ZADI DIAZ — 2000 Words On “Derivative Bullshit,” “WebTV,” and “Online Content”

2000 Words On “Derivative Bullshit,” “WebTV,” and “Online Content”

The Past

So apparently I pissed of half of the known internet today. I looked it right in the eyes and told it yes, its ass did look fat in those jeans. In other words I gave my honest opinion without regard to feelings, sentiment, or repercussion.

In return, I got called a number of colorful names by people whose feelings I’d hurt. Some were semi-sarcastic, some were very spirited, and all were probably partially truthful. Many people agreed with me though.

Now the video in question was recorded back in May but was reposted to twitter this morning. A half hour later, it was the spark for a firestorm of discussion, commentary, argumentation, and the occasional brief moment of agreement.

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This is something we’ve been talking about since the time of I Love Bees. …ways to bring communities together through storytelling. I hate to say it, but I think everything got distorted during the writer’s strike of 2007/2008. While the Internet became a way for frustrated writers to get their story told no matter what (which was a GREAT thing), the inherent TV aesthetic came along with it. It then became a race to see who could make the best TV show on the web and stick it to The Man. Yes, the focus completely shifted to online distribution, not online content.

The storytelling geeks got sidelined. Their newfangled ways of story experimentation wasn’t news compared to the high-profile writers/actors who were now online.

Like Barrett mentions in his post, there is nothing wrong with using the web to distribute independently produced content. We should! The problem happens when ALL of the focus is on distribution and not finding ways to innovate. This is an extremely important time in the web’s entertainment history. Creators can take ownership and make stories that TV can’t. But we’re too concerned with red carpet events and stars in hopes that the light shines on us so we can “move on up.” Not a way to win this battle… or the impending media war.

*Additional Note: Here is a great response from David Nett on how the web has created an Independent TV community, just like there is an independent film community. Very valid points.