Web Serials Find Their Niche vs. TV

MediaShift:

Everyone’s a producer — or so it seems with the availability of video-making tools for just about anyone these days. With the arrival of cheaper, more compact equipment and the rapid of advance of technology in this area, it’s possible to shoot a pretty good quality video with a small digital camera or even a high-end cell phone.

Plus, some producers have gone a step further. Instead of creating one-off videos and uploading them to YouTube, they’ve taken on the more ambitious task of creating entire series of shows made specifically for viewing on the web. The phenomenon began in the mid-1990s, with one of the first web serials, The Spot, which allowed viewers to interact with the characters and intervene in the storyline. The Spot developed an ardent following, but later crashed and burned.

Like regular television shows, there is a wide variety of genres in the web series world, from cooking shows to soap operas to sci-fi adventures. Some have laughable production values while others rival the quality of what’s on traditional TV. But the most unique thing about these series is that they allow for creativity and niche content that isn’t commonly found on regular television. Much of the content and subject matter might be deemed too special interest or not commercial-friendly enough for television — but on the Internet, anything goes.

While some of these series may not ever see mainstream success, their creators have done a good job finding the right platform for their shows online, where they’ve found good followings and received praise for their efforts.

Read more.

Photo by mediashift.

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