Friday, November 15, 2013

"Emma Approved" Webseries

I recently wrote a blog about how you can literally drop a subscription to cable or satellite television by making internet choices. You can read that article here. You can lower or eliminate those bills depending on your viewing habits. Here is another example of what alternatives we have to tv.

I just recently became aware of the existence of webseries' on Youtube. Not being one to troll the internet that much, I had no idea that there was such a thing until my daughter got cast in one! There is such an amazing wealth of information and creativity out there! Of course I KNOW what youTube is, I have an account. But usually I just watch cute videos that people upload, heck, I am guilty of doing that myself! 

Well, Pemberly Digital did a webseries last year based on Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice". It was called "The Lizzie Bennet Diaries". They made it a relevant current story, updated the characters and situations, and did a fantastic job capturing the minds and imaginations of over 100,000 viewers! The series was so innovative that the creative team, Bernie Su and Hank Green were awarded an Emmy in the streaming video category. 

They are very clever. They use all kinds of social media such as twitter, tumblr and facebook to bring the story added dimensions and interaction possibilities.

Their new series "Emma Approved" is based on Jane Austen's book "Emma" It has only been out a month, and I have thoroughly enjoyed following along from the beginning. They are so clever in their character portrayals and I feel that they pay great respect to Ms. Austen's stories. It has also been fascinating to learn about all the "fandom" that goes along with the series! It is quite exciting to see young people, and adults, so engaged in literature. They are  so passionate about the stories that they make no hesitation to express their opinions, whether they be favorable or not! 

I am a big fan of anything that keeps classic stories, books or literature alive, especially if it opens the mind to creative and critical thinking! 

Ta ta for no...save money!