Issues shifting from the traditional TV to Mobisodes and Webisodes.

In an article titled Webisodes for Kids, Funnell (2007) talked to Chris Corbett on 20th December on webisodes as a growing outlet for creative TV. Corbett, a traditional TV writer/producer, created the webisode TinyTown. He believes they have a chance for greater autonomy, it skips the part where producers have to convince people to make it and the nature of the web itself allows greater response from audience due to its accessibility and time-shift. He does not compromise on quality production as Youtube uses cheap home-cameras to make its videos. Corbett uses HD camera and even though it grounds down to Youtube size, the quality looks great. He believes the length of a mobisode should not be more than 5 minutes as it can lose you at any point with the click of a button. Corbett was a traditional writer for television and found it more difficult to write a short mobisode as every scene had to be concise, have drive and momentum and can not afford to lose people.

According to the Writers Guild of Canada (2007), popular scripted YouTube has a ‘poorly’ lit handycam look and very rarely follows a classic three act structure.

This is a direct indication from the audience that this is the screen language they want be spoken in. It sounds so simple but it is worth pointing out: there is a reason that the 12-24 age bracket is leaving broadcast television. What they find there does not appeal to them. They do not want procedural crime drama and they certainly do not care that writers who went to film school. According to Dawson (2007), to consume mobile television is to escape the social and spatial constraints of the home as well as the feminine connotations of domestic viewing and for more interactive forms of perambulatory public leisure and consumption.

The issues faced by shifting TV to mobisode and webisode production can be summed up by the way the way “24” was made. Dawson (2007) explains that 24: Conspiracy, a serialized spin off of Fox’s 24, uses a different cast for its mobisode production. 24 is one of the most expensive productions on television with high-tech special effects. 24: Conspiracy, on the other hand, was shot on digital video on a shoestring budget, employing a non-union crew, unadorned sets, minimal location shooting, and unknown actors. Each webisode was limited to one minute in duration. Over 70 percent of shots are tightly framed close-ups, lit in a flat, high-key style as opposed to 24’s distinctive cool blue color scheme. Dialogue is terse, just like Corbett assessed, even more so than on the laconic 24 and performances are exceptionally expressive. Blocking centers characters squarely in frames shot with an extremely shallow depth of field. It was moderately well-received by viewers and critics, and in 2006 it received an Emmy nomination for outstanding internet, cell phone, or iPod programming.

In my opinion, mobisodes and webisodes are a relatively new medium and yet they have managed to impact society and their viewing habits at an exponential rate. They will continue to make progress as producers and writers in this medium keep innovating with new ideas and applying it to this genre to meet audience expectations.

References:

1.Dawson, Max 2007, ‘Little players, big shows: format, narration and style on television’s new smaller screen’, Convergenge: The New International Journal of Research on New Technologies, Sage Publications, Vol 13, No. 3, pp.232-250.

2.Funnell, A 2007, Webisodes for Kids, ABC.net, viewed June 4th 2010

www.abc.net.au/rn/mediareport/stories/2007/2124198.htm

3. Writers Guild of Canada 2007, Writing for Webisodes, Mobisodes, Games and Other Digital Platforms, Writers Guild of Canada, viewed June 4th 2010,

http://www.wgc.ca/files/Digital%20Guidelinesfinal.pdf