Web Series Magazine Issue 2

8/6/2019 Web Series Magazine Issue 2

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WEB SERIES MAGAZINE

July/August/September 2011 ISSUE #2Visit us on the web at: webseriesmag.com

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WEBSERIESNETWORK.COM


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I WEB SERIESMAG

ISSUE #2SUMMER2011GONE

GLOBALQ&A interview with Ben Ross, Jason W. Ellis, Jew-elle Colwell, Daniel Woods, Rob York and Chad Diez.Editorials from Canada, UK and USA. Hotness:Volcanic. Its the summer issue, folks. Lets Move!

NSIDE: SIX PRODUCERS DISCUSS THEIRWEB SERIES. EDITORIAL ON HORRORGENRE. INSIDE CANADAS WEB SERIESSCENE. WEB SERIES IN THE UK. EMBRAC-ING WEB SERIES AS THE NEW FRONTIER.+ INTERVIEW WITH CALGARYS JEWELLE

COLWELL. ENJOY! :) - Rich Mbariket, Editor-in-ChiefI

SSUE #2July/August/September2011

PUBLISHER/EDITOR-IN-CHIEFRich Mbariket

[email protected]

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

CONTACT [email protected]

ADVERTISINGRich [email protected]

WEB SERIES MAGAZINE


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CHAD DIEZCREATOR ofLAPS

THE STORY: Laps is about an overweight slub deciding to make a change in hisbigger than his stomach.

FAVORITE SCENE: The scene where Nathan (played by Art Hall) gets kneed inthe privates by Stephanie (played by Rachae Thomas).

FAVORITE OFF-CAMERA MOMENT ON SET? When Art kneed Rachae in her privates.

EXPECTATIONS: Its hard getting in shape! I hope viewers relate to it.

MOST MEMORABLE EXPERIENCE: Getting to meet the amazing people whovehelped this project along for the past year and a half.

PERSONAL CONTACT/WEBSITES:

By RICH MBARIKET

WEB SERIES MAGAZINE WEB SERIES MAGAZINE 9

ROB YORKCREATORofAFTERTHE BEAST

THE STORY:in hand who is forced into an epic strugglewhen a woman and a boy request his help.

FAVORITE SCENE: The refugee attack scene

in episode 9 was one of our favorite scenes.It involved a lot of action with a lot of peoplewhich thankfully everyone was able to keepup through multiple takes.

FAVORITE OFF-CAMERA MOMENT ON

SET? Being on location in the Uinta Mountain range in Utah near Sundance. The silence and beauty of the area made the storyhand.

EXPECTATIONS: The series as a whole has but we wanted to tell it in an entertaining waand let viewers interpret it how they will.

MOST MEMORABLE EXPERIENCE: Watching it all come together. After screening the

PERSONAL CONTACT/WEBSITES:spireproductions. Twitter.com/AfterTheBeastFacebook.com/AfterTheBeast

WEB SERIES MAGAZINE 9


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JASON W. ELLIS

CREATOR ofCHILIN AT LEROYS

EXPECTATIONS: I just want everyoneto be entertained and to enjoy a fewlaughs from watching one of my webisodes.

MOST MEMORABLE EXPERIENCE:isodes on the internet. It was a chalhow it turned out and that it was one

PERSONAL CONTACTS/WEBSITES:user/mryorkielover.

THE STORY: Chillin At Leroys iswith his employees at a nutrition storeand all the adventures that take placethere.

FAVORITE SCENE: My favorite scenesexy female elves that had to set thebig guy straight because he was actingike a modern day Scrooge.

FAVORITE OFF-CAMERA MOMENT

ON SET: usually belts out a few smart ass lines

DANIEL WOODSCREATOR ofFAULTLINES

Woods (right) on the set of Faultlines.

THE STORY: After a mysterious number ofearthquakes strange things have been happening around the effected areas. It seemsthat the earthquakes have opened cracks inHell and are releasing demons upon earth.A pastor and his assistant have been followwhen the demons come to stop them they

the demons and return them to Hell wherethey belong.

FAVORITE SCENE: We havent startedhttp://www.indiegogo.com/FaultLines butscene with one of the main characters wherethey have an Rouge Angel send her to hell tothe Angel rips her back out of hell. I just knowits going to be a fun scene to shoot.

FAVORITE OFF-CAMERA MOMENT ON

SET? We have just been location scouting anwe had a producer at this one location standin the dark and just scared the crap out of thlocation scouting crew.

EXPECTATIONS: I hope we can bring a veryprofessional web series to our audience thathas them coming back for more every week.

MOST MEMORABLE EXPERIENCE: I thinkcostumes has been a blast.

PERSONAL CONTACT/WEBSITES:Facebook: www.facebook.com/faultlineswebserieswww.danieltwoods.comhttp://www.indiegogo.com/FaultLines

WEB SERIES MAGAZINE 11WEB SERIES MAGAZINE


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EB SERIES MAGAZINE

sit us on the web at: webseriesmag.com

BEN ROSSCREATORofGHOULS

HE STORY: Ghouls

c movie monstersho are strugglingmake it in modern

mes. They hatch

plan to get backto the scaring busit quite as easy aseyd hoped.

FAVORITE SCENE:There is a scene instein are at a vampireconvention that was

a blast to shoot. Thedid a tremendous joband we even triedsome improv stuffthat was hilarious.Really happy withhow it came out.

FAVORITE OFF-

CAMERA MOMENT

ON SET: I have tosay the cast and crewwere just incredible people not

just very talentedbut really genuinelyfun people to bearound. So my favorments were really

just spending timewith them and talkrating.

EXPECTATIONS:tertainment. We havea little bit of a themeabout the watereddown nature of someof todays mainstream

our main purpose isstory and hope thatpeople have fun withthe concept and characters.

MOST MEMORABLE

EXPERIENCE: Byfar working with myated/wrote the series

together and haveknown each othersince we were aboutest project wed takenon to date and it wasa tremendous experience from that standpoint. I cant wait forthe next project withmay be.

PERSONAL CON-

TACT/WEBSITES:Personal Contact:

Series:Blip.tv/ghoulsFacebook.com/TheGhoulster)



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By DAVE CHAPMAN

Unlockedtheseries.com

Cheesemint.com

kay, so before we get started, how many of you have seen

e Guild, or know what a web series is?

e general attitude to web series in the UK became apparent

en myself and the rest of Cheesemint were invited to the local

ege to host a couple of seminars, introducing ourselves and

at we do to media students. As our series was about videomers, I thought it would be best to judge our audience by ask-

who had seen The Guild, one of the most successful web

d heard of The Guild and knew what a web series was. De-te studying all forms of media, these students had never even

nsidered creating a series themselves. Most of the students

d that seems to be quite prevalent in the UK. There are a lot of

ccess of low budget horror movies, most notably the successwhat could possibly be the lowest budget movie ever, Colin

ovie deals and distribution. Few would consider producing

mething whose outlet would be primarily online.

en Cheesemint came into being we thought quite the op-

site. Wed aimed small, making little comedy videos and the

ught of movies seemed well beyond our budget and capabili-

American web series such as The Guild and Red vs Blue,

d we were unaware of any other UK web series in production.

course, the big TV companies in the UK had tested the wa-

s with some online content, with tie-in shorts for genre shows

ch have proved incredibly successful. Channel 4s superhero ir online content, and the British supernatural series Being

man had an online prequel series that was so popular, BBC-

had to take note and have announced their plans to screenweb series on television. But even then, w hile the more di-

se of the UK TV channels such as BBCThree and E4 have

perimented with web series and online content, theyre often

duced as an afterthought, a tie-in or to test an audience for a

be completely independent and online.

e general idea of a web series appears to be incredibly new

this side of the pond, with only a handful of UK web seriesducers continuing to produce content. A cursory look online

n reveal websites that host hundreds of American ongoing

bseries, whereas in the UK their numbers are only just strug-ng above single digits. While some of these British series have

ned Webby award nominations and other accolades, often

s only increases their recognition in the States while the British

ential audience remains unaware of their existence. Whichgs the question - are there so few British web series because

British dont know what web series is, let alone realise that

yone with a camera and some enthusiastic friends can make

res an untapped bounty of entertainment, sometimes better

n the stuff we see on TV?

At the moment, the British web series scene reminds me of

my time in independent comic publishing. In the comics scenededicated self publishers who were creating some of the most

exciting and different titles on the market. It was where diversity

studios, and there was that same sense of underground enthu-

siasm in the indie comics scene that can be found now in the

web series being produced. In the UK, there are a handful of

dedicated series producers creating some of the most diverseand original series on the internet. From polished vampire seri-

als to simple situation comedy and dedicated talk shows, we

certainly have a lot to offer. Hopefully, with our meagre numbers

and relatively close proximity, a similar state of camaraderiewill emerge, as happened with the comic publishers, support-

ing and encouraging each other, and inspiring and encouraging

newcomers to produce their own series.

Thankfully, initiatives such as the Web Series Network goes

some way to getting the message that theres a whole wealth of

quality comedy, informative documentaries and exciting drama

out there on the internet. Luckily, the media is expanding, andmany more people can watch videos on their phones, iPads,

laptops, internet ready televisions, blu-ray players and con-

soles, rather than being forced to watch internet content on a

PC tucked away in the corner of the room or in the study. All of

these quality web series can be viewed not only while commut-ing or out and about, but also through our televisions - the heart

of our home entertainment. Soon these series will be as easily

viewable as watching any other channel on television.

The UK just needs something thatll kick the concept of web

series out of obscurity and into a more recognisable light. If

the success of Steve Coogans recent web series featuring his

much loved comedy character Alan Partridge, or TV comedianDavid Mitchells web series of soap-box rants isnt enough to

shake the British audience into realising the amount of content

out there, maybe the up and coming surge of big American

web series involving big names like Kiefer Sutherland and VinDiesel will?

Maybe one of these series will suddenly launch us all into the

spotlight, though any press regarding web series productionwould help the public to discover the quality entertainment that

is available at the click of a button. And maybe that discovery

will inspire someone, somewhere, to pick up a camera and to

create something of their own.

WEB SERIES IN THE UK

WEB SERIES MAGAZINE 17

InsideThe Canadian

SceneBy CASIA



10/13

Crossing Over


Embracing web seriesas the new frontier.

ars. I love the seats, the wide screen,the laughter I share with the audience.I love the extra large view of AdrienBrodys nose or Clive Owens eyes, orthe loudness of Daniel Day-Lewis

voice. I love to weep quietly as AIDStakes another character from our cel-luloid history or spend two hours inParis following historic writers andartists as they encourage modern daycharacters to travel back and forththrough time to follow their dream at is not to say that these emo-tions and reactions cannot be playedout in the privacy of my own oce orworkspace at home or on my laptopsitting up in bed. Or better, providethe opportunity to put away papersand alternately watch and listen to thelatest installment of my friends web-series, like the Selina Ray Show orBen Ross Ghouls both are totallydierent concepts, provide entertain-ment and use the medium of web-series to showcase their work, talents

and ability to produce content for alarger audience.Just like television, only on a smaller

screen. But I am admittedly, one veryslow to cross over to the idea of webseries as a viable form of time worthspent to enjoy entertainment or edu-cation. Being a lover of movies, I am

very dedicated to them. I dont evenwatch that much television unless it isMERLIN or MODERN FAMILY -to sit in front of the computer - whichto me represents work - is a struggle

mentally. To click on a web-show andwatch it? My mind has not yet crossedover that thi s is okay. However, whenI do - when I watch a series that isworthwhile, that actually shares anintriguing story or an educationalenlightenment that is new to me - Iam happily surprised and will tunein again. Like me, it will ta ke time forsome to cross over.So basically, Im tardy to the party in

terms of enthusiasm. But like any-thing form of enlightenment, whenyouve crossed the golden bridge andhave had the world opened up toyou, you have your Aha!e simpleidea that web-series are so easy tomake and to share with the world ina space like Web Series Network istruly, people, lets be real its not anAha! Its a Duh! Its a Hello?! itsa Eureka! As a graduate of NewYork Universitys Tisch School of theArts Department of Film and Televi-sion in 1989, we would have gone to

any lengths to have the opportunity ofa web-series network open to us. Andtoday? Anyone can do this. I guaran-tee you that lm schools today willbe if they are not already going torequire students to create and producetheir own web-series, cast it, shootit and most of all, market it beforethey get to their Sophomore year. Andmoi? Any of my friends will tell you,Ive always wanted to produce my

very own talk show. I have so much tosay and rant about but which >>

en before I read Rich Mbariketssted discussion topic on web-iesnetwork.com titled Why Amer-n web series creators are stilluggling to grow their audience?, Is contemplating this very questionwho is going to watch? (I certainlynt!) I was already choosing it as my

pic for this article.is has been my initial gut reac-

n to web series in general. Why?cause I dont have the innate beliefat I have the time to sit i n front ofy computer another half-hour totch a show, when I could be do-

g other things? Getting away fromy email? Cleaning out the trashcans?nerating more business by beingt in the world using up gas?learly and most apparently to me,b-series are the new Wild West oftertainment. Reality TV used to be,w it is mundane, pass and not re-

y even reality as we know. RealityV series like Jersey Shore are justsit-com as Friends only with theproval to show trashier behavior forllions of dollars less. Advertisingllars have not yet translated to highkes viewership for web series butwe know with any form of enter-nment, it is just a matter of time.am born and raised in Hollywood,lifornia. Seeing movies in a movieatre is still my most f avored form

escape and way to spend my doll-

y ALICIA GARGARO-MAGANA

network would ever put the money upfor that? Now I can be that networkand I have no excuses.e possibili-ties are endless.

So the question now becomes howdedicated are you to get your productout there? How savvy are you to thinkoutside the box? How willing are youto use all the resources available tomake your story known? Movies andtelevision are expensive to produce.Web-series arent, so whats the probs?Its about getting out of your own

way and it is about opening up topossibilities. Its about letting go ofprejudices and blocks to success. Its

about leaving the old behind andembracing the new, its about lettinggo of fear and i f it is about time itsabout managing it better. Its abouttelling your story in the end. At thesame time, I have clicked on somepretty awful web-series and have satback, pointed and sai d, See! THATSBAD. But my part in it? I clicked onit. I tuned in. e click on the show,

just the like the turn of the dial or thepurchase of the tickets translates toadvertising dollars translates to audie-

nce. Choose and produce wisely.Have fun and LEARN. Im speakingto myself here. Be open. I produceda show development for Sueo LosAngeles, that can be found on myproduction companys website www.picturesoosangeles.net. My fabulouscameraman Andres L. Porras who isalso an ama zing producer, editor anddad strongly encouraged me to letus develop Sueo Los Angeles as aweb-series over a year ago and I justcouldnt let go of the idea of that itshould be a cable program. I believedit would nd the right audience. Butyou know what? It is a web-series.In a web-series form, it will have the

impact it was meant to and it willintroduce even more real Los Ange-lenos who are making their dreamscome true to the world. More thanthe few we chose to feature. It will stillcost money. We still dont have it butto quote the gied Mr. Jimmy Cli, wecan get it if we really try.I have over twenty years in this busi-

ness we call show. From working onlms like What Dreams May Comewith Robin Williams to working withan early pioneer of the web-series, fo-

rmat, Deepak Chopra, when we deveoped educational videos for his newwebsite MyPotential.com in 2001, toworking in documentary televisionand reality shows like RuPauls DragRace. I know whats good and whatsgoing to work: good stories. A storythat moves someone, a true story, wilenlighten and will do it well. If onedoes this with a solid base, then suc-cess is inevitable.But you just have to hello do it

Even if it is a comedy. In comedy theis truth. We laugh most oen becausit is truth, weve been there beforeand we can look back and laugh. Ifits drama, weve been there too. And

we are willing to do it again. If itseducational, gratitude! Weve learnedsomething.If it sucks, then we know what we

dont want to watch. And the bonusof a web series? We can do it againand again. Click and click again, myfriends. Cross over and click to play.Enjoy the show and watch web-seriethe new frontier. You can make thedierence.Onward and upward! AG


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Horror Genre


By TERRA KING

Its a wholenew world for

online.

Vampires and Zombies Online.... Oh My! e worlds fa-vorite genre plays out online 24/7. Its no surprise that hor-ror lms are very popular at theaters and the most populargenre on DVD. Some very good horror lms get releaseddirect to DVD. ese releases oen out sell the major re-leases from the same release period. If youve exhausted themovies and DVDs available check out the horror web seriesonline.

Horror web series featuring zombies or vampires in theirplots are legion. ey are not only plentiful many of themare quite good. One zombie series was just bought by amajor studio and is now going through pre-production.

Among the vampire series, there are plots about vamps try-ing to assimilate into the human world while maintaininga vampires lifestyle and vamps who are involved in majorcrime syndicates. eres even a series in which v ampires stop suddenly andbreak into song; this aint your grandmothers musical. Ob-

viously, many of these series are tongue in check, or a fangin the neck, as it were. Horror blends with comedy in manyshows; these are oen the most entertaining shows. Com-edy in horror entertainment is nothing new. >>

Web series by their very nature lend themselves well to thehorror/comedy mix due to budget constraints. is mixworks so well that the majority of zombie series are com-edies or so called zombidies. Featured prominently onlineare series teaching viewers to defend themselves during thezombie apocalypse.

However, the guys doing the teaching are usually ineptto say the least, but they are funny. Another series suggestsyou just go about your life like nothing is wrong and thedead arent returning. Scenes from the series through theoce with dead undead scattered in the aisles makes thisseries unique. e rush home trying to avoid the dead wandering aim-lessly through the streets is also entertaining. One particu-larly unusual series shows a character trying togure out ifzombies can themselves be eaten. But on the serious side.One series suggests nuking them ala Return of the LivingDead. Another show asks, What if you planned for thewrong apocalypse? Yet another series brags that they havethe cure for zombieism. Its a whole new world for horrorlovers online. Quality of production ranges from home-made to big time movie quality. Your averagerst time webseries lmmaker, who may have never even made a shortlm, probably wont have access to high-end equipment >>

Horror is classically known to be a perfect genre for thlow/no budget series. Acting is also a mixed bag for thmost part in web series.ere are some very talented actoonline. Even rst time actors shine if they have the righmaterial to work with. Other actors could use some actinlessons or maybe need to learn how to run the camera othe Kra table instead. Several web series have bagged name actors. For th

viewer that is only now discovering web series, s eeing a fmiliar face can make all the dierence. Some projects boasuch names as Doug Jones, Kirsten Vangsness, Gary Graham, D.B. Sweeney and Kiefer Sutherland (Sutherlandseries is a drama).ere are, of course, comedies, dramadocumentaries, games shows and musicals series also avaable on the web. To nd a series that would interest yocheck out webseriesnetwork.com. TK


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EWELLE COLWELL

CalgaryyCasiaker Girls is a web series beginning its second season withenomenal interest and talks of a third season is already in

works. Not only was the webisode nominated for the 2011Media Chrysalis Award out of the UK, but the show alreadys an audience base of 20 countries. Written and produced bygary Actor-Producer Jewelle Colwell, I managed to grab a

w minutes of time out of her busy schedule to ask her someestions.

sia: How did you get involved in writing and produc-g a web series?welle:r people around a table with original dialogue. I fell in loveh the characters and invited the interested actors to returna weekly shoot.

What was your inspiration for the story?Im inspired by the concept of women from various demo-phics and social economic status being friends and authenti-h face. I love that we have mature women in meaningful

ationships with younger women. Its all about the beauty andage.

C: Do you see this series continuing on for severalyears?J: Originally I thought we would wrap it up after season 1.Then the opportunity of having Judy Norton as guest star cameup, and Season 2 was born. With the phenomenal interest andsome very encouraging developments in regards to the series,I believe we will continue into a third season for sure. Basically,as long as the audience wants the story and characters, we willcontinue with the series until the time comes to move on to

C: Now that you have completed season one, have yourJ: So much so! Yes. In fact, we are not sharing season 1 withthe public anymore. Having hired professionals to help withlighting, cinematography has changed the look and feel of theshow to such an extent the two seasons have only the charac-ters in common now. Story lines have been expanded, charac-ters have been added and, to my absolute pleasure, profession-als have been hired to contribute their expertise to Poker Girls.

C: What are your future plans f or the show?J: I would love the opportunity to take the episodes to at leasta half hour. Because we have such a strong ensemble cast,there are several stories to tell I cannot wait to share with ouraudience. We would love to gain network distribution to allowus to expand these stories to a greater extent as we moveforward.

C: What advise can you suggest to newcomers in thisarena?J: This question makes me laugh a little, as I consider myselfanyone I hear is creating a web series is to get on Web SeriesNetwork and begin to see how other, like-minded individualsare working their concepts and to share their experiences witheach other.

C: How has the time commitment in producing a web-series impacted your family? Have they been support-ive? How have you involved them in your show?J: Good question, Casia! I am very fortunate to have the sup-port of my husband as well as my two daughters. I think itsgood for the girls to see the value of commitment and hard

work. I do my best to be completely available for them whenthey return from school in the afternoon. This isnt always pos-sible, but because evenings away are sporadic, and becausethey are 11 and 13, my husband and I have been able to tagteam successfully - so far! I am very blessed and fortunate tohave such a great team on my side, even if the fridge is emptybecause no one has had time to grab groceries.

Thank you so much for taking the time to meet with me, Casia.I want to extend to you my gratitude and much love from thePoker Girls!

There we have it, Jewelle Colwell. Make sure you takethe time to stop by when you get a chance and seewhat Poker Girls is all about, youll be glad you did:http://www.pokergirls-series.com/- Casia

WEB SERIES MAGAZINE


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Web Series Magazine Issue 2

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