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Art Film Talk #23 Marshall Herskovitz, Quarterlife
November 30th, 2007
Marshall Herskovitz and Edward Zwick have been producing high-quality television (My So Called Life, thirtysomething) and film (Legends of the Fall, Blood Diamond) for quite some time. Recently the duo launched Quarterlife, a contemporary coming of age series being streamed on the web along with an integrated social network. A significant aspect of the show is that unlike most television properties today, the producers retain full creative control and ownership. In addition to being available on MySpace and their own web site, they recently made a deal with NBC to air the show next year.
I talk with Herskovitz about the origins of the project, its significance in the context of the writers strike, and what's different about producing for the internet compared to traditional film and television. Related to this interview is "Are the corporate suits ruining TV?," an editorial by Herskovitz which appeared in the Los Angeles Times on November 7, 2007 in which he argues that Network control and media consolidation are wringing the creativity out of entertainment.
Photo credit: Elisabeth Caren/quarterlife, the Art Film Talk theme music was composed by Colin Owens.
November 30th, 2007 at 5:41 pm
I think the ownership question, the call to creatives to SEIZE THE INTERNET is only related to his \'Hybrid\' model\'s profit modality it is a slave to the old system. All valid points. The cost effective production slimmed down is great. In fact a fam friend had mentioned to me that he was starting the internet series, and I was fascinated then too. hard to believe that this conversation starts with XWHAVES and a mere few years later, it is led by heroes like these two pioneers.
December 2nd, 2007 at 11:52 am
Hey David -
Great piece…what is the MP3 playback tool you're using? I also wrote up a short blurb re: Quaterlife over at Bouv's Blog.
Keep up the great work and hope to see you soon…
Cheers,
J.C.
December 2nd, 2007 at 10:20 pm
[…] I mentioned that on Art Film Talk (my audio podcast) I recently posted an interview with Marshall Herskovitz on the topic of Quarterlife, a "television-style" episodic on the web that's been generating lots of buzz in both industry and new media circles. […]
December 5th, 2007 at 7:31 pm
J.C., I'm using PodPress for embedding a Flash MP3 Player on the site and MP3 enclosures in the RSS feed.
December 8th, 2007 at 11:06 pm
Very interesting interview David. I like seeing an "old hand" get it. And its wonderful that they are slimming down the production necessities. I remember laughing at the gluttony described in Adventures in the Screen Trade, which something I want to avoid.
But here is something that troubles me (though maybe out of jealousy); the fact is that he called in many favors and used his influence to bring down the costs. Granted I would (and plan) to do the same thing. But will big fish in the online video sea like me get so easily pushed aside? Or worst locked out?
Still, would love to talk/work with him. (see I am trying to get a favor
)
December 18th, 2007 at 11:13 pm
Hey!…Man i just love your blog, keep the cool posts comin..holy Tuesday . Kristal Marshall
February 23rd, 2008 at 1:51 pm
This is such an important interview David, thank you. YourStorys is shooting 6 webisodes for The Writer's Guild website Strike.tv May 1st and 2nd. We are working with Out of Pocket Films and creating a comedy called Solly's Wisdom. It is the life of a state mediator listening to the weird and humorous disagreements that come before him. This interview adds credence to our discussions this week about the rebirth of a democratic tv. Thank you again for sharing. I found it hugely informative. So much so I don't want to miss another episode of your Art Talks and hit the subscribe button half way through the interview.
February 29th, 2008 at 1:02 pm
[…] It's ridiculous to call quarterlife a failure, it's simply a proof point that crossover is not always a good idea, that the audience for broadcast television and internet episodics is different, and twenty-somethings are growing up in a vastly different media world. They are not going to watch broadcast television the way my generation did. And why are we even talking about online shows making the jump to television? As if this was somehow the holy grail? Why look at new media through the lens of old media? As Herskovitz said, quarterlife is not television, it's something different. It does not belong on prime time, which is about mass audience and lowest common denominator, it belongs on a niche cable station if on broadcast at all. Why do so many broadcast industry people talk about the internet as a new breeding ground for television shows? They sure would like to outsource creative development. But the internet is not a new old thing, it's a new new thing, and internet entertainment properties should be judged on their own terms as their own thing. The new media revolution will not be broadcast, nor will it be rebroadcast. It will be streamed, downloaded, and shared as part of a community experience as you see happening right now on the quarterlife site. When quarterlife first launched I did an interview with Marshall Herskovitz that you might find interesting. […]