Lumina Jumps from the Little Screen to the Big Screen at the Clockenflap Music & Multi-Media Arts Festival

Lumina Poster

from Lumina:

Hong Kong’s original fantasy web series Lumina jumps from the little screen to the big screen at this past weekend’s Clockenflap Music & Multi-Media Arts Festival held at Hong Kong’s Cyberport. An estimated 3,500 festival attendees had the opportunity to view the Saturday and Sunday screenings of the first Lumina webisode, which to date has been available exclusively online.

“Clockenflap is a huge supporter of local artists and filmmakers and it’s great to see the bar being raised on independent production here year after year,” says Lindsay Robertson, Film Programmer, Clockenflap. “The film tent has grown enormously since last year’s festival — with 80 films screened this year — and we were thrilled to be screening such a diverse range of quality content from Hong Kong as well as from around the world. Screening films as part of a music festival environment allows a wider demographic to watch films they may not otherwise get to see.”

“It’s an honor to be invited to the Clockenflap festival and to be part of this exciting time in Hong Kong indie cinema,” says Lumina writer/director Jennifer Thym. “We’re excited about expanding our audience worldwide.” With over 30,000 views online from word of mouth and grassroots marketing, Lumina’s viewership is growing strong, especially with the young female set. In the last month, 30% of all Lumina viewers on YouTube were females between the ages of 13 and 17; the next largest demographic (15%) were males between the ages of 25 and 34.

The entire nine part first season of Lumina is now available to view on luminaseries.com as well as on Lumina’s American distribution partner’s website, koldcast.tv. A special DVD release with behind the scenes footage and bonus material is on the way.

About Lumina the Web Series:

Written and directed by first time Asian American director Jennifer Thym, Lumina the Web Series is a dark densely woven fantasy series set against the sparkling backdrop of Hong Kong. Lumina stars actress and model JuJu Chan, who also starred in the recent RTHK reality show on poverty and is the winner of Miss United Nation International Ambassador 2009, Miss United Nation China, Miss Congeniality and Miss TVB People’s Choice for Miss Chinatown USA Pageant 2009. Michael Chan, star of the viral hit Wall Street Fighter IV, and Vince Matthew Chung, winner of The Amazing Race Asia 3, co-star.

The series features music from around the world, including songs from groundbreaking music collective The Enigmatic Army, American college circuit favorite Tim Be Told and China Global Battle of the Bands winner Killer Soap. “Good music is integral to drawing viewers into the story, and I’m honored to have collaborated with such talented musicians,” says Jennifer Thym.

Lumina the Web Series is signed for distribution by American Web TV Channel KoldCast TV to join their award-winning slate of original online content.

About the Clockenflap Music & Multi-Media Arts Festival:

Clockenflap is a pioneering outdoor music and multimedia arts festival held over two days with over 3,500 attendees. It is currently the largest outdoor music and arts festival in Hong Kong. The festival provides a platform for both internationally and locally sourced live music, film, installation art, digital arts and animation, brought together as a great weekend out for all ages. The Clockenflap festival aims to support local artists by providing a large-scale event to showcase their talent, and to inspire others to become active through exposure to high quality international and local artists. It is the organisers’ view that a thriving art scene, across varied media, is critical for the social well-being of a large city. In addition, Clockenflap actively pursues the objective of making a profit with a view to nurturing the festival in Hong Kong and expanding the event into neighboring cities throughout the region.

The Olympians Take on New York in O-Cast

What would happen if the gods of yesterday walked among the men (and women, of course) of today? Thanks to the new web series O-Cast from Bryan Dechart and Anne Richmond, now we know.

O-Cast is a mockumentary web series created by the twelve Olympian gods of Greek mythology to broadcast their new lives as 20-something New Yorkers. Comedy ensues as they combine forces to convince the mortals of their modern relevance and inspire a new generation of believers.

Cleverly written and well-acted, O-Cast is a humorous look at the lives of twelve Olympians who’ve fallen to Earth and hope to recapture their glory days now that they’re here. Poseidon is the mastermind behind the new marketing campaign that takes the form of a documentary that he hopes will go viral on the Internet. He is aided in his quest by the wise advice of Athena and the technical skills of Hermes, who documents the entire endeavor. You’ll find all your favorites of the Greek Pantheon here including Zeus, Hera, Hestia, Demeter, Aphrodite, Ares, Apollo, Artemis, Hades and Hephaestus.

The cast members are perfect in their roles and play their characters believably casual. O-Cast is funny without being over-the-top and has sight gags without being slap-stick. Each of the gods has a behavior quirk (and the occasional one-liner) and, in group scenes, it’s fun to watch the background to see what they are up to. It will be nice to see the characters continue to flesh out and interact with each other, and I look forward to seeing what direction they go with O-Cast.

They’ve got a great interactive website with what seems to be a fair amount of involvement and direct interaction between the cast, crew and the fans. Be sure to check out more about O-Cast here:

O-Cast Official Website
O-Cast on YouTube
O-Cast Facebook Fan Page
O-Cast on Twitter
O-Cast God Blog

“The Guild” Season 3, Episode 10: “The Return!”

from The Guild:

The Guild Season 3 Episode 10: “The Return!” is now up on MSN, Xbox and Zune Marketplace. Like a Phoenix rising from the ashes, Vork returns to rebuild the Guild. Not really that dramatic, but you get the idea.

Streaming on MSN | Downloadable in HD on Xbox | Downloadable on Zune

Also, this link to MSN’s Parallel Universe hub should always have the latest episode of The Guild as they are released.

Safety Geeks: SVI Season One

Safety Geeks: SVI starring Dave, Tom, Brittney Powell, Benton Jennings & Mary Cseh, chronicles a CSI-like team which investigates safety accidents, leaving a swath of comedic chaos and destruction in their wake.

From comedy duo Dave & Tom, Safety Geeks: SVI is a unique web series that draws from many pop-culture icons to lampoon the ever-popular crime dramas that over-run prime time television. With elements borrowed from CSI, Adult Swim, Monty Python and Kung Fu (among many other TV staples), Safety Geeks: SVI is adult humor with wit. These well-meaning folks are almost painful to watch as they humiliate themselves, fumbling through accident scenes causing more damage and hazards than they ever resolve.

The series is filmed entirely on green screen and features high-quality special effects and great music, especially the theme song which pays homage to The Who’s “Who Are You?” (otherwise known as the CSI theme song). Well acted and cleverly written, there are enough crass one-liners and sight gags here to keep the younger crowd laughing yet enough subtle humor and sarcasm to keep the more mature viewers entertained. You can view season one of Safety Geeks: SVI right here or check out these other great Dave and Tom links:

Safety Geeks: SVI on KoldCast.TV
Dave and Tom’s Website
Safety Geeks: SVI on Twitter
Safety Geeks: SVI on Facebook

Legend of Neil NEEDS YOUR HELP!

from The Legend of Neil:

Season 2 was a tremendous success thanks to our amazing fans but we need your help to ensure a Season 3. Please take a few minutes and watch (and rewatch) the season 2 finale here, and RATE and COMMENT. Show the network that our viewers are engaged and want more! If you’re looking for additional ways to help us, the best thing you can do is introduce the show to all your friends, spread the word, Facebook and Twitter links to the show. Every little bit helps!

As you all know, The Legend of Neil has been a real passion project for me and it’s been so inspiring to see how many of you have enjoyed the show to such a great extent. I try to read every comment and the fact that they’re overwhelmingly supportive (mixed with the occasional “you suck hard” comment) inspires me to do more. Here’s to hoping we get a Season 3.

Kill Link!

Sandeep

“The Guild” Season 3, Episode 9: “Wit’s End”

from The Guild:

The Guild Season 3 Episode 9: “Wit’s End” is now up on MSN.
The Guild crumbles under the Axis of Anarchy’s attacks.

Streaming on MSN | Downloadable in HD on Xbox | Downloadable on Zune

Also, this link to MSN’s Parallel Universe hub is a good one to bookmark, as it defaults to the newest episode.

The end of the season is ramping up, stay tuned for next week’s episode, Felicia Day’s personal favorite!

THE HUNT IS ON! Riese the Series Premieres Today!

The hours are crawling by as we wait for the premiere of the new Steampunk and Mythology inspired Riese the Series. Being three hours ahead of the folks out in Vancouver, BC (where series creator Ryan Copple and team are located), I can’t help but wonder what time of day they plan on launching. Is Episode 1 of Chapter 1 already uploaded and just waiting for the clock to roll past midnight and officially be November 2nd so they can post the episode? Or will they wait until later in the day, when most people are awake and in the grip of their daily routines? Regardless of when it actually launches, the day has arrived, or as the tagline goes: THE HUNT IS ON! I’ve made it through months of waiting, I think I might servive a few more hours if I absolutely have to.

If you haven’t already checked out the Riese the Series website, they’ve just re-launched with an awesome new look. According to the Episodes link, the Chapter 1 episode list is as follows:

Episode 1: HUNT (November 2, 2009)
Episode 2: FRAGMENTS (November 16, 2009)
Episode 3: BIND (November 30, 2009)
Episode 4: SPARES (December 14, 2009)
Episode 5: DAWN (January, 4 2010)

I know Chapter 2 filming will be underway in a few weeks so hopefully there won’t be too much of a break between Chapter 1 ending and Chapter 2 premiering. While you wait for the first episode to premiere, re-watch the above trailer, join the forum and bookmark the Riese websites listed here:

Riese the Series Official Web Page
Riese the Series Channel on YouTube
Riese the Series on KoldCast.TV
Riese the Series Official Forum
Riese the Series on Facebook
Riese the Series on Twitter
Riese the Series Fansite

Horrible Turn: The Fan-Made Prequel

“He wanted to change the world. But the world changed him.”

Joss Whedon is one of the coolest filmmakers around. Not only does he keep churning out great shows like Firefly, Dollhouse and Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along-Blog, but he encourages fan involvement. Firefly fans were thrilled to hear that production had begun on a fan-made Firefly film when Browncoats: Redemption was announced. It will be premiered at next summer’s DragonCon in Atlanta and takes place shortly after the events of Serenity. Now, Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along-Blog fans are getting a prequel.

Premiering on November 10th, Horrible Turn takes a look at the teenage Billy and the events that led to his evil ways. Links were posted on Whedonesque.com and Twitter, where fan reactions are now pouring in. Be sure to check out the website (and read the fine print). This will be a great treat for fans who can’t wait for more Dr. Horrible.

The Guild Halloween Special

from The Guild:

The Guild Halloween Special is now available on MSN, Xbox and Zune Marketplace. Written by Kim Evey and directed by Greg Benson, this standalone episode is a bonus video to Season 3 in the tradition of A Christmas Raid Carol. Enjoy!

Streaming on MSN | Downloadable in HD on Xbox | Downloadable on Zune

Also, this link to MSN’s Parallel Universe hub is handy.

Last few days to get the “Spires of Dragonor” Poster at pre-order price, now shipping to UK, Australia and Canada in addition to the US.

Evil Global Debuts New Comedy/Horror Series

from The Cabonauts:

Hey Cabonautees!

While gearing up for 2010’s release of The Cabonauts, we grabbed a few weeks to produce a brand new comedy/horror series. The Occulterers has just premiered and stars James C. Leary (Buffy), Ellen Sandweiss (The Evil Dead), Camden Toy (Buffy, Angel), Amy Kline (I <3 Vampires) and Hayden Black (Goodnight Burbank, The Cabonauts).

It’s about 4 dysfunctional ghost hunters and the 6 episode series follows them as they spend a night in a Transylvanian castle. It’s airing now at babelgum.com/theocculterers and a new episode is accompanied by a one hour “live” feed from within the castle so you can check in on the action yourself. The show airs every day this week and climaxes on Halloween!

You can read some press on it here:
joblo.com/arrow/index.php?id=19006
shocktillyoudrop.com/news/topnews.php?id=12467
mobilizedtv.com/the-occulterers-halloween-fun-for-mobileweb

Let us know if you enjoy it!

All Hail 🙂