The digital revolution was supposed to change everything. We were going to throw off the yokes of our Hollywood oppressors and forge our own entertainment. It was to be a leap to the future and a return to the past, when cavemen sat around bonfires grunting tales of imagined gods. We would be the writers, directors, and stars of our own stories.Instead, we remain paralyzed on futons, eyes semi-focused on the twenty-seventh season of American Idol.
Heady stuff, yes? I didn’t write it. It came from the Channel102’s self-description. But what is it? For those familiar with Channel101.com, this website is but an East Coast version of the same. For those unfamiliar, Channel102 is an online video competition. Anyone, from anywhere can submit a 5 minute “pilot”. Every tape is viewed and then judged and then screened, monthly in front of a live audience at Tribeca Cinemas. The audience votes and the top 5 shows become the new “prime time lineup.”
Simple. But not easy. The competition is fierce and the shows are good. They’re very good. At Channel102, they like to claim that “your entertainment destiny is in your hands. If you like a show, nurture it with your votes and it will bloom into a series. If you don’t like a show, it goes away. Wouldn’t it be great if “real” television worked this way?”
Two things. One–only people in New York City on the day of the monthly screening actually control the destiny of the shows. And two–TV does work that way. Shows without eyeballs get mothballed. I suggest you overlook such bold pronouncements and really look at what Channel102 offers. The quality is there, even if the sensibility may not be. For example, I found “The Puppet Rapist” to be incredibly compelling from a production and story-telling standpoint. I also found it to be incredibly repulsive from a thematic standpoint. Basically, you’ve got to surf it to believe it.
A great draw at Channel102 is that the first webisodes of cancelled shows and failed shows remain on the site. So if your favorite one failed, you can relive the love. Another great draw is that new programming appears each month. The final nifty note about Channel102 is that it lists Channel101 as their “mentor and ancestor.” Frankly, in today’s online video world, you couldn’t ask for better lineage. So surf on over to Channel102 and see what you’re missing.
