|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
All the web’s a stage Wannabes
is a new play filmed for the Internet in which characters turn to the
audience for advice on what to do next — and then they’ll act it
out.
Filming has just begun for a new BBC drama with a difference. Wannabes
follows a group of twenty-something would-be writers, pop stars and
celebrities living in Brighton. A familiar recipe for a teen audience,
perhaps, but this is no Hollyoaks-on-sea. Instead, the producers are
trying to create an interactive TV drama for the Internet. "We
want to create a junior Sex and the City — something frothy
and fun," says co-writer Will Jewell, whose past credits include Doctors
and Dream Team. "The main character, Leila, comes to
Brighton to be a journalist. She hangs out in a club, Wannabes, where
she meets Charlie, the spoilt daughter of the club’s owner, who
dreams of being famous; Zeb, a local wide boy who wants to be an
entrepreneur; his girlfriend, Rachel, who’s long-listed to run for
Britain at the Beijing Olympics; and a singer-songwriter who’s not
sure if he should go solo and ditch his band." The plot’s
twists and turns include a scandal that threatens to compromise the
nightclub owner’s political ambitions, and a dig at reality TV when
Charlie becomes a participant on a Big Brother-style show called Give
Them Enough Rope. Wannabes will mix broadcast production
values with computer gaming techniques and has a narrative style. As
events unfold, characters must address a series of dilemmas with
viewers’ help. "One character gets drunk with his best friend’s
girlfriend — he goes to the bathroom where he turns to camera to
ask: should he sleep with her?" Jewell explains. "The
viewer will then see both possible outcomes before being invited to
offer advice. The character will make his or her decision anyway, but
for interacting the viewer will be awarded a friendship score based on
whether advice is helpful or not." Viewer participation will
unlock additional filmed content — thanks or chastisement from a
character they have advised, for example. Interactive games are also
being built into the series. In one episode, Charlie invites her
friends to Laser Quest. As the characters play the game, viewers
select who meets who. Their decisions, in turn, dictate what film
footage appears on their computer screen. "The problem with this
approach is that each viewer choice leads you down a different
route," says show’s executive producer, Jamie Cason. Wannabes
launches on www. bbc.co.uk/teens in September. — By arrangement
with The Independent
|
||
|
|
||
