Can You Save Her?

October 30, 2009 4:34 PM

James Moran, script-writer on shows such as Doctor Who and Torchwood and the feature-film Severance has launched his latest project, the web-series Girl Number 9.

The first 5-minutes episode was launched tonight, and set the scene for a taught psychological thriller to be screened over the next five days, covering an actual 30 minutes of story-time. The main characters are also tweeting, in real-time - The Villain and The Police Inspector on his tail...

posted by benzo8 (16 comments total)

They say "fuck" alot. Which gives it that gritty sincerity it wouldn't have it was just the regular cliche ridden cop drama/psycho killer thing we've seen a billion times.
posted by tkchrist at 5:30 PM on October 30, 2009 [3 favorites]

So he has at least partial responsibility for Danny Dyer?

Can we make this a 'hate Danny Dyer' thread?
posted by biffa at 6:23 PM on October 30, 2009

I like the idea of webisodes, but they definitely seem tricky to write. Either you don't have enough character development because the intros and next on... are so long, or you've got no sense of closure, and it feels like you just watched a clip from a longer work. Who taut you to spell?
posted by BrotherCaine at 6:24 PM on October 30, 2009

Taught thrillers often involve pedantphiles.
posted by fleacircus at 7:18 PM on October 30, 2009 [5 favorites]

Taught thrillers often involve pedantphiles.

Like Dr. Watson. I get you.
posted by thinman at 7:29 PM on October 30, 2009

I like the idea of webisodes, but they definitely seem tricky to write.

Well tv and film is very very tricky to write in general. And the thing with web stuff is you're dealing with people who either haven't made it yet*, or people who made it at one point but have been drummed out of regular tv/film. Because let's face it, they probably wouldn't be on the web writing for 1/1000th the audience and 1/10th the money otherwise.

The one thing the web *does* offer is unlimited creative freedom to get as weird as you want, which is why it's so disappointing that 99% of web series end up re-hashes of tv cliches, only with inferior talent and production values.


*I include myself in this category, to mitigate my snark.
posted by drjimmy11 at 7:41 PM on October 30, 2009 [1 favorite]

I did not get you. And now I do. Too late. Alas.
posted by thinman at 7:42 PM on October 30, 2009

Oh and then there's the siren song of making it "interactive," because we all know those kind of hybrids are just *so* compelling. I mean, look at "clue" the movie!
posted by drjimmy11 at 7:45 PM on October 30, 2009

Ah, so we're going for the real-time 24 conceit as well. Hmm. They're not exactly what I just came from watching -- Prime Suspect -- and they rely on silly devices like people obviously pretending to do paperwork in the dark, but seems like this could work for the medium.
posted by dhartung at 7:50 PM on October 30, 2009

I don't think I can handle three more than Girl 6?!
posted by mikoroshi at 8:25 PM on October 30, 2009

They say "fuck" alot. Which gives it that gritty sincerity it wouldn't have it was just the regular cliche ridden cop drama/psycho killer thing we've seen a billion times.

Well, that sure makes it sound like a complaint I've heard a couple times (and by that I mean about a billion) about Torchwood...which given Moran's pedigree makes sense.

I still love Torchwood, despite its Season 1 and sometimes 2 flaws. It's just growing up, if you'd told me that there were two spinoffs of Doctor Who that existed and aired on American television, I would have told you to quit teasing me.
posted by MCMikeNamara at 8:47 PM on October 30, 2009

Only seems five minutes ago when Joe Absolom was being touted as the next big thing.
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 3:09 AM on October 31, 2009

One of the reason they said "fuck" a lot in Torchwood according to Julie Gardner (she's one of the show's producers) is because they wanted to be very clear with the audience that it isn't a family show like Doctor Who. Which is why it's said within the first 12 seconds in the very first episode of the first series.
posted by X-00 at 5:21 AM on October 31, 2009

Funny. I follow the Girl Number 9 link and see this...
"Sorry. The creator of this video has not given you permission to embed it on this domain. This is a Vimeo Plus feature."

Is this a fansite and not an "official" site?
posted by Thorzdad at 5:33 AM on October 31, 2009

"This web thriller is unsuitable for anyone younger than 15."

It's also unsuitable for anyone with hearing difficulties. Fuck them.
posted by ceri richard at 8:05 AM on October 31, 2009

The video itself is only so-so, but the tweets are pretty awesome -- they set the groundwork over a month in advance and filled it with backstory. (Oberman's character lost her mum ten years ago. There's an ongoing romantic subplot between one of the forensics (?) guys and a co-worker.). I'm particularly fond of the fake "drunken friends steals the laptop" incident on October 19th. Especially since one of the drunken friends is, in fact, the detective played by Gareth David-Lloyd.
posted by bettafish at 1:48 PM on October 31, 2009