Stockholm syndrome isn’t real love, but as I learned from this week’s #WebSeriesWednesday, what’s the difference? This week I discuss the marriage of writing and acting and the beauty of single location storytelling for web series creators.
Production wise ‘Stockholm‘ holds its own, but what is amazing to learn are the details behind what went into creating it. The bulk of the series (probably 80% or more) takes place in a single location and was shot in one day. Creator Scott Brown was kind enough to share his experience filming ‘Stockholm’ in an article posted a few weeks ago.
Even more impressive was the three man crew used – which included Scott, his lead actor Zack Gold, and actress Brittani Noel. Creators should stop to consider the implications. You could write a series in such a way that allows you to use a single location, call up a couple of actors and film a web series in one night. Perhaps that is over simplifying things a bit but ultimately the area of film production that is seen as the most difficult and expensive was made the simplest step for ‘Stockholm.’
Now when I discuss stories, perhaps I dig a little deeper than most audiences would or sometimes deeper than the writer intended – so bare with me here. ‘Stockholm’ is a great example of allegorical storytelling, which is a staple of well written stories. The show tells the rather simple and universal story of love and relationships through the lens of an unstable serial killer and his Stockholm Syndrome suffering captive.
Let’s be honest, love can be creepy, illogical and dangerous. We focus all of our attention on another person who isn’t even family. We think about them constantly, put their happiness ahead of ours, give up on our own goals, maybe even move across the country; and when we break up, we hate them, we destroy them in our hearts & minds, delete all their pictures, and say bad things about them. Perhaps the story of Danny and Jesse isn’t that abnormal – maybe some girls just want a guy to come steal them away from their current lives. A person who literally can’t stand the thought of them existing in a world in which they aren’t together.
I think everyone will find aspects of their own relationships reflected in the show. The only aspect of this allegory that is really missing from ‘Stockholm’ is a secondary tale juxtaposing a more traditional relationship. Of course it’s kind of hard to start telling additional stories in a single location environment. 😉
There is a saying ‘if it’s not on the page, it’s not on the stage.’ At the same time, writer Scott Brown’s IAWTV award nominated script would not have been communicated to the audience if not for the wonderful acting of Brittani Noel (Jesse) and Zack Gold (Danny) who was also nominated for his performance.
I doubt either gets their nomination without the other. Audiences remember moments where they laughed, or their hearts were moved. These moments only happen when an actor sells the emotion written in the script to the audience.
I asked Scott Brown about this during the #WebSeriesWednesday live tweet and he said that actors need to understand on a genuine emotional level why characters feel the way that they do. When everyone is on the same page great things can happen.
‘Stockholm’ comes highly recommended. You can check out the series at http://watchstockholm.com
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