“H+”: The future of web series?
In the past, I have featured web series, but I don’t think we’ve seen anything like “H+”:
If we’re all going to our computers these days to watch content we used to only be able to access on a television, why not put the efforts (and money) there in the first place, with content that’s tailored for an online experience?
The upcoming Warner Bros. web series “H+” — a not-so-distant futuristic tale premiering on YouTube on August 8th — aims to do just that.
The reason, according to producer Bryan Singer, is simple: the huge audience. “Through YouTube we have a potential worldwide base far greater than any other content platform,” Singer explains. “I want anyone with an internet connection to be able to experience this world.”
That’s this Bryan Singer who directed The Usual Suspects and X-Men, and exec produced the “House: M.D.” TV series.
“We set out to do something that had a large scope and a level of production value that’s unusual for a web-distributed project,” says series’ director Stewart Hendler, who also happens to be the director of another large-scale action web series releasing this fall — “Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn.” “We look forward to a time when the web is full of gorgeous, intelligent, complex content, and lately it finally feels like the trajectory is moving that way.”
In the development stages, creators John Cabrera and Cosimo De Tommasso aimed to make a show that was of the complexity and intelligence of something you’d see on TV, but set up to be viewed in a different way, incorporating what Singer has called “a strong two-way dialogue” with the audience. “When you watch something on TV or in a theater, you have to wait to go to the fan boards to speculate,” says Singer. “The YouTube channel platform allows us to centralize the viewing experience so the audience can simultaneously watch, comment, question, and even re-watch along with a worldwide audience.”
“Centralize the viewing experience” sounds an awful lot like a buzz phrase we could be seeing a lot more of in the near future.
“H+” is one of the most ambitious and pricey projects to come off of the original content channels YouTube announced back in October. The series will air exclusively on its YouTube channel, with an accompanying web portal and smart phone apps allowing users to navigate the viewing experience by looking at specific characters, locations or moments in time to highlight different layers of the narrative.
Here is the series trailer:
For more of the IndieWire article, go here.
Anybody interested in watching the new web series “H+”? If so, it debuts on Wednesday, August 8th.
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