The IndieNet and Beyond – Top Ten Web Series of 2010

It was hard narrowing it down to the top ten (plus one) web series, but it's a solid list of web series worth checking out.

The New Year is almost here, so what better time is there to take a look back at some of the best scifi-related web series 2010 gave us. Plus, new web series episodes to take us into 2011. It is even more fitting that we take a look at the top ten now, because this is actually the 10^th installment of “The IndieNet and Beyond.”

I want to start this with a disclaimer: the year of 2010 has given us such a wide range of web series as the concept of the web original grows, that it was tough nailing down just 10. In fact, I could have easily made this list 20, just with scifi/fantasy/horror themes. They are only roughly in any particular order, and there are plenty of shows that almost made this list. But I stuck with ten, since people tend to like top ten lists better than top twenty lists. (Who knew?)... MORE

The IndieNet and Beyond Versus Star Trek, Batman, and Quantum Leap

I recently had a chance to speak with Indiana filmmaker Christopher Allen. It was a lot of fun chatting with him about indie filmmaking and fan films.

Christmas approaches, but you get your present early with a visit to The IndieNet and Beyond! More news and web series episodes, plus an interview with Christopher Allen, the director/writer of the fan films Star Trek Versus Batman and Quantum Leap: A Leap To Di For. They are not traditional web series (can you use the word traditional with web series?), but they are independently created and on the Internet for all to see.

Christopher Allen is an Indiana independent filmmaker who has been making films for years. He has made the more traditional format of feature films with A Certain Justice (2003) and A Time for the Heart (2009), but what got him noticed in LA was when he started making fan films that were put on the Internet. He started playing the fan film world in 2006 with Star Trek Versus Batman. The concept would seem unusual by itself, but even more so when you realize it is the 1960′s Star Trek versus the 1960′s Batman. Where did that idea come from?

“The spark that started it all was a life time of watching Star Trek reruns and Batman reruns on TV in the mid-late seventies and early eighties,” explained Allen. “I was a kid then and the only thing we really had to watch in those days [was Batman and Star Trek]. Before the blizzard of all the cable channels we have now…we only had three or four channels to choose from.” ... MORE

The IndieNet and Beyond Visits The ‘Asylum’

This week I speak with Dan Williams, the creator/writer/producer of the new web series, Asylum. Which has quickly become one of my favorite new web series. Enjoy the interview!

It’s time for another fun visit to “The IndieNet and Beyond.” We have more news and the newest web series episodes, plus an interview with Dan Williams, the creator/writer/producer of the new web series Asylum. A procedural, with elements of scifi and mystery. The series premiered December 10th, 2010.

“Asylum is an all new dramatic series that takes place at a hospital for the criminally insane. This is a place where really the most difficult cases in the state go to and because of that the doctors are really left on their own to do what they want and have sort of unorthodox methods of treating the patients,” explained Williams. “When we start off the series, there has been an outbreak of violence at the hospital. So that has caused an officer from the Department of Mental Health to be sent there to check things out and see what is going on. We follow him as he does some digging to find out what is going on in this hospital.”

The series looks very professional and you could probably stick it up on a TV and easily convince someone they are watching a show on ABC or FOX (but then you would fear for its inevitable cancellation by FOX). This creepy series has a sort of X-Files feel and Williams admits he was influenced by that particular cult favorite when it came to the structure of the series.

“I’m a huge X-Files fan. It was one of my favorite shows growing up. We definitely tried to embody that model that the episodes stand alone in that we meet a patient, we figure out what is wrong with them and we see them try to treat that patient. But there is also this overarching mythology throughout this whole series: about the hospital, about the doctors, and about some secrets they’re keeping,” said Williams. ... MORE

The IndieNet and Beyond: The ‘Cursed’ Interview

This week I speak to Yuri Brown, creator/writer/star of the new supernatural web series Cursed.

Hello world wide web! It’s time for another installment of “The IndieNet and Beyond.” More of the news and newest web series episodes you are used to, including an interview with Yuri Brown. She is the creator/writer/star of the new supernatural web series Cursed. The series is scheduled to premiere this Wednesday evening, December 8^th.

The series is about an angel incarnate, Crystal Jones, who struggles between a life of being a single mom and a killer of killers. It’s a balancing act between her loved ones and her desire to ascend. Yuri Brown (Deliver Us from Eva) stars in and writes this new web series, which is directed by Jeff Kanew (Revenge of the Nerds).

“[It's] about a fallen angel. She’s an Earth angel that… is cursed. She desperately wants to break the curse and be close to God again,” explained Brown. “So she is sort of on this path and the way that she feels she will be able to redeem herself is by killing bad guys. She feels that if she shows God that she doesn’t stand with them and that she willing to be a destroyer of evil that he’ll reclaim her.”

But things aren’t as simple as just hunting down the bad guys for redemption. She has earthly ties that complicate things: a son, a father, and a lover. ... MORE

The IndieNet and Beyond: Inside The Mind of ‘Mind’s Eye’

Hello world! This week I got to chat with Thomas Gofton, creator/producer/director/editor of the new web series Mind's Eye. It was a fun chat and the web series is an ambitious one. Enjoy!

Hello my online friends. It’s time for another installment of “The IndieNet and Beyond.” Along with the usual news and newest web series episodes, there is an interview with Thomas Gofton. He is the creator/producer/director/editor of the new web series Mind’s Eye, a new fantasy web series that premiered on Friday November 26^th. All new episodes go online every Friday until the season finale on May 6^th 2011.

I ran across Mind’s Eye almost by accident a few weeks ago when I saw the trailer. It really caught my eye and imagination, so I just had to track down the creator for a little chat.

The series is about a young introverted boy named Illia Fairchild (Nik MacMillan) and his journeys through life with his childhood friends. Gofton describes it as a normal coming of age story, except… “There is a little bit of a twist of what is going on, because there is an overtone of angelic and demonic forces that are trying to take this boy that was prophesied as the chosen one,” Gofton revealed. ... MORE

The IndieNet and Beyond: Advice From Felicia Day

Another week, another installment of my new column on ScifiPulse. Enjoy!

Hello online world! It’s time for another edutainment installment of “The IndieNet and Beyond.”

I had something different planned for today, but ScifiPulse had an opportunity during a conference call to ask Felicia Day, creator of The Guild, a question about web series so the topic took a slight turn.

Now if you somehow don’t know who Felicia Day is, then here is a quick primer. The actress is best known on TV by scifi fans as Vi on Buffy the Vampire Slayer and her guest appearances on Dollhouse. She starred in Joss Whedon’s uber-successful Internet musical, Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog and, of course, created/wrote/starred in the highly successful web series The Guild. She is also a member of the Board of Directors of the International Academy of Web Television, so she knows a thing or two about web series.

There are probably a few of you reading this right now that are thinking about creating a web series of your own. So we asked Felicia what advice would she give to people out there that are planning to do their own web series... more

The IndieNet And Beyond: The Beginning

I have a new column on ScifiPulse. Enjoy!

Welcome to the first installment of “The IndieNet and Beyond,” where I talk about the growing way we are getting our entertainment fix. Whether it is on your desktop computer, laptop, iphone, ipad, or whatever gadget you use, we are getting more and more of our entertainment from the Internet. For many years now, I have believed that it is not only the inevitable replacement of many traditional forms of media outlets, but it is also the future for independent creators to distribute their content.

And that is truly what this new column is about: the future of independent creators. Primarily indie filmmaking, since I have the most experience in that area, but really anything creative and uploaded to the web is open to discussion—web series, webcomics, and more. I’ll find it and tell you about it and I’ll also interview the creators so we get into the minds of those who are pioneering unexplored ideas on the Internet... more

SILENCE OF THE BELLE at ArtBeat

I am happy to announce that SILENCE OF THE BELLE has been selected by the Mid America Filmmakers to show twice during ArtBeat, Saturday, August 28th at the Century Center’s Recital Hall in downtown South Bend.