You don’t need a Netflix membership to understand that the way that audiences consume episodic content is changing. Heck, you don’t even need a television.
Not that television is dead, but the web series sphere is undeniably alive with creativity and fearlessness – and with so many people ditching their cable subscriptions and relying instead on phones and computers for entertainment, web series (meaning serial programming produced specifically for the web) have become real contenders for viewers’ eyeballs.
The web series world is a little like the Wild West. There are few restrictions. Anything goes. A lot of content creators are showing up to stake a claim, but not everyone has the guts (or the budgets) to make a real go of it. But those that do are creating content that resonates and entertains.
A typical web series episode (AKA, a webisode) clocks in at under 10 minutes: a perfect length in this age of short attention spans. A single webisode can be easily digested in the time it takes to wait for a bus, or binge-watched with its brethren when time and mood allow.
It’s appropriate that Canada’s first web series festival takes place right here in the 604, where the web series scene is thriving, and employs hundreds of cross-genre cast and crew.
Now in its second year, the Vancouver Web Fest (VWF) celebrates programming created exclusively for the ’net. Web series viewing can be a largely solitary pursuit, but VWF gives fans and creators the opportunity to enjoy webisodes from local, national and international series on a big screen in a room packed with like-minded individuals.
It’s the perfect opportunity to sample dozens of web series and build a viewing list for the rainy days and weeks ahead.
VWF is broken down into nine viewing blocks comprised of up to nine webisodes. My absolute favourite blocks are the two 9:30am ones, during which free coffee and donuts are served to bleary-eyed (read: hungover) ticketholders – but even the bribe-free blocks are appetizing, too.
If you’re curious about the web series world but you’re not sure which VWF blocks to attend, my advice is to start local. Vancouver is a hotbed for web series development, and our locally made productions are some of the slickest in the biz.
Here are my top picks for the 2015 Vancouver Web Fest.
Relationsh*t
This brilliantly executed take on modern relationships stars Robin Dunne (of Sanctuary and Space Milkshake fame) and Farrah Aviva as a couple one year into their relationship who’ve recently moved in together. Suddenly knee-deep in the titular relationshit, they turn to couples counseling to make it through to the next stage. Screening Block 8
Nightwing: Prodigal – The Series
Nightwing: Prodigal is a fan series based on the DC Comics character of the same name (AKA, The Sidekick Formerly Known as Robin). Don’t let the “fan series” label kid you into thinking this is anything less than awesome: Nightwing: Prodigal is atmospheric, action-packed, and addictive, and series star Brady Roberts – a former professional wrestler – hits all the superhero notes. Screening Block 3
PARKED
PARKED is easily one of the best web series around: about a group of dads who’re more Trailer Park Boys than Full House. Full of ROFLMAO and NSFW moments, this binge-watch-worthy laugh-fest is packed with top-tier local talent – David Lewis, Peter Benson, Matty Granger, Julia Benson, Kirby Morrow, S. Siobhan McCarthy, Sean Amsing, Sonja Bennett – and was directed by Peter DeLuise. Screening Block 1
Fools for Hire
Fools for Hire follows the misadventures of Nick and Mike, a couple of hapless corporate entertainers. Chock full of pop culture references and ridiculous scenarios pulled from real life (series co-stars Nick Harrison and Mike Cavers are, among other things, bona-fide corporate entertainers), Fools for Hire is a great gateway drug into the web series sphere. Screening Block 2
If you’re already a connoisseur of web series fare and are interested in making the jump from fan to creator, VWF is serving up some practical knowledge by way of a number of industry workshops and panels. Learn about reverse workflows, sound design, business plans, rights and clearances, distribution, on-set safety, and much more – and then spend the next year working on your web series, and screen the resulting webisodes at next year’s fest.
• The Vancouver Web Fest runs March 6-8 at Performance Works (1218 Cartwright). Tickets and schedule at VancouverWebFest.com.
