Quarterlife at DVinfo.net

David Tamés · November 30th, 2007, 05:23 PM

I've been watching Quarterlife and it's an interesting hybrid of traditional film/television production with the lean and mean aesthetics of simplified area lighting and hand-held videography. The acting and writing are solid. Many people are watching this show to see what comes of bringing a traditional television series to the web and building a social network around the show. You might be interested in an interview I did with Marshall Herskovitz (who created the show with producing partner Ed Zwick) in which we talk about the origins of Quarterlife, his thoughts on the writers strike, and the future of scripted entertainment on the web. It's an interesting development to watch.

Mark Tarman · February 26th, 2008, 11:55 PM

Did anyone see the premiere of quarterlife on NBC tonight? I am very intrigued with the show and am wondering about some production stuff. I have been watching behind the scenes videos at quarterlife.com and im pretty sure that they use the panasonic hvx200 camera. The producer was talking about how its all handhelds and i thought that was cool. can anyone attest to the panasonics being used?

Chris Harris · February 27th, 2008, 05:03 AM

I guess this belongs in "Awake in the Dark", but I saw it and want to say a few things about it.

I don't know anything about what cameras they used, but I'm intrigued by the whole idea that it was shot for the internet first, then found a TV deal. I also like the video blog narration format, and how it ties into the storyline.

What I can't stand though, is the three lead girls with their severe self-esteem issues. They're pretty, but if they have to cry again in the next episode for some ridiculous reason, that'll be the end of the season for me.

The main guys who live in the house are pretty much boneheads. "You're an idiot." "So what does that make you?" Ohhh, what a comeback!

The countless awkward moments between the guys and the gals killed me. I felt like I was in some bad high school nightmare. Plus the fact that they throw the word "love" around like it's going out of style. No, you don't "love" your best friend's girlfriend, it's lust. Call me bitter if you'd like.

At least they managed to use the word "bourgeoisie" in there somewhere, which is a pretty damn cool word!

Despite all of its flaws, I'm strangely attracted to this show and I don't know why. I'll be tuning in next week to see what happens.

Chris Harris · February 28th, 2008, 01:28 AM

Well, looks like it didn't do so well in the ratings.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/...54ab3f14a8730f

According to the article, it's doubtful that it'll make it to the next episode!

Tyson Persall · February 28th, 2008, 01:30 AM

I have to say I was attracted to this show myself. It has a unique charm to it but is far from perfect. As said above, there are lots of flaws; Too many awkward unrealistic moments - But for me they don't ruin the story and i can look past it. The concept is still good enough. Perhaps they can work this out as the series progresses and stop trying to force moments so much.

Was it just me or did the girl who was playing a bad actor seem like an actual bad actor in real life? -Maybe a little too Genuine there. She will have to redeem herself or they will need to kill her off. However, The main character, Bitsey does a good job. The other characters are potentially OK but could get annoying.

I thought it was funny that they kids were so excited about there first job out of film school. Reminded me of my first job out of film school, which was, identically, a local car dealer tv commercial. I myself once tried to make my own camera crane out of two by fours. Haha. What ammies. Maybe Im byas and that was the only reason i liked it. But for me it seemed to sort of have the same kind of style and feel as My so called life, which is from the same creators. Abit, 'My so called life had better characters.

This show has potential. I think it will make it. I watch a lot of pilots just because i like making bets about which ones will be canceled. So far this season I have predicted that Bionic woman would get caned, along with the Journey man, and that Caveman show. I also predicted that carpoolers would make it. But just barely. So far its still on air.

Steve House · February 28th, 2008, 08:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chris Harris

...
At least they managed to use the word "bourgeoisie" in there somewhere, which is a pretty damn cool word!

....

Didn't see the show. Please tell me they didn't pronounce it "burr-geo'-sea" <grin>.

Benjamin Eckstein · March 3rd, 2008, 10:03 PM

So I just watched the premiere. I was excited by the show because Thirty-Something was a great series. I went on line to see whether or not they used HVXs which it seems they have (which it looked like....kinda soft....but okay), but I can't say I'll continue watching. The characters were way too cliched and I couldn't help but think "why do I care about these people". I think the production values actually hurt the show. If it looked better than maybe I'd care less about the supposed realism that just isn't real at all, or if they kept the style but had characters worth caring about, then maybe that'd work.

Just my Awake in the Dark rant.

David Tamés · March 4th, 2008, 09:57 AM

It's certainly not television, and without the community site experience, it's only a small piece of a larger whole that may not work well all by itself. Marshall Herskovitz said at the Harvard Business School's 2008 Media and Entertainment Conference:

[...] I did it differently, and low and behold you know what? It ain’t a television show, and it was proven last night it was not a television show (laughter in the room), it’s too specific for a big network, and that’s fine, cause we’re going to find a home for it, that will work for what we do [...]

For a longer version of the quote and some commentary, see my post "The flip side of the quarterlife flop" at
http://kino-eye.com/2008/02/29/flip-...rterlife-flop/

November 30th, 2007, 05:23 PM	#1
David Tamés Kino-Eye Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Boston, MA Posts: 457	Watching Quarterlife & twentysomething minutes with Marshall Herskovitz I've been watching Quarterlife and it's an interesting hybrid of traditional film/television production with the lean and mean aesthetics of simplified area lighting and hand-held videography. The acting and writing are solid. Many people are watching this show to see what comes of bringing a traditional television series to the web and building a social network around the show. You might be interested in an interview I did with Marshall Herskovitz (who created the show with producing partner Ed Zwick) in which we talk about the origins of Quarterlife, his thoughts on the writers strike, and the future of scripted entertainment on the web. It's an interesting development to watch. __________________ David Tames { blog: http://Kino-Eye.com twitter: @cinemakinoeye }

February 26th, 2008, 11:55 PM	#2
Mark Tarman Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Roseville MN Posts: 33	Quarterlife Did anyone see the premiere of quarterlife on NBC tonight? I am very intrigued with the show and am wondering about some production stuff. I have been watching behind the scenes videos at quarterlife.com and im pretty sure that they use the panasonic hvx200 camera. The producer was talking about how its all handhelds and i thought that was cool. can anyone attest to the panasonics being used?

February 28th, 2008, 01:30 AM	#5
Tyson Persall Major Player Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: North Hollywood, Atlanta Posts: 437	Has potential. I have to say I was attracted to this show myself. It has a unique charm to it but is far from perfect. As said above, there are lots of flaws; Too many awkward unrealistic moments - But for me they don't ruin the story and i can look past it. The concept is still good enough. Perhaps they can work this out as the series progresses and stop trying to force moments so much. Was it just me or did the girl who was playing a bad actor seem like an actual bad actor in real life? -Maybe a little too Genuine there. She will have to redeem herself or they will need to kill her off. However, The main character, Bitsey does a good job. The other characters are potentially OK but could get annoying. I thought it was funny that they kids were so excited about there first job out of film school. Reminded me of my first job out of film school, which was, identically, a local car dealer tv commercial. I myself once tried to make my own camera crane out of two by fours. Haha. What ammies. Maybe Im byas and that was the only reason i liked it. But for me it seemed to sort of have the same kind of style and feel as My so called life, which is from the same creators. Abit, 'My so called life had better characters. This show has potential. I think it will make it. I watch a lot of pilots just because i like making bets about which ones will be canceled. So far this season I have predicted that Bionic woman would get caned, along with the Journey man, and that Caveman show. I also predicted that carpoolers would make it. But just barely. So far its still on air. __________________ Tyson X

March 3rd, 2008, 10:03 PM	#7
Benjamin Eckstein Major Player Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Boston, Massachusetts Posts: 380 Images: 1	Blah So I just watched the premiere. I was excited by the show because Thirty-Something was a great series. I went on line to see whether or not they used HVXs which it seems they have (which it looked like....kinda soft....but okay), but I can't say I'll continue watching. The characters were way too cliched and I couldn't help but think "why do I care about these people". I think the production values actually hurt the show. If it looked better than maybe I'd care less about the supposed realism that just isn't real at all, or if they kept the style but had characters worth caring about, then maybe that'd work. Just my Awake in the Dark rant.

March 4th, 2008, 09:57 AM	#8
David Tamés Kino-Eye Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Boston, MA Posts: 457	It's certainly not television, and without the community site experience, it's only a small piece of a larger whole that may not work well all by itself. Marshall Herskovitz said at the Harvard Business School's 2008 Media and Entertainment Conference: [...] I did it differently, and low and behold you know what? It ain’t a television show, and it was proven last night it was not a television show (laughter in the room), it’s too specific for a big network, and that’s fine, cause we’re going to find a home for it, that will work for what we do [...] For a longer version of the quote and some commentary, see my post "The flip side of the quarterlife flop" at http://kino-eye.com/2008/02/29/flip-...rterlife-flop/ __________________ David Tames { blog: http://Kino-Eye.com twitter: @cinemakinoeye } Last edited by David Tamés; March 4th, 2008 at 09:58 AM. Reason: fix misspelling

February 27th, 2008, 05:03 AM	#3
Chris Harris Major Player Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: San Francisco, California Posts: 487	I guess this belongs in "Awake in the Dark", but I saw it and want to say a few things about it. I don't know anything about what cameras they used, but I'm intrigued by the whole idea that it was shot for the internet first, then found a TV deal. I also like the video blog narration format, and how it ties into the storyline. What I can't stand though, is the three lead girls with their severe self-esteem issues. They're pretty, but if they have to cry again in the next episode for some ridiculous reason, that'll be the end of the season for me. The main guys who live in the house are pretty much boneheads. "You're an idiot." "So what does that make you?" Ohhh, what a comeback! The countless awkward moments between the guys and the gals killed me. I felt like I was in some bad high school nightmare. Plus the fact that they throw the word "love" around like it's going out of style. No, you don't "love" your best friend's girlfriend, it's lust. Call me bitter if you'd like. At least they managed to use the word "bourgeoisie" in there somewhere, which is a pretty damn cool word! Despite all of its flaws, I'm strangely attracted to this show and I don't know why. I'll be tuning in next week to see what happens.

February 28th, 2008, 01:28 AM	#4
Chris Harris Major Player Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: San Francisco, California Posts: 487	Well, looks like it didn't do so well in the ratings. http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/...54ab3f14a8730f According to the article, it's doubtful that it'll make it to the next episode!