Crowd-sourcing Fragments of Friday

I confess to being a bit skeptical about Crowd-Sourcing. Sure, there’s hundreds, nay thousands, of projects that got off the ground and are up and running from kickstarter. And there’s a wonderful warm glow that flutters over me at the idea of democratic investment of the people in creative endeavors that speak to them. I love too, the audience-centric focus of creative projects (and creators themselves) when engaging with crowd-sourcing campaigns. Screen arts in particular - indie features and short films - have too long been motivated by internally navel gazing and insular thinking, rather than open engagement with audience and having something that needs to be said. All this is good, But I wonder how sustainable it is? I fear for its fragility. I’m dubious that it is ‘the answer’, a replacement economic model for previous capitalist ideals. 

Yet as a ponder whether crowd-sourcing is a flash-in-the-pan or a long term answer, I cant help but impressed with the quality of the projects that come through my computer screen and enticement me to contribute. Latest case in point is a web-series project by a former student of mine, director Kacie Anning entitled FRAGMENTS OF FRIDAY.

More than just being a good concept, with deft execution and solid laughs; Fragments of Friday speaks to a recognition of what online delivery allows that a path through the gate-keepers of conservative television broadcasting would not. Without such gatekeepers and content monitors, shows can be edger, sharper, sexier, they can be the kind of shows that likely wouldn’t get picked up by a TVs yet still speak to a broad audience. 

Fragments of Friday is a brand new web series in development from Australian writer / director Kacie Anning.

Slated for 7 webisodes, Fragments of Friday follows the friendship of two 20-something housemates Alex (Kacie Anning) and Sophie (Sarah Armanious) as they write themselves off each Friday night, and are forced to spend their Saturdays piecing back together the night before.

As a result of their Friday-night-antics, Alex and Sophie’s friendship takes a left-turn and suddenly they find themselves fighting to re-piece together the fragments of their friendship. Told with humour and poignancy, the story of Fragments of Friday speaks to the great tradition of female friendship through the scope of hazy memories, drunken honesty and above all, affection.

Its a rocking good show idea with a very talented and ambitious team at the helm. I look forward to seeing the show in full and encourage you to stop by their Pozible campaign page.