
a. Definition of Project:
i. The Project will be in the form of a Machinima Documentary. I am going to go into virtual worlds and interview users about virtual goods they buy in those worlds. The director of the documentary will be my avatar in the game. I am going to go into games such as WoW and virtual hangouts like Gaia Online ad vSide and interview users in those games as to why they buy virtual goods and what the meaning of them is. I want to know how the user sees virtual goods. I will make taxonomy of virtual goods based on type of value (i.e. tangible, intangible, etc.) and type of virtual good as well as type of virtual world. Then I will interview people in virtual worlds and compare my findings and adjust my taxonomy.
b. Clear articulation of project goals:
i. The project will be a machinima, because I am dealing with virtual goods in virtual worlds, so I want to film on site in the virtual world. Interviewing people in person gives a different response than interviewing them in character. I want to get in character, honest responses from users. I think that interviewing them in game will allow me to get more honest responses from them because they are in the environment at the time, and they are anonymous as well. I will ask users why they buy virtual goods and what sorts of goods they buy. I intend to find out what the actual reason is that users buy virtual goods, because right now the only documentation comes from designers interviewing other designers about what they think. The project will be an attempt to understand the buying practices of people in virtual worlds and the type of value they place on the good that they buy and create taxonomy of virtual goods based on these interviews.
c. Statement of significance within contemporary scholarship in field:
i. Virtual goods have become a very big business model in the gaming world, and quite a lot of academics have been looking into the psychology behind virtual goods. Many successful companies have been using virtual goods as their main income source, companies like Nexon, Three Rings and Sony. Because of companies like this, the topic is relevant outside of a university setting. Companies want to know why and how these business models work. This should also be important to the average reader, because they will be able to understand this new rising subculture and learn about the importance of virtual goods.
III. Timeline
a. Final Thesis Proposal: December 2007
b. Preliminary research and Interviews: September 2008
c. Rough Cut of Documentary: January 2009
d. Finished Project: May 2009
IV. Budget
a. One-month subscription to multiple MMOs: $60
b. Miscellaneous costs: $40
c. Final Budget: $100
V. Confirmed Advisors
a. Patricia Pizer (IMD)
b. Undecided (IML)
VI. Presentation Plans/Venues
a. Final Presentation TBA by IML
b. Released on YouTube at the culmination of project.
VII. Production Resources
a. Software Needs:
i. Snapz Pro
ii. Editing Software
iii. Games
1. World of Warcraft
2. Everquest II
3. Lineage II
4. Guild Wars
iv. Virtual World programs
1. vSide
2. Gaia Online
3. Go Pets!
VIII. Collaborators:
a. Patricia Pizer
b. Potential Collaborators
i. Nicole Lazzaro
ii. Raph Koster
iii. Daniel James
IX. Presentation Needs:
a. DVD player
b. Theater Setup
c. Monitors
X. Prior Related Work
a. Attended the Virtual Goods Summit in Palo Alto in June 2007.
XI. Research Bibliography
a. http://www.vgsummit.com/videos.php
i. Videos from the virtual goods summit from June 2007 at Stanford University.
b. http://www.thisspartanlife.com/
i. A talk show done in gamespace.
c. http://www.xeodesign.com/whyweplaygames.html
i. A study done by Nicole Lazzaro on why player play games.
“What is a rose? It’s 3 things: the actual rose, the thought of the gift and the look of the rose. 2 out of 3 isn’t bad.”
I. Project Abstract
a. The project will be an investigation of virtual goods. I am going to research who buys them and why. What value do users see when they buy virtual goods? Can taxonomy be made about the different types of virtual goods and their respective values? Is there any kind of correlation between a user’s buying practices in the real world versus the virtual world?
II. Description
a. Definition of Project:
i. The Project will be in the form of a Machinima Documentary. I am going to go into virtual worlds and interview users about virtual goods they buy in those worlds. The director of the documentary will be my avatar in the game. I am going to go into games such as WoW and virtual hangouts like Gaia Online ad vSide and interview users in those games as to why they buy virtual goods and what the meaning of them is. I want to know how the user sees virtual goods. I will make taxonomy of virtual goods based on type of value (i.e. tangible, intangible, etc.) and type of virtual good as well as type of virtual world. Then I will interview people in virtual worlds and compare my findings and adjust my taxonomy.
b. Clear articulation of project goals:
i. The project will be a machinima, because I am dealing with virtual goods in virtual worlds, so I want to film on site in the virtual world. Interviewing people in person gives a different response than interviewing them in character. I want to get in character, honest responses from users. I think that interviewing them in game will allow me to get more honest responses from them because they are in the environment at the time, and they are anonymous as well. I will ask users why they buy virtual goods and what sorts of goods they buy. I intend to find out what the actual reason is that users buy virtual goods, because right now the only documentation comes from designers interviewing other designers about what they think. The project will be an attempt to understand the buying practices of people in virtual worlds and the type of value they place on the good that they buy and create taxonomy of virtual goods based on these interviews.
c. Statement of significance within contemporary scholarship in field:
i. Virtual goods have become a very big business model in the gaming world, and quite a lot of academics have been looking into the psychology behind virtual goods. Many successful companies have been using virtual goods as their main income source, companies like Nexon, Three Rings and Sony. Because of companies like this, the topic is relevant outside of a university setting. Companies want to know why and how these business models work. This should also be important to the average reader, because they will be able to understand this new rising subculture and learn about the importance of virtual goods.
III. Timeline
a. Final Thesis Proposal: December 2007
b. Preliminary research and Interviews: September 2008
c. Rough Cut of Documentary: January 2009
d. Finished Project: May 2009
IV. Budget
a. One-month subscription to multiple MMOs: $60
b. Miscellaneous costs: $40
c. Final Budget: $100
V. Confirmed Advisors
a. Patricia Pizer (IMD)
b. Undecided (IML)
VI. Presentation Plans/Venues
a. Final Presentation TBA by IML
b. Released on YouTube at the culmination of project.
VII. Production Resources
a. Software Needs:
i. Snapz Pro
ii. Editing Software
iii. Games
1. World of Warcraft
2. Everquest II
3. Lineage II
4. Guild Wars
iv. Virtual World programs
1. vSide
2. Gaia Online
3. Go Pets!
VIII. Collaborators:
a. Patricia Pizer
b. Potential Collaborators
i. Nicole Lazzaro
ii. Raph Koster
iii. Daniel James
IX. Presentation Needs:
a. DVD player
b. Theater Setup
c. Monitors
X. Prior Related Work
a. Attended the Virtual Goods Summit in Palo Alto in June 2007.
XI. Research Bibliography
a. http://www.vgsummit.com/videos.php
i. Videos from the virtual goods summit from June 2007 at Stanford University.
b. http://www.thisspartanlife.com/
i. A talk show done in gamespace.
c. http://www.xeodesign.com/whyweplaygames.html
i. A study done by Nicole Lazzaro on why player play games.
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