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The web is choc full of comedic web series and shorts. Some are funny, most are not, but as I discussed previously, it is easier to be funny on the web. Creating characters and drama is difficult when you have little time. That said a web series has potential for great characters, yet I have not been able to find many people up to the task. So I’d like to ask you guys, what are you working on? Have you found decent online dramas? Where and what are they?
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The second in a series of articles on great writing in modern media, today’s article focuses on the final episode of the first season of Mad Men. You can also check out the previous article, on Battlestar Galactica, as well as my original discussion of great writing. Arguably televisions greatest show, Mad Men is ripe with thematic and character interaction, making it possibly the best choice for an article on such a subject.
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As a heavy consumer of many different forms of media I have long noticed what I consider to be the singular, rarest form of artistic quality that is uniquely shared among all of the greatest works - often regardless of format. This quality is not something like cinematography or acting in films, or graphics in games, or even plot in books. This quality is something that I like to refer to as ‘great writing.’ Many will be quick to point out that ‘plot’ is ‘writing’ but I contend, and I think most will agree, that plot is simply a component of writing generally referred to as story, or at best a watered down version of writing. Writing consists of at least three significant components (plot, character and theme) all intertwined and feeding off of each other. The fact that most people today associate writing with plot is indicative of the general lack of appreciation for great writing in modern media. Since most people are already aware of the ‘classics’ like ‘Citizen Kane,’ or anything you read in high school probably, I’m going to explore this topic a little more with some fantastic modern examples included in future installments.
