We readers are well aware that there are tremendous creative works out there beyond those being put out by major companies. Creators and their audiences are not quite as bound by the editors, producers, studio execs, publishers, et. al. as they were, say, ten years ago. As Dylan put it: the times they are a-changin’.
Just as there are indie movies, self-published books, and “kickstarted” music albums, there is a whole world of free TV waiting for an audience. We’ve covered Tom Hanks’s sci-fi/noir Electric City, and the Harry Potter procedural Auror’s Tale but those are only two examples of what is available on this wonderful system of tubes.
If fan-fiction-turned-crime-drama is your thing, then you should definitely investigate Mortal Kombat: Legacy. Director Kevin Tancharoen used the video game Mortal Kombat as the basis for a realistic version of the fantasy story featuring magic ninjas and secret agents. Sure, it can be a bit of a high concept thriller, but if you are a fan of old school kung fu movies and more modern action movies (and we certainly are) you should definitely give it a look. It grew out of Tancharoen’s earlier short video Mortal Kombat: Rebirth and led to him being chosen to direct a new full-length Mortal Kombat feature film that’s supposed to have a 2013 release.
Another great show living a vibrant life out on the web is for our zombie fans. It’s called Universal Dead and while it doesn’t have the budget that The Walking Dead does, it still stands out as a great web series. It tells the story of a zombie apocalypse that doesn’t happen due to some unknown plague, but for much more unique and interesting reasons, which I won’t spoil for you. You should really check it out.
If you have 15 to 30 minutes to kill on a lunch break, give some of these a shot, or just look around for something more to your taste. It’s a great time to be a creator, and an even better time to be someone who enjoys just how creative people can be.
What great free TV have you found on the web?
Cannot believe you — you, Christopher Morgan — didn’t mention [url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pT79x4qM4FE&feature=youtu.be&hd=1&noredirect=1]Blood and Chrome[/url] here. Only two episodes in, and already it’s way better than Caprica. Maybe if Syfy had run this prequel show instead, the BSG franchise wouldn’t be reduced to a webseries.
Thanks for the heads up on Mortal Kombat: Legacy. Kevin Tancharoen of Dollhouse fame, and there are ninjas? I am so in.
Heh, I hadn’t watched Blood and Chrome yet, but yes it should be on the list. If it helps, Helo is in MK:L as Stryker, so I did cover BSG in kind of a way.
I did watch Machinma Prime’s Halo: Forward Unto Dawn, and it was pretty solid, Military fiction that was very much in the vein of BSG, and it didn’t require you to be a huge video game person to really appreciate the show.