"So...you rap now?"
Tonight, I went to see “Two Lovers” (excellent film) with my parents (questionable decision), and, because I think about internet video like A-Rod thinks about lying, I spent a chunk of the movie wondering to myself why there are no good dramas online. Sure, there have been a handful of web serials that have attracted large audiences and media attention, like lonelygirl15 or Michael Eisner’s Prom Queen. But even these rare examples of success were known as much for their innovative storytelling techniques as they were for the stories themselves.
Will we ever get an online “Lost,” or even a web-only “Brothers and Sisters”? Maybe. But whatever that show is, it’s going to have to overcome some pretty significant hurdles to not sucking:
1. Dramas are generally more production-heavy and expensive. Putting together a compelling sketch comedy show can be accomplished for the price of two ferns, but if a director wants to tell a story with any dramatic scope at all, you need a production budget that’s more than $150 (the rough budget of Huge in Asia).
2. The talent isn’t there yet. While there’s a general sense in Hollywood that putting your comedy shorts on a site like Funny or Die is a good way to get discovered, it doesn’t seem to be that way yet for dramatic actors, actresses, or directors.
3. Any drama online still has to answer the question, “Why is this being filmed?” Unlike TV or film, online video is still in the awkward position where the fourth wall has to be explained. That’s why you get so many shows where the backbone of the plot is a quirky teenager who decides to make a video blog.
4. Internet tastemakers tend to categorically reject anything that even references real human emotions. Read a Gawker comment string. It’s a problem.
