Web Series Wednesdays

(a blog from the CEO of DIP-tv, Andrew Finch)

INTRO:

My name is Andrew Finch, and I am starting my new blog Web Series Wednesdays. Just a brief overview, each week I will be talking about a current web series that has been released, the business of web Tv, and how my company, DIP-tv, is progressing.  I am a co-founder of the startup web series production company DIP-tv, and I’m hoping this blog can get some more people to our website (www.dip-tv.com).

REVIEW:

RCVR the web series

This week’s web series is RCVR, released on www.machinima.com, a website focused on video game players. This was their first stint into major web series production outside of the realm of video games. It has been a major success receiving about 1 million viewers per episode. As a member of DIP-tv, series like this are a major inspiration. This series was shot with high production value, and reached a wide audience.

The show is not without its weaknesses however. The story is cryptic, and the characters hard to connect with. The place it seems to be lacking in, is explaining the character thought process and back story. In any of the web series that I have really enjoyed the main character sets the stage for the series by introducing themselves, and the world around them. If you stay updated on my blog you will discover that I love The Guild.

The cast of the web series, The Guild, starring Felicia Day

The series starts off with Felicia Day basically explaining her character and the situation she is in. RCVR is lacking this, and I didn’t really get what was going on until the last episode of series 1.  In the short form that web series is, it is difficult to jump into the character in just 60 min that most seasons are limited too. Many TV shows, with 20 min run times, do the same thing, and their total season run is 12 or more episodes. If you look back to X-files, a major inspiration for RCVR, the first episode set the stage for the whole series.

As the series progresses you see hints of a B plot, but the show leaves it hanging, and without set up or conclusion. An older agent kills his young partner, and it is not explained how or why the character comes back to life. The main plot has a romance interwoven, and while it does progress, it isn’t explained, and leaves me largely uncaring toward the couple. It seems like a ploy to bring in female viewers, by creating the Mulder/Scully dynamic.

That being said, I did sit and watch the full first series in two sittings. The complexity of the story leaves you questioning what will happen next, without raising the suspense levels more than a couple ticks.  It is probably why this video has consistent viewers through all 6 episodes.

THIS WEEK AT DIP:

www.dip-tv.com

For this section, this week’s blog is going to be a bit longer than usual due to describing the company its self. DIP-tv is a production company located in Tempe Arizona. Three close friends and myself founded it at the beginning of the year, and have quickly brought some of our other friends from Arizona State on board. After working on State Life, my first web series, last fall I decided that it was what I wanted be doing.  Here we are 8 months later in the middle of our first production as a team, looking for money and more importantly, an audience.

So this week at DIP, we have been working on a few things. On the tech end, we are working on getting out video uploader working. Boy let me tell you, this thing has been a bitch. If anyone can comment on a good way to do this, let me know. 

On the social networking side, our DIP-tv YouTube channel has a bunch of videos on it.

MegaBitch, web series episode 2 "MegaCrib"

Make sure you watch MegaBitch episode 1 and 2.

Rex Destiny Monster Hunter, web series episode 2 "Water Worms"

Then follow it up with Rex Destiny episodes 1-3.

We have been in the editing bays for weeks now it seems. MegaBitch 2 came out Tuesday night and I was happy with it. I think that the dance will give people a kick. I have been working mainly on the graphic design stuff for it. Check out my posters. Ill post a few here, but go to the MegaBitch Facebook page to check out the rest. 

Our director, Della Anderson, just got back from England for our next series in production, End of Days. So we should start shooting that in the next few weeks.