John Visclosky Final Thesis Proposal

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