First it was “Lonelygirl15,” then it was “Prom Queen” and now it’s “Roommates,” a video series from MySpace and Iron Sink Media/Los Angeles that launched Oct. 18 and is playing five new episodes a week. The series is sponsored by Ford to promote the 2008 Ford Focus.
“Prom Queen” debuted on MySpace but was not exclusive. “Roommates” is airing exclusively on MySpace, which co-produced it, which enhances the quality, according to Scott Zakarin, co-founder of Iron Sink Media. “This is a whole new level, with higher production value,” he said. “It’s shot in high definition with multiple cameras and it’s lit more like a movie. We’re taking more time with individual episodes and spending more time editing and in post.”
He also said, “We scripted it pretty thoroughly.” “Roommates” tells the story of a group of young adult women from Los Angeles who went to college together and now share an apartment. “It’s a high quality reality show telling the satirical story about smart women that plays against footage from their college years. You see how the characters changed over four years and watch them change during the show. They keep the party going, but realize adult life is different,” Zakarin said.
The show was cast with actors Zakarin worked with and others he found in auditions.
The increased production budget was also due to the growing popularity of the medium, which explains MySpace’s, which is owned by News Corp., interest in controlling the show. “If you can get cable numbers on a webisodic show, the audience will come to expect a certain production value,” Zakarin said. The first episode, “Life After College,” has received over 400,000 plays since October 18.
The Ford advertising hasn’t started yet and it’s unclear what kind of ads will play. A Ford spokesman said he doesn’t think traditional TV-style spots will run with the show. Instead, the show will be branded with a Ford nameplate that can be clicked to take viewers to a Ford website and product placement shots of the Ford Focus will appear in the series. “We’re venturing into uncharted waters in terms of these types of shows,” he said. “They’re low cost to produce and have a different kind of audience. We’ll see if it drives the traffic we think it will.”
Zakarin also said there will be integrated product placement advertising in the show, but he said it hadn’t occurred in the first seven episodes. “There are hints of things to come, which the story lines will help to introduce,” he said. “It will positively effect the story.”
“Prom Queen” used post-roll ads as well as product placement advertising. There is no indication that “Roommates” will use post-rolls yet. MySpace declined to comment for this story.
Netflix Series “The Leopard” Spots Classic Italian Novel, Remakes It As A Sumptuous Period Drama
"The Leopard," a new Netflix series, takes the classic Italian novel by Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa and transforms it into a sumptuous period piece showing the struggles of the aristocracy in 19th-century Sicily, during tumultuous social upheavals as their way of life is crumbling around them.
Tom Shankland, who directs four of the eight episodes, had the courage to attempt his own version of what is one of the most popular films in Italian history. The 1963 movie "The Leopard," directed by Luchino Visconti, starring Burt Lancaster, Alain Delon and Claudia Cardinale, won the Palme d'Or in Cannes.
One Italian critic said that it would be the equivalent of a director in the United States taking "Gone with the Wind" and turning it into a series, but Shankland wasn't the least bit intimidated.
He said that he didn't think of anything other than his own passion for the project, which grew out of his love of the book. His father was a university professor of Italian literature in England, and as a child, he loved the book and traveling to Sicily with his family.
The book tells the story of Don Fabrizio Corbera, the Prince of Salina, a tall, handsome, wealthy aristocrat who owns palaces and land across Sicily.
His comfortable world is shaken with the invasion of Sicily in 1860 by Giuseppe Garibaldi, who was to overthrow the Bourbon king in Naples and bring about the Unification of Italy.
The prince's family leads an opulent life in their magnificent palaces with servants and peasants kowtowing to their every need. They spend their time at opulent banquets and lavish balls with their fellow aristocrats.
Shankland has made the series into a visual feast with tables heaped with food, elaborate gardens and sensuous costumes.... Read More