This is not a blog which shall save mankind, force everyone to stay in the EU and end world poverty. This is just a blog about new platforms for story telling. Welcome to the world of web series.
But first a short introduction to the medium. The particular web series that will be covered in this blog are modern adaptions of classic stories, usually involving a central YouTube channel and a plethora of different social media accounts (Anne Shirley from Green Gables Fables for example has a YouTube, Twitter, Instagram and Tumblr account). The plot develops as a modern online life reasonably might. Thus the audience for the first time has the opportunity to tweet at and comment on the videos of their favourite fictional characters. As a result, the plot is able to develop in real time and in much greater detail than any normal film adaption. This also makes the narrative less of a one off experience and more a lived in story.
And so dear reader, to begin. This week I shall introduce you to one of the most active Web series at the moment, and therefore perhaps the only one it is reasonable to get involved in during finals – Green Gables Fables*. Based on the Anne of Green Gables series of books by L.M. Montgomery, so far this small web series has been remarkably true to the books and now in its second season, it just seems to get better and better with age. I think a lot of its charm is found in the fact that the medium is so accessible. If this were a group with a much bigger budget, which didn’t rely on crowd funding, I think they would struggle to retain the story’s simple authenticity.
So what has happened so far?
*SPOILER ALERT*
This is where all the excitement goes down. Things have gone crazy in recent weeks with @GGFables.
Ruby’s death in February was perhaps one of the most heartbreaking, yet brilliantly acted parts of the season so far. We all knew it was coming, which somehow managed to make it worse. That is part of the joy and agony of a web series, that if you know how the book plays out, waiting for the small hints of what is to come is a long drawn out painful process.
Then Anne broke up with Roy and it all got very dramatic.
The whole fandom panicked because we all knew Gilbert was going to get sick and we assumed that this was because he was working too hard.
And then he got hit by a car. (Well played @GGFables)
Finally, after much drama, Anne just declared her love for Gilbert and everyone squealed lots.
Now having got you all up-to-date, you may all be thinking ‘wow this girl is incredibly sad’. Well yes, yes I am. Welcome to my world. It’s wonderful.
*Blitzing an entire web series in one go is easily possible, but as I learned in the Easter Vac catching up on Northbound (a modern version of Northanger Abbey) you will lose several days.
