Monday
Dec192011
The rise and appeal of episodic stories
Monday, December 19, 2011 at 6:00AM The rise of what’s being called the New Golden Age of TV is more than just a collection of high profile shows from US cable. Certainly HBO, and those that have followed suite, have proven that sophisticated long-form episodic series and serials can attract both critical acclaim and long-tail profitability. But the bigger picture of Episodic Storytelling on Screen goes well beyond cable subscription TV.
On one hand the shifting and booming infrastructure of online delivery and IPTV provides enormous opportunity in a space that was traditionally dominated by a fixed program schedule of timeslots and thus limited audiences. Content is Capital and the traditional technology companies (such as ISP’s, search engine developers and the like) realize that bandwidth and engagement are their only commodities. And the only way to sell those commodities is with rich content.
But aside from the critical mass of screens, revenue streams and the diversification of what were traditionally ‘broadcast’ modes there is something much more human at play. Long-form episodic stories create a level of deep engagement with character and storyworld that - by virtue of sheer lengths of time measured in seasons rather than minutes, hours rather than ad-breaks – engage viewers proactively in a way that feature films rarely can. If the modern episodic series it the screen equivalent of the Novel (as surely shows like The Wire and Deadwood must be regarded), then feature film narratives are analogous to little more than short stories. And it’s the breadth, length and depth of novel-like stories that are driving the popular discourse of modern audiences. Water cooler conversations are no longer about the latest theatrical release, but rather the swapping of DVD boxed-sets and the debate over what will happen next on Breaking Bad..?
And if we step back just a little we can see a much bigger picture of what Episodic Storytelling is… The core idea is simply Stories told in Pieces, metered out over time. And in that context there’s a whole range of Episodic Stories outside the TVesque model. Most narrative computer games are episodic in nature, designed to be consumed and returned to in doses. Transmedia and multi-platform projects are by nature episodic. And what unities these forms is the crucial idea of a Returnable Element - that thing that prompts us to return, that keeps us coming back. it might a plot cliff-hanger and a ‘what happens next?’ dramatic question; it might be a character that we come back to spend more time with; it might even just be an idea or a way of feeling. The articulation of compelling returnable elements is the backbone of episodic narratives and the more clearly a creator can articulate, define and energise their returnable element, the more compelling and complex the experience will be.
There is nothing new about episodic storytelling and the same forces that drove Dickensian readers to buy chapters form street vendors of Great Expectations or of ancient aural cultures to gather to hear installments of The Odyssey.Audiences of episodic content and the intuitions that create, deliver, study and teach episodic content are quickly moving in this direction; not only at the high-end of broadcast cable drama but also across the independent spectrum of online web-series - which are arguably becoming the new proving ground for aspiring filmmakers once dominated by short-films and festivals. Below are collection of links and articles that speak to both business and audience imperatives and trajectories in episodic storytelling. And in the WebTVResource page of this site you find a lareg collection of resouecs articles and commentary on the topic of emerging WebTV networks and content.
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