Serialization

[Rodney]

Who is the 3D computer animation equivalent Dickens, Edgar Rice Burroughs, or Steven King of our age?

 

It seems those with serial staying power may be able to win that title for a day.

 

Serialization has been a particularly capapable benefactor to creators of literature, film, comics, cartoons, and animation and other media over the past two centuries.

 

No time to be idle: the serial novel and popular imagination, by Shawn Crawford (1998), is an article I propose may give a little insight into how modern day storytellers can control the passage of time and distribute animation through the internet to reach their intended audience. Its a historical look back to a future that is unfolding in this day and age.

 

This article matter of factly states of pre-industrial age authors, "Everyone published serially', even those that hated it.

As a storyteller serialization may be the most effective way for you to convey what you want to say.

 

If you've got something to say in 3D animation serialization provides an effective means to say it.

 

For additional thoughts on literary serialization see the wikipedia write up on serialized literature.

The historical example used is 'One Thousand and One Nights' (Arabian Nights) where the heroine Sheherizade tells a new tale to the King every night in order to keep from being executed the next day. Is this not unlike the deadlines of our day?

[Rodney]

During the late 19th and early 20th centuries serialization of storytelling easily found inroads into the new realms of radio and pulp magazines. The visual icononography of serialized comic strips captivated readers in ways that defied imagination. Readers could travel with their heroes into the worlds of fantasy and adventure and it was as real as what they could see with their own eyes on paper. The improvements in color and resolution in print and maturing of photography helped convince them. Publishers and artists discovered readers were more than willing to fill the gaps with their vivid imaginations.

 

Eventually economic concerns would push many pulp and newspaper's comic strips into collections known as comic books.

The popular heroes based on myth and legend were easily transitioned into the facinating new visual realms of cinema and television.

 

Audiences traveled to strange and exciting places in the company of familiar characters.

Characters who audiences most identified with made their way into the hearts and minds of wide eyed audiences and were recieved enthusiastically.

 

Even before sound found its way to film, it was the serial stories that most held our attention.

 

Serial Films

 

Serial films were specifically designed to capture and keep the viewing audiences' attention.

For instance, one of the hallmarks of a serial film used to keep audiences returning week after week; the cliffhanger.

Who could resist returning to see if the hero could escape and live to fight another day.

 

Of note in this paticular article is the line the author draws between serial films, series and sequels.

 

[serials are distinctly different from film series (films with a recurring set of performers and identical plot routines, such as The Thin Man (1934), the James Bond films, or the Tarzan series), or from sequels (follow-up films that continue the plot with similar characters and events, such as The Planet of the Apes sequels).]

[heyvern]

If you think about it, those classic old serial films with cliffhangers are the same as shows today like "24" and "Lost". Besides production values and story nothing has changed much.

 

-vern

[Rodney]

If you think about it, those classic old serial films with cliffhangers are the same as shows today like "24" and "Lost". Besides production values and story nothing has changed much.

 

Exactly.

 

Shows on television perhaps more than other media are structured with just enough change to keep the audience interested from show to show. Of course its been stanard fare for as long as TV has been around to set up the ultimate cliffhanger to make sure the audience comes back from season to season. (For those who experienced it live... think Dallas's 'Who killed JR' season ending episode here)

 

There is also the realities of production that factor into it.

Set locations.

Casting.

Character development.

 

The use of serialization in today's media has grown considerably sophisticated.

[Rodney]

One interesting digression/extension from the cliffhanger can be seen in the area of previews.

I need to research this area to escavate more history.

 

Shows like Barnaby Jones and Kojak and a whole host of other detectives series used the cliffhanger to good effect. The mystery was solved at the end of every show. Ah... the feeling of satisfaction you got with every resolution.

 

After the resolution of that days mystery/cliffhanger the audience was then treated to a hint at the cliffhanger for the next show.

Who couldn't begin to guess at how the mystery would unfold?

 

In this day and age, showing previews with scenes carefully calculated to draw the audience back has become the norm.

[Rodney]

I want to talk about one of aspect of serialization that we want to watch closely.

I'd call it 'Bob Denver versus Gilligan' if I ever researched enough info to make a go at it.

 

Although serialization is everywhere around us it is still very much underappreciated even in this day and age.

Back in the early days of television however they were still trying to figure out what worked or didn't work.

 

Gilligan's island was one of everyone's favorite serial shows long before TVs had remotes.

It was quite literally the 'Lost' of the first TV generation.

 

What Bob Denver and crew had no way of knowing was just how popular the show would become.

Looking back on the episodes today can be pretty painful at times but when we were living it... we were hooked.

We were hooked by many things.

But mostly by our own imaginations.

 

Who could have known how valuable those serial shows were going to be in syndicated reruns or once collected on video and DVD.

Who knew that the internet was arriving soon?

 

Bob certainly didn't know.