Game News Video Games Reviews & News
Related Articles
(opens in new tab)
Think web series are just failed movies cut up into three-minute chunks and shoved online? Think again. Going online today, post-apocalyptic drama H+ was made specifically for the web, and boasts top-notch sci-fi talent including X-Men director Bryan Singer and Buffy ’s Alexis Denisof. It’s set in a future where most of the world have implants that keep them constantly connected to the internet – really useful until a virus is unleashed that wipes out a third of the Earth’s population. We spoke to the show’s creative team to find out what to expect.
First up, producer Jason Taylor…
What was the appeal of H+ ? The web-based medium or the story?
The appeal for any project the story, regardless of the medium, is you want to tell a great story that people can really connect to. I know that doing a digital series Bryan and I wouldn’t have engaged with it if it wasn’t about the story or the characters. To take time away from Jack The Giant Killer and Mockingbird Lane and all the other projects that we’re doing, it had to be something special. We shot it like a feature in terms of how we scheduled and figured things out. It’s probably one of the most laborious feature shoots that any of us have ever been on. But I think it’s the rewarding itch of knowing that the audience is going to love what they see.
Will there be an interactive element to it?
We’re introducing playlists, which is kind of a reorganisation of the episodes that fans can do, and provide the opportunity for other fans to perceive the show the way they want to. It’s really a sharing method that hasn’t been seen before. You miss pieces of the story as it goes out, and we hope that people will question some of the stuff that’s left out and wonder what happened in that space in between . In this realm it really allows the audience to talk about the story – it fosters a community and discussion, and that’s one of the things we’re most excited about.
We’re also on our own YouTube channel, which for a series is a very unique place to be. It’s exciting and it’s captivating because you want to keep your audience and you want to make sure that there’s enough for them to digest. It’s truly the brave new world, and I wouldn’t have thought when we started this project that we’d be where we are today. It’s a game changer.
Why did you choose to put H+ out through YouTube?
YouTube is a great place to put it initially, because it still remains the destination for user content. Sure, the biggest things are the viral videos like “Charlie bit my finger”, and we hope that something like this could have the potential to go viral. Some people have already written that “Bryan Singer’s H+ is the series that could destroy television” or the way that we look at television. It’s very flattering, but the truth is, the content’s going to exist out there whether you have a Smart TV that has a direct outlet to the YouTube channel, or you’re watching through a computer.
Turn the page for writer/creator John Cabrera…
