As we rev our engines for next week’s NewTeeVee Live conference on Nov. 12 in San Francisco, Chris and I and our other moderators’ minds are turning to what exactly we’ll talk about with the folks we’re interviewing. Over the next few days, we wanted to give you a chance to let us know what you’d ask.

Here’s the first batch, my own line-up of fireside chat subjects:

First up is Ryan Higa, the No. 1 most-subscribed YouTube user of all time. Higa is authentically creative, a home-grown video talent. He can’t help but be making a buck off his work with the number of views he hauls in. What do you want to know about Higa, his career and his real opinion of “Fred”?

Next I have an interview with Hunter Walk, director of product management at YouTube. Everyone in the NewTeeVee audience, both in person and virtually, is a YouTube constituent — a watcher or creator or both. We’re planning to hit up Walk with questions about where the leading video site is headed, how it’s fitting into the new social media ecosystem, and what it’s doing to get web content into the living room. What else do you want to know?

After that I’ll be talking jointly with Andy Mitchell of CNN and Randi Zuckerberg of Facebook. The two partnered to produce the seminal Social TV event: CNN.com’s live stream of Barack Obama’s Inauguration. Well, it’s been 10 months; where are we now? How can we harness social context to push forward both the web and television?

Please let me know in the comments or on email (liz at gigaom) what you want to hear about. Or if you don’t want to share the glory of your awesome question, go ahead and buy a ticket to NewTeeVee Live yourself where you can ask it live, as well as meet these fine folks in the flesh.

I missed the first episode of the V last night and forgot to DVR it. “No big deal,” I thought, “I’ll catch it on Hulu tomorrow.”

Unh-unh. No such luck, my friend. V is not available on either Hulu or ABC.com today. The pilot is, however, available for free on electronic sell-through sites Amazon VOD and iTunes (hat tip to TV by the Numbers).

Instead of the full episode, ABC.com greeted me with a survey that asked a bunch of questions relating to online video and release windows for content. Screengrabs below but a good example is: “Given a choice, would you rather watch future V episodes online or on TV?”

It looks like episodes of V won’t be available online until four days after they air on TV (but, they will have fancy social TV functionality). Overall, ABC is obviously trying to gauge the viewing behavior of its audience, which, for a show like V is probably a tech-savvy one.

All the networks are coping with changing TV viewing habits, so it’s no surprise ABC is is asking some straightforward questions. We’re just wondering what took them so long. Here are some questions from the survey:

Chinese P2P startup Xunlei has sued its competitor Sohu for copyright infringement, according to the Shenzen Daily. Xunlei is alleging that Sohu’s search engine, Sogou, is infringing on copyrights related to Xunlei’s P2P software as well as its own search engine, Gougou.com. Sohu had previously filed its own copyright infringement lawsuits against Xunlei and other Chinese P2P vendors.

China has long been a P2P video wunderkind of sorts. Efforts to establish P2P-based consumer video platforms like Joost and Babelgum have largely failed in the U.S. and Europe, but similar offerings attract millions of users in China. However, the Chinese market is saturated with literally dozens of video vendors, and efforts to grow their business beyond the PC have stalled due to strict government licensing requirements.

Xunlei is a popular Chinese P2P client that combines BitTorrent with web-based downloads. The company’s Gougou.com search engine links to TV shows and movies hosted on various ftp servers and web sites. Users can download these files and automatically accelerate their downloads through Xunlei’s P2P functionality. Gougou obfuscates these links in order to get users to access the content with its own client and sign up for its premium services, which include remote downloading to Xunlei’s servers.

However, that didn’t stop Sohu from allegedly crawling these sites as well and publishing the direct download links without any Xunlei-specific code. Xunlei wasn’t too happy about that and decided to sue last week. Some reports suggest the lawsuits include complaints about cracked versions of Xunlei appearing in Sohu search results. Sohu previously sued Xunlei for broadcasting a TV series that the company had exclusive online rights for, and it recently announced further lawsuits against Xunlei and other competitors under the helm of a newly formed “Online Video Copyright Union.”

You know the fight for market share is getting ugly when online video companies do the dirty work for rights holders and sue each other for copyright infringement. The irony of these lawsuits is that much of the content indexed by both search engines clearly isn’t licensed to begin with. We asked both companies for their side of the story, but haven’t heard back from Xunlei, and just got a brief “no comment” from Sohu.

The lawsuits shouldn’t really surprise anyone who has been following the Chinese online video industry. The country is home to a number of large P2P video platforms as well as YouTube-like sites. P2P streaming service PPLive, for example, touts up to 30 million active viewers per month, and YouTube-like Youku boasts 140 million visitors per month. Both compete with at least a handful of similar services, many of which also have an impressive user base. There isn’t one clear market leader like YouTube in the U.S., and Chinese online video business models still seem to be in a flux.

At the same time, it’s been getting harder for Chinese video ventures to grow their market beyond the PC audience. PPStream and Xunlei have tried to get their platforms on set-top boxes and connected TV sets, but those efforts have stalled because of the Chinese State Administration of Radio, Film and Television. The government agency views set-top box offerings as equal to over-the-air or cable television programming, which means that online video startups would need to get a special Internet TV license. That hurdle seems to be so high that a Chinese TV set manufacturer actually canceled plans to include PPStream in one of its connected TV sets in September.

Here’s the blunt truth of it: Even a major prude could probably derive enjoyment from Blue Movies, a well-produced little comedy series about the behind-the-scenes world of pornography, and as I’ve mentioned in the past, I’m no puritan.

Blue Movies, which is well-produced, tightly written, and occasionally (though not always) hilarious, depicts the world of Pornamount Pictures, a studio that specializes in adult adaptations of films like Forrest Gump, The Shawshank Redemption and The Dark Knight (the porn version of that film being titled The Dark Night Full of Smokin’ Hot Orgies — “Let’s make Christopher Nolan proud!” shouts the director). The show, told from the point of view of new intern Tom (Beck Bennett), who bumbled onto the set believing that he was actually starting an internship at Paramount, is seemingly focused around these XXX-rated satires of Oscar winners (trailers for which are available separately), but is at its best during the behind-the-scenes sequences, which are just like any Hollywood satire, except with more naked people.

However, while dealing with mature subject matter, Blue Movies is surprisingly clean, and the more explicit material tends to be of a verbal, not visual, nature. And while the female characters could all too easily have fallen into awful stereotypes, they’re actually not that bad. One of them even keeps her clothes on! (That’d be Sascha Alexander as the tough and funny Anna, who plays an important role as mentor to Tom and assistant to Max.) The only weak link of the series is Jareb Dauplaise as Max, who’s a committed performer but simply isn’t that believable as a porn kingpin — mainly because he looks like he’s about 22 years old.

A personal disclaimer: I once spent a few hours on the set of an adult film shoot (which was a helluva education, let me tell you), and while I’m not going to demand any sort of accuracy from a comedy satire, it does seem important to me to point out that quite a bit of pornography isn’t shot in a studio, bur rather in so-called “porn houses,” which are either private residences or specially held properties owned by location companies and leased to productions. And the crew on a porn set covers a wide range of ages and experiences, many of whom, like bumbling intern Tom, aspire to work in mainstream entertainment and are using porn as a stepping stone to a legit career — a career arc that has precedent. Omitting that latter fact feels like a major oversight, though plays well with the series’ tongue-in-cheek celebration of pornography as an art form.

You could perhaps draw a parallel between Max’s efforts to elevate the medium to that of the web series world, struggling to be taken seriously on a creative level while also achieving financial success — except that Max has sex on his side. He has it much easier.

Here’s the blunt truth of it: Even a major prude could probably derive enjoyment from Blue Movies, a well-produced little comedy series about the behind-the-scenes world of pornography, and as I’ve mentioned in the past, I’m no puritan.

Blue Movies, which is well-produced, tightly written, and occasionally (though not always) hilarious, depicts the world of Pornamount Pictures, a studio that specializes in adult adaptations of films like Forrest Gump, The Shawshank Redemption and The Dark Knight (the porn version of that film being titled The Dark Night Full of Smokin’ Hot Orgies — “Let’s make Christopher Nolan proud!” shouts the director). The show, told from the point of view of new intern Tom (Beck Bennett), who bumbled onto the set believing that he was actually starting an internship at Paramount, is seemingly focused around these XXX-rated satires of Oscar winners (trailers for which are available separately), but is at its best during the behind-the-scenes sequences, which are just like any Hollywood satire, except with more naked people.

However, while dealing with mature subject matter, Blue Movies is surprisingly clean, and the more explicit material tends to be of a verbal, not visual, nature. And while the female characters could all too easily have fallen into awful stereotypes, they’re actually not that bad. One of them even keeps her clothes on! (That’d be Sascha Alexander as the tough and funny Anna, who plays an important role as mentor to Tom and assistant to Max.) The only weak link of the series is Jareb Dauplaise as Max, who’s a committed performer but simply isn’t that believable as a porn kingpin — mainly because he looks like he’s about 22 years old.

A personal disclaimer: I once spent a few hours on the set of an adult film shoot (which was a helluva education, let me tell you), and while I’m not going to demand any sort of accuracy from a comedy satire, it does seem important to me to point out that quite a bit of pornography isn’t shot in a studio, bur rather in so-called “porn houses,” which are either private residences or specially held properties owned by location companies and leased to productions. And the crew on a porn set covers a wide range of ages and experiences, many of whom, like bumbling intern Tom, aspire to work in mainstream entertainment and are using porn as a stepping stone to a legit career — a career arc that has precedent. Omitting that latter fact feels like a major oversight, though plays well with the series’ tongue-in-cheek celebration of pornography as an art form.

You could perhaps draw a parallel between Max’s efforts to elevate the medium to that of the web series world, struggling to be taken seriously on a creative level while also achieving financial success — except that Max has sex on his side. He has it much easier.

ABC announced today it would offer online text commentary tracks for full episodes of some of its programs. The first commentary is for the new V sci-fi remake with participation from executive producers Scott Peters and Steve Pearlman. It’s due to hit ABC.com Saturday, a delayed release after the first episode of the show aired on TV last night. Further, ABC is enabling fans to create their own commentary tracks using the same tools.

The use of the term “commentary tracks” might be a little misleading given the audio overlay tracks we’ve all come to expect on DVDs, with inside info from actors, producers, directors and the like. ABC.com’s new feature consists of text comments only.

Though I’ve only seen a screenshot, this looks to be a very cool variation on the concept of Social TV. Users log in to their Facebook accounts remotely and watch an episode. They make comments that are time-stamped and run alongside the ABC video player. Fans can do the same thing, starting a new and separate episode commentary track. Each track is released to the public but only the author’s Facebook friends can modify it with additional comments.

ABC said it expects to soon roll out commentary track functionality for other series that use its full episode player powered by Move Networks. Featured commenters will include writers, directors, costume designers and other experts from each show.

While ABC had in the past locked up its full episodes to viewers on its own site, this season it’s also hosting them on Hulu. However, this new feature is exactly the right way to entice people come to your destination: give them a social experience and extra content they can’t get anywhere else. The web offers an awesome opportunity to bring DVD extra-type content to life. It would be great to see ABC run these commentaries live, a la Fox’s “Tweet-peats,” in which that network overlaid comments from stars and fans on top of a rerun on TV. Text comments crowding out the screen may not have been quite right for the living room, but it could be fantastic on the PC.

Other similar projects include ClipSync, View2Gether, Vidrollr, tvChatter, Cliqset, MediaFriends and the many other implementations of Facebook (and now Twitter) alongside video and on TV screens. Today, implementations of Facebook Connect are leading the pack, but there’s a lot of work yet to be done to make social TV a great experience.

By the way, we’re talking about Social TV next week at NewTeeVee Live with execs from Facebook and CNN. Come join us in San Francisco!

I’ve always believed in the separation of church and state: My desktop computer stays in my home office, and my TV and entertainment gear stay in the living room. Sure, sometimes there’s crossover between the two — I like to view Web-based streaming video or shows I’ve downloaded on my big-screen TV, for example. But I’ve never been tempted to make my desktop PC my home entertainment center.

Until now. Now, I have a shiny, new Windows 7 PC, and it’s almost ready to make the move to the living room. Microsoft’s latest operating system is earning raves for its enhanced stability and productivity features, but the enhanced video features are what have impressed me.

One of the most notable improvements is the file format support in the latest version of Windows Media Player, 12. I’ve never been a huge fan of Windows Media Player — I prefer VLC’s excellent media player for video playback. But with its new ability to play H.264 video and AAC audio files, Windows Media Player can now play unprotected content purchased from the iTunes Store. Slowly, Windows Media Player is winning me over.

I especially like how Windows 7’s new Jump List feature works with the app; Jump Lists allow you to access the application’s features just by right clicking on the app’s icon in your Taskbar. When I right click on the Windows Media Player icon, for example, I can start playing music or a video without having to go in and launch the app first.

Microsoft’s Windows Media Player also gets some nifty updates in Windows 7 — though this is my first time using any version of Windows Media Center at all, so much of the experience is new to me. I opted not to purchase a system with a built-in TV tuner card, but after reading EngadgetHD’s review of the OS’ DVR features, I’m regretting that decision.

The Windows Media Center features I was able to try were pretty impressive on their own. For starters, I like the integrated Internet TV feature, which lets you browse through online shows that you can watch right in Windows Media Center. The interface is attractive, and the controls are easy to use. The selection is somewhat limited, though — I saw a lot of shows from CBS, but few from other networks. The content comes from a small group of providers, including CBS and MSNBC, and you also get access to the Zune podcast library.

I also like how you can browse available Internet TV titles from your desktop, using the desktop gadget. You just click on a show title, and you’re taken to Windows Media Center, where you can watch the entire show. Windows Media Center offers instant access to your Netflix Instant Watch queue, which makes it easy to browse and watch movies.

Also new in Windows 7 is Homegroup networking, a feature that has plenty of potential, but is, so far, limited. You can use the Homegroup option, which allows you to share files between computers. You could, for example, stream a video stored on your Windows 7 desktop to your laptop in another room. But — and it’s a big but — all computers in the Homegroup must be running Windows 7. The feature would be much more useful if it worked with computers running Windows Vista or XP, never mind Macs. Also odd: Windows 7 generates a Homegroup password for you — you can’t set your own.

Windows 7 isn’t perfect, of course — far from it. For one, fans of the free Windows Movie Maker app will be disappointed that it no longer comes bundled with Microsoft’s OS. (You can download it for free.) Overall, though, Windows 7 is by far the most multimedia-friendly version of Windows yet. It’s almost enough to convince me to move my PC into the family room. Almost.

Time Warner Sales Dropped 6% to $7.1B in Q3; company’s networks including Turner and HBO saw growth with revenue up 5 percent to $2.9 billion. (CNET)

Comcast Profits Up 22% to $944M in Q3; cable company wouldn’t talk about the NBC acquisition deal. (paidContent)

Google to Bulk Up Video Chat for Apps users; company looking to broaden it to more than just two participants. (SFGate; see our recent story on Vidyo, which helps power the feature and has multi-participant capabilities)

Adap.tv’s OneSource Gets IAB Certification; company says it’s the first dedicated video ad service platform to receive ad measurement certification. (emailed release)

Paramount Files Comments with the FCC Over Star Trek Piracy; studio’s letter came in response to the FCC’s request for feedback on its National Broadband Plan. (Ars Technica) (See our previous coverage)

Blockbusters Could Boost DVD Numbers This Quarter; 13 movies that made over $200 million globally at the box office are being released in Q4. (The Wrap)

Tom Green Talks Up His Web Show; says his is the long-running Internet talk show, and it’s profitable though it doesn’t have a sponsor now. (The Hollywood Reporter; we took a tour of his home studio last year)

Motionbox announced today that it is making its video hosting service available as a commercial product called Motionbox Pro for customers such as real estate agents and outlets such as Gawker Media and Reuters (who have both already signed on as customers).

Motionbox powers personal video uploads for Shutterfly and AOL, so it’s got the ease-of-use thing down. What the company offers commercial users is a simple way to upload and show HD video in an unbranded player. It’s easy enough for non-technical users but still looks professional.

The product is pretty darn cheap, with a $50 setup fee then $25 per user per month with 25 GB storage and 25 GB streaming. New York City-based Motionbox says it’s still focused on the consumer business (for which it also charges some users), but with at least 60 customers already using Motionbox commercially it decided to formalize a professional product.

Here are examples of Gawker and Reuters videos in Motionbox players. Like we whined about yesterday, Gawker is being lame and choosing to use a Motionbox Pro feature that disables embeds, so you’ll have to click through for that one.

Motionbox, which has raised $17.2 million, recently acquired Viddyou, another personal video-sharing startup.

Sixty-two percent of Netflix subscribers have used the company’s streaming service since it launched, new research from One Touch and the Praxi Group indicates. Some 54 percent of 1,000 users surveyed in October say they watch at least one movie or TV show a month (hat tip to VideoNuze for providing the report).

During its most recent earnings call, Netflix said 42 percent of its subs had streamed at least 15 minutes of a title during the third quarter.

Despite the fact that Netflix is embedded on just about any device you can plug into your TV, the study found that more than 60 percent of respondents said they watched on a PC, and 13.4 percent watched via a computer connected to a TV. Game console (read: Xbox) usage was 11.1 percent, DVD player was 5.7 percent, and the Roku was 3.6 percent. As a bonus extrapolation, this last bit of research could indicate that if 3.6 percent of Netflix’s 11.1 million subs watch on a Roku, that would translate to roughly 400,000 Roku boxes in homes.

This last stat fits nicely with another study that came out today from the Catalyst Group (via The New York Times), which studied which movie service people using a Roku would choose: Amazon or Netflix.

The sample size of 11 people is pretty small, but the biggest finding for the research firm was how surprised people were by the basic idea that they could choose from a large library of content and watch it instantly on their TV.

Once participants got past the over-the-top video shock, researchers found that frequent movie watchers preferred Netflix and its subscription pricing.

We’ll make sure to ask Netflix CEO Reed Hastings about this increase in streaming during his upcoming talk at our NewTeeVee Live conference. Tickets are selling quickly, so be sure to get yours today!

Finding what you want to watch on TV is going to be a big problem in the coming years as more video choices crowd into your living room. As a result, recommendations will play an increasingly important role in our video discovery. To that end, NDS, which makes middleware and applications for multi-service operator set-top boxes, announced today that it has launched its Recommendations Engine Partner Programme, and video recommendation service Jinni is the first company to join.

In a recent survey of more than 1,000 U.S. cable customers conducted by NDS, having TV recommendations was one of the top applications desired for their cable service.

Jinni’s recommendations are powered by the company’s Movie Genome and can provide suggestions based on previous viewing patterns, mood-based browsing, or a semantic search like “action with a surprise twist.”

As we’ve written before, with the coming wave of video choices, it’s less important to show viewers everything that’s on, and more important to show them the slice that they’ll be most interested in. It’s part of the reason Netflix has been so gung-ho about improving recommendations, and why their (outsourced) work in that area is so important.

Netflix, of course, is making a big push in the over-the-top video space and concedes that its amped up streaming efforts could be seen as a threat to cable’s video business. OTT services like Netflix, and the widgets that will be developed for TV screens will enable viewers to easily search and get video recommendations without even turning on their cable box.

NDS argues that built-in widgets will be more powerful than those made by outside developers. “OTT widgets are more limited and don’t know what’s going on with your cable box,” Steve Tranter, vice president of broadband and interactive for NDS said, “They can’t recommend things to you that easily because it’s a separate experience.” Tranter says recommendation will be more powerful because the cable set-top box will know what you watch and be able to provide more context.

Of course, NDS’ customers are cable cos, so he’s a little biased. If people cut the cable cord altogether, they’ll be able to get context from other sources. The broader point is that with today’s announcement, NDS recognizes how important recommendations will be for TV watchers.

http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/newteevee/combo/~3/3MfAc1dvI8A/ Tomorrow is the big launch for NBC&#8217;s 2010 Olympics coverage. With 100 days till the opening ceremonies in Vancouver, NBC Sports is flipping the switch on a new site powered by Microsoft Silverlight with help from partners such as Vertigo (which built the player) and iStreamPlanet (which is coordinating the live streaming). In addition to [...]<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=newteevee.com&blog=660143&post=34086&subd=newteevee&ref=&feed=1"/> http://newteevee.com/?p=34086 Tue, 03 Nov 2009 16:47:33 -0800

Tomorrow is the big launch for NBC’s 2010 Olympics coverage. With 100 days till the opening ceremonies in Vancouver, NBC Sports is flipping the switch on a new site powered by Microsoft Silverlight with help from partners such as Vertigo (which built the player) and iStreamPlanet (which is coordinating the live streaming). In addition to what should be an upgraded video experience from Beijing due to technology and infrastructure improvements alone, NBC is adding social features such as Facebook Connect integration.

However, a big question is what you’ll have to do to actually watch live video. To protect its relationships with cable companies, NBC is planning to require all would-be viewers of live long-form streams to prove that they subscribe to a multi-service operator. You’ll have to authenticate that you actually pay a monthly bill to watch TV.

NBC has been quiet about the authentication process for the games, but the issue has been lurking since word got out earlier this year. All a spokesperson for NBC Sports would tell us today is “There will be an authentication process but the details have not yet been announced.” So, consider it confirmed.

Authentication is the same technique cable companies and other operators are using for their “TV Everywhere” streaming re-run sites. And there’s a precedent; for the Beijing Olympics, NBC blocked Cablevision subscribers because their MSO didn’t agree to a special Olympics package. For Vancouver, would-be watchers may be able to authenticate in advance over the next 100 days. That way you don’t have to go the process of digging out your cable bill right when you show up to see Apolo Ohno race or some famous curler curl.

NBC also has yet to announce which sports will be streamed live online. It’s probably not a good idea to count on figure skating and downhill skiing making it to your PC in real time, though we can hope.

Whatever gets shown and whoever gets to see it, the games are sure to be a major event in live-streaming history. While the Winter Olympics are smaller and shorter than those in the Summer, they’ll be happening in Pacific Time. And workday streams, like those for March Madness, are typically the most popular, as compared to events that are shown in the evenings when people are at home on the couch.

Meanwhile, in Canada, every single moment of the entire games will be live-streamed to all Canadians.

Image via TechCrunch.

]]> Liz Gannes NBCOlympicshome http://newteevee.com/2009/11/03/watch-the-olympics-live-online-if-you-paid-your-cable-bill/

http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/newteevee/combo/~3/k6sNXBwsvcs/ The YouTube-hosted Elevator, launched in May 2007, has survived a 2009 production company changeover (from HBOlab to Break) to produce over 200 episodes of short, wry comedy shot in a single location. And that longevity has paid off, thanks in part to a wide range of guest stars, including YouTube elite like Charles Trippy [...]<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=newteevee.com&blog=660143&post=34064&subd=newteevee&ref=&feed=1"/> http://newteevee.com/?p=34064 Tue, 03 Nov 2009 13:04:05 -0800

The YouTube-hosted Elevator, launched in May 2007, has survived a 2009 production company changeover (from HBOlab to Break) to produce over 200 episodes of short, wry comedy shot in a single location. And that longevity has paid off, thanks in part to a wide range of guest stars, including YouTube elite like Charles Trippy and Ryan Higa, Garfunkle and Oates‘ Kate Micucci, and Canadian sketch comedy team Loading Ready Run, who have helped the series achieve millions of views and nearly 80,000 YouTube subscribers. Via chat, we talked with series creator Woody Tondorf about Elevator’s origins, the difference between his past and present corporate masters, and if an end is in sight for the series. An edited transcript follows.

NewTeeVee: So, where did the initial inspiration for Elevator come from?

Tondorf: When we were at HBOlab, our boss said, “We need a series that we can mass produce for cheap. Make that happen.” I was really inspired by the old “Far Side” comic strip, where you only needed a single picture and a single line to tell the joke. So I threw that out there in our next meeting, and it stuck. Luckily, we had a dead end at the end of our hallway that was plain white. We put a camera up on a table and eureka!

NewTeeVee: So it’s not actually an elevator!

Tondorf: People are still shocked about this! Everything on the Internet is fake! It’s just three walls. They’re also the longest elevator rides ever. No one is in an elevator longer than 30 seconds.

NewTeeVee: At the beginning, how much of a narrative were you looking to construct?

Tondorf: None. I had always envisioned Elevator as more of a video comic strip, something you could stop by for one laugh and either move onto the next episode or go back to cats on Roombas. We had a core group of characters, but arcs and storylines were never really a goal.

It’s HARD in web series to count on people to watch the last episode or the next episode or know what you’re talking about, so I try to stay away from it on Elevator.

NewTeeVee: But at the same time, you’ve definitely developed a cast of characters over the years.

Tondorf: Yeah, the characters and actors got to create these organic arcs that I think has really helped the series grow.

NewTeeVee: You’ve had some pretty great guest stars come in from the YouTube world — how have those appearances come about?

Tondorf: Part of them have come from personal relationships and others came from reaching out to managers and seeing if they want to come play. No one’s turned us down yet, which is really cool. I wouldn’t want folks on Elevator unless I thought their work was great.

NewTeeVee: So are/were these appearances done gratis?

Tondorf: A lot are. But we pay our cast.

NewTeeVee: Your regular cast, you mean.

Tondorf: Yeah. Anyone who’s doing several episodes for the day gets paid. We have been able to pay since the beginning. Being under HBO’s wing at the time certainly helped.

NewTeeVee: Speaking of HBO — when Runaway Box was acquired by Break, how big a factor was Elevator’s success in that deal?

Tondorf: I think it certainly helped. The lab had a proven history of original programming that I think Break found attractive. We were all part of the deal.

NewTeeVee: What’s been the difference between HBO and Break?

Tondorf: We do a lot more branded entertainment now. Series and shorts for SoCo, KFC, Stride, Levi’s, the works. It’s a good opportunity to take our skills from the lab and apply them to making a client happy and keep the lights on. I’m still waiting for the paperwork to go through on Nerf War 2, though.

NewTeeVee: So the emphasis at Break is on the branded stuff?

Tondorf: It’s constantly changing. Right now we’re cranking out new RFPs [Requests For Proposals] every day and getting new show concepts ready for prospective sponsors, but I’m also pitching two new one-offs to film this week and we just finished a blitz of original Halloween programming.

Right now we’re doing a lot of branded content, but we’re always on standby to shift to something new. It’s exciting, in an air traffic control sort of way.

NewTeeVee: Is there stuff you’ve been able to do at Break that you don’t think you could have done while under HBO’s wing?

Tondorf: I think the tone of Elevator has changed, for one. At HBO I had to push back a lot with content that was maybe a little blue, but Break has been better about it. I think I have a little more edge in the writing now. We also try not to swear, but that’s a terms of service thing more than anything else.

NewTeeVee: So is there any scripted web series out there which beats you in terms of length of time online and number of episodes?

Tondorf: I think LonelyGirl might, but does that count? It’s kind of like NCIS or CSI. There’s about five different incarnations of it, and I can’t be sure. But yeah, I’ll say we’re tops in terms of longevity and number of uploaded original episodes. I defy others to beat us. Now where’s my damn Streamy?

NewTeeVee: When you do end the series, do you know what direction it’ll take? Are you like J.K. Rowling, have you written the last episode ever and locked it in a safe?

Tondorf: I actually have written the last episode, and it’s a big disappointment. But this series has become my new media calling card. It will be sad when it ends, but honestly I’m not ready to let go of it yet.

NewTeeVee: When you do end it — any hints as to what might happen?

Tondorf: Ummmm…let’s just say we’re gonna need a bigger boat.

NewTeeVee: A bigger elevator, you mean?

Tondorf: Your words, not mine.

]]> lizlet http://newteevee.com/2009/11/03/qa-with-elevator-creator-woody-tondorf/

http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/newteevee/combo/~3/05TySxvb-1k/ The YouTube-hosted Elevator, launched in May 2007, has survived a 2009 production company changeover (from HBOlab to Break) to produce over 200 episodes of short, wry comedy shot in a single location. And that longevity has paid off, thanks in part to a wide range of guest stars, including YouTube elite like Charles Trippy [...]<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=station.newteevee.com&blog=3579744&post=3127&subd=newteeveeguide&ref=&feed=1"/> http://station.newteevee.com/2009/11/03/qa-with-elevator-creator-woody-tondorf/ Tue, 03 Nov 2009 13:02:39 -0800

The YouTube-hosted Elevator, launched in May 2007, has survived a 2009 production company changeover (from HBOlab to Break) to produce over 200 episodes of short, wry comedy shot in a single location. And that longevity has paid off, thanks in part to a wide range of guest stars, including YouTube elite like Charles Trippy and Ryan Higa, Garfunkle and Oates‘ Kate Micucci, and Canadian sketch comedy team Loading Ready Run, who have helped the series achieve millions of views and nearly 80,000 YouTube subscribers. Via chat, we talked with series creator Woody Tondorf about Elevator’s origins, the difference between his past and present corporate masters, and if an end is in sight for the series. An edited transcript follows.

NewTeeVee: So, where did the initial inspiration for Elevator come from?

Tondorf: When we were at HBOlab, our boss said, “We need a series that we can mass produce for cheap. Make that happen.” I was really inspired by the old “Far Side” comic strip, where you only needed a single picture and a single line to tell the joke. So I threw that out there in our next meeting, and it stuck. Luckily, we had a dead end at the end of our hallway that was plain white. We put a camera up on a table and eureka!

NewTeeVee: So it’s not actually an elevator!

Tondorf: People are still shocked about this! Everything on the Internet is fake! It’s just three walls. They’re also the longest elevator rides ever. No one is in an elevator longer than 30 seconds.

NewTeeVee: At the beginning, how much of a narrative were you looking to construct?

Tondorf: None. I had always envisioned Elevator as more of a video comic strip, something you could stop by for one laugh and either move onto the next episode or go back to cats on Roombas. We had a core group of characters, but arcs and storylines were never really a goal.

It’s HARD in web series to count on people to watch the last episode or the next episode or know what you’re talking about, so I try to stay away from it on Elevator.

NewTeeVee: But at the same time, you’ve definitely developed a cast of characters over the years.

Tondorf: Yeah, the characters and actors got to create these organic arcs that I think has really helped the series grow.

NewTeeVee: You’ve had some pretty great guest stars come in from the YouTube world — how have those appearances come about?

Tondorf: Part of them have come from personal relationships and others came from reaching out to managers and seeing if they want to come play. No one’s turned us down yet, which is really cool. I wouldn’t want folks on Elevator unless I thought their work was great.

NewTeeVee: So are/were these appearances done gratis?

Tondorf: A lot are. But we pay our cast.

NewTeeVee: Your regular cast, you mean.

Tondorf: Yeah. Anyone who’s doing several episodes for the day gets paid. We have been able to pay since the beginning. Being under HBO’s wing at the time certainly helped.

NewTeeVee: Speaking of HBO — when Runaway Box was acquired by Break, how big a factor was Elevator’s success in that deal?

Tondorf: I think it certainly helped. The lab had a proven history of original programming that I think Break found attractive. We were all part of the deal.

NewTeeVee: What’s been the difference between HBO and Break?

Tondorf: We do a lot more branded entertainment now. Series and shorts for SoCo, KFC, Stride, Levi’s, the works. It’s a good opportunity to take our skills from the lab and apply them to making a client happy and keep the lights on. I’m still waiting for the paperwork to go through on Nerf War 2, though.

NewTeeVee: So the emphasis at Break is on the branded stuff?

Tondorf: It’s constantly changing. Right now we’re cranking out new RFPs [Requests For Proposals] every day and getting new show concepts ready for prospective sponsors, but I’m also pitching two new one-offs to film this week and we just finished a blitz of original Halloween programming.

Right now we’re doing a lot of branded content, but we’re always on standby to shift to something new. It’s exciting, in an air traffic control sort of way.

NewTeeVee: Is there stuff you’ve been able to do at Break that you don’t think you could have done while under HBO’s wing?

Tondorf: I think the tone of Elevator has changed, for one. At HBO I had to push back a lot with content that was maybe a little blue, but Break has been better about it. I think I have a little more edge in the writing now. We also try not to swear, but that’s a terms of service thing more than anything else.

NewTeeVee: So is there any scripted web series out there which beats you in terms of length of time online and number of episodes?

Tondorf: I think LonelyGirl might, but does that count? It’s kind of like NCIS or CSI. There’s about five different incarnations of it, and I can’t be sure. But yeah, I’ll say we’re tops in terms of longevity and number of uploaded original episodes. I defy others to beat us. Now where’s my damn Streamy?

NewTeeVee: When you do end the series, do you know what direction it’ll take? Are you like J.K. Rowling, have you written the last episode ever and locked it in a safe?

Tondorf: I actually have written the last episode, and it’s a big disappointment. But this series has become my new media calling card. It will be sad when it ends, but honestly I’m not ready to let go of it yet.

NewTeeVee: When you do end it — any hints as to what might happen?

Tondorf: Ummmm…let’s just say we’re gonna need a bigger boat.

NewTeeVee: A bigger elevator, you mean?

Tondorf: Your words, not mine.

]]> lizlet Comedy http://station.newteevee.com/2009/11/03/qa-with-elevator-creator-woody-tondorf/

http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/newteevee/combo/~3/Z54FhZIZvmw/ Cookie Jar Entertainment Launching Hulu for Kids Site; Jaroo.com will kick off with 50 TV series digitize a library of 6,000 episodes. (The Hollywood Reporter) Blinkx Issues Shares Worth $8.1 Million; company turns to stock market after losses associated with infrastructure deployment grew. (paidContent) Break Partners with Southern Comfort for Social Sportz Net; web series will show [...]<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=newteevee.com&blog=660143&post=34056&subd=newteevee&ref=&feed=1"/> http://newteevee.com/?p=34056 Tue, 03 Nov 2009 11:27:22 -0800

Cookie Jar Entertainment Launching Hulu for Kids Site; Jaroo.com will kick off with 50 TV series digitize a library of 6,000 episodes. (The Hollywood Reporter)

Blinkx Issues Shares Worth $8.1 Million; company turns to stock market after losses associated with infrastructure deployment grew. (paidContent)

Break Partners with Southern Comfort for Social Sportz Net; web series will show dudes how to plan holiday parties. (MediaWeek)

The Colbert Report Sponsors U.S. Speedskating Team; “Colbert Nation” will be on the team’s uniforms. (Associated Press)

Sorenson Launches Squeeze 6; new video and encoding software promises higher quality video and faster speeds. (release)

]]> Chris Albrecht http://newteevee.com/2009/11/03/vid-biz-jaroo-blinkx-southern-comfort/