The current interest in producing video specifically for online distribution has directly sparked the resurgence of one of my all time favorite genres: The serial.
Back in the day when motion pictures were solely created on celluloid strips embedded with silver nitrate. The serial was a short episodic film that played before the main feature. The main convention of the genre was the “cliffhanger” ending that would bring you back to the theater next week to see how the hero would get out of a seemingly impossible situation.
The Phantom Empire:(Mascot, 1932)- 70 years before Firefly, the western and science fiction genres came together in this serial, starring the singing cowboy: Gene Autry
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=olHZMfHTGVw[/youtube]
Radar Men from the Moon: (Republic Pictures, 1952) Commando Cody investigates atomic rays from the moon!
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7h4ZdDFLNno[/youtube]
The current resolutions and time limits on many of the most popular online video sites, create the perfect environment for creating a web serial. Multi-part episodic content allows the producer to tell a complicated and multilayered story, (sometimes by far eclipsing the length and depth possible in a feature film) while allowing the audience to conveniently choose when and how much to watch.
For a modern take on the serial check out:
Prom Queen:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x8S1damz0Js[/youtube]
