NYC has a new celebration of all things web and it’s called Internet Week. I’ve been invited to speak on a panel about online short form content. And the topic got me thinking – what exactly is online short form content? In the traditional sense, it’s a web series or short work which is typically a passive experience. A one-sided conversation where the creator of the work is speaking to the audience and any feedback is regulated to simple rating systems, static comments or the random video response. Nothing against passive viewing it can be a wonderful experience with the right story but could new models for the funding, production and distribution of short form content rest in the hands of the audience itself?

Over the last few years, I’ve been exploring the creation of worlds around the stories that I’m telling. At the core of each story is something that can be social – something that can take on a life of its own. For example, over the last 8 weeks we’ve been running a social game centered around the release of Hammer Film’s latest feature. The social entertainment experience around the Beyond the Rave series / game has been a wonderful look into social habits and media consumption behaviors. Both have a loyal base and we’ve seen strong social engagement around the content. On average players are spending about 6 hours a week playing. In many cases individual gaming sessions are lasting an hour or more. Some have transformed their myspace profile pages into game boards. Their top friends slots filled with characters and locations from the game in order to see when a “game” profile signs on. Players are making friends, contributing fan fiction and creating their own characters within the game world. And just last week two players that meet through the game a mere 8 weeks got engaged. The engagement was announced in the game forum and the wedding is scheduled for later this year. The happy couple will be married by a minister who is also a player.

Game trailer for BTR

Now some might call some of the above behavior obsessive. And I’ve lost count the times I’ve heard the question – “but how do people have time?” But the answer is quite simple. People are finding their entertainment in new ways. Often online content tries to emulate traditional models hoping for that one breakout that they can hang a model on. But maybe what seems to be obsessive could in fact be a segment of the audience telling us what they really want. Maybe the new models rest in their hands.

Some other related online efforts:

A UK release of HEAD TRAUMA is in the works. We’ll be rolling out a new and improved cinema ARG that will have the film spilling into theaters, living rooms, and online all at the same time.

FHTA the discovery and distribution festival that I co-founded with Arin Crumley and M dot Strange has secured over 12 digital outlets in addition to 25 theatrical venues in multiple countries for the top 10 shorts and features. In addition, FHTA will be holding live events in LA and SF called DIY DAYS. Produced in conjunction with Current TV, DIY DAYS will be series of panels, workshops, and case studies with people doing interesting projects in the tech, gaming, and entertainment space.