John Visclosky's Revised Thesis Proposal

John Visclosky
11/8/07
IML 346

IML 346 Midterm Thesis Proposal Outline

I. Creative Politics: Viewing Serialized, Web-Based Storylines as a Political Forum

II. Mad-Lib Abstract: “I am exploring web-launched, serialized storylines—otherwise known as webisodes—in order to discover how the technical and narrative characteristics of such artistic endeavors can be used to propound political rhetoric, so that I can demonstrate the capacity of such stories to illuminate culturally divisive issues, and in so doing, provide a forum in which they can be honestly and even-handedly discussed.

III. Description: “Through my thesis project, I’m trying to gain an understanding of web-launched, serialized storylines as both a creative art form, and a political device. Mini, serialized webisodes offer all the advantages of a syndicated television show with few of the drawbacks. They are a creative medium in 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. 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 political theory. By reaching a large spectrum of people from all manner of background, they naturally encourage cooperation, or at the very least, begrudged co-existence, between many different sorts of individuals. By forcing them to deal with issues that are at the forefront of America’s contemporary political landscape, it might also be possible to encourage discussion of said issues. My series will deal with homosexuality, immigration, the modern workplace, contemporary ideas about courtship and marriage, and healthcare, all within a form that is funny, delectable, and hopefully quite palatable.

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 entertainment can be used to encourage political debate. If they are forced to confront these issues in a form that is creative and entertaining, then they might be more inclined to think about and discuss them. Or they might just completely ignore them and enjoy my webisodes as entertainment for entertainment’s sake. Who can tell?

1. Definition of Project:

a) 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.

b) 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.

c) Delivery Format: The webisodes will be posted and presented on a website I will additionally be keeping a blog to detail the process of creating “The Reunion.”

2. This project covers the creation of a webisode series from every angle of the creative 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 website 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. What makes this project so academically valuable is it’s ability to instruct on not only the creative process, but also the political landscape of contemporary America. Like it or not, the issues dealt with in “The Reunion” are the issues at the forefront of modern American politics. And, it might be a good idea for some of us to start paying attention.

3. 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 politicizing. 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.

IV. Timeline
11/1/07 – 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)
11/30/07 – Have web site venue selected and prepared
12/31/07 – Have second webisode created, along with all supplementary materials
2/28/08 – Have third webisode edited, polished, and ready to go, including all supplementary materials
3/1/08 – Post first webisode on YouTube, along with outtakes
3/15/098 – Advertise webisode series through connections on social networking sites, such as Facebook and MySpace
3/30/08 – Post second webisode on YouTube, including outtakes
4/20/08 – Create fourth webisode
5/30/08 – Launch website with first two videos and all corresponding supplementary materials included
6/30/08 – Have third video and all supplementary materials posted
7/30/08 – Shoot and edit fifth and sixth episodes
8/30/08 – Post fourth segment and all supplementary materials
9/15/08 – Post fifth episode and all supplementary materials
9/30/08 – Shoot seventh episode, and post sixth webisode, along with any supplementary items
10/15/08 – Post seventh episode and supplementary materials
10/30/08 – Shoot and post eighth episode
11/15/08 – Shoot and post ninth episode
12/1/08 – Shoot and post tenth and final(?) episode of the season

V. Budget: 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.

VI. Advisors: Steve Anderson, Robert Ballo, Kenny Hall, and David Maquiling.

VII. Presentation and Distribution Plans: 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 with an accompanying blog that will be advertised on the site. 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.

VIII. Production Resources and Required Hardware: 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