Strike.TV

All those writers standing around last winter helping to keep television in premature reruns and reality shows were not just twirling their picket signs. They were also talking about changing the paradigm.

Joss Whedon’s uber-popular Dr. Horrible’s Sing-a-Long Blog showed what some creative people can do with their time and technology. Strike.TV is another outgrowth for disgruntled writers looking for something creative to do.

Strike.TV is the byproduct of striking writers looking for projects

Made entirely by artists donating their resources for the cause, ten original web shows and short-form films are being released on Strike.TV this month as part of beta testing. The project also has a great blog with the back channel stories about how these movies got made.

The first working meeting attracted over 400 pioneers who wanted to create during a time of turmoil. This working meeting was covered by The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer and over 70 formal proposals were received. Through its online social network and community Strike.TV guided 40 projects into development with many more coming in following the strike.
Source: Deadline Hollywood Daily

Some of the more familiar names credited as writing the short films include Mary Feuer (lonelygirl15), Jonathan Robert Kaplan (JAG), Rob Kutner (The Daily Show), with help from the likes of actors Bob Newhart, Joanne Whalley, JoBeth Williams, Aasiv Mandvi, and Timothy Dalton.

Six shows are available now, with four more and a few second episodes following this week:

1. The Challenge—Bob Newhart tries to open a DVD. [comedy]
2. Global Warming—Love needs all the support it can get. Aasiv Mandvi comes to the aid of his long-distance love. [comedy]
3. Life in General—The world of daytime drama. [comedy, soap]
4. Unknown Sender—Tim Dalton is the man scorned, recording a message to his cheating wife. [anthology, drama]
5. With the Angels—God, fame, love, sex, cars, music, TV … and all the other things we put our faith in. An introverted girl from Arkansas moves west to Los Angeles, using a video camera to make sense of her new surroundings. The second episode will be released on August 28th. [comedy, drama]
6. 5 or Die—Three high-school friends get caught in the middle of a deadly chain email. Personally, Buffy and Angel are the upper limit of my tolerance for horror films. This one has a nice quirk, but still out of my range of interest. [horror]
7. Daryl from OnCar (August 25th)—In traffic, someone can hear you scream. The second episode will be released on September 2. Read behind the scenes. [comedy]
8. House Poor (August 26th)—She’s just a girl with too much house. [comedy]
9. Joe & Kate (August 27th)—[comedy]
10. Greenville General (August 28th)—[comedy]

A trailer for Daryl From OnCar, released Aug. 25th

Giving something back
The direct-production content of Strike.TV was created by members of the Writers Guild, who were challenged months ago to create original programs for the Internet. The first three months of ad revenue profits will be donated to the Actors Fund’s Entertainment Assistance Program (EAP), a safety net of programs and services for entertainment industry professionals negatively impacted by the strike.

The collateral damage from the writers strike is still being felt today by the camera crews, technicians, wardrobe workers, carpenters, set decorators, makeup artists and a host of other below-the-line workers. Recently, the Los Angeles Times documented the effect of the work stoppage on below-the-line workers in a sobering article. The ongoing threat of a SAG strike and the “de facto actors strike” that has resulted from the tenuous negotiations between SAG and the AMPTP has only hurt industry professionals more, and made the Actors Fund a much-needed resource for financial relief and assistance.
Source: About Strike.TV

Normally, EAP disburses around $200,000 annually. Thus far in 2008, the program has exceeded $1.3 million in assistance. In addition to the ad profits, viewers are encouraged to help by sending tax-deductible donations to the Actors Fund.

The beta launch gave 1000 people a chance to preview the films and provide feedback. The site is gorgeous, including some no-click interactions that encourage exploration of the cast and crew while the credits run. There are a few bugs in the UX—like lack of effective feedback when profile settings are changed, and the soap Life in General wouldn’t stream—but they are minor hiccups. The project makes good use of online social tools, like MySpace, Facebook and Twitter, casting a wide net that should attract an audience quickly.

The production quality of the films is quite high, but the storytelling is wide ranging. The anthology series Unknown Sender shows the most promise as a concise Twilight Zone kind of schtick, and many will gravitate to With the Angels for another serial drama. At the other end, the Bob Newhart skit was more like the kind of material that surfaced and entertained during the writers’ strike. There’s plenty of in-between.