e can all appreciate the importance of film as a medium. It can become a means to immerse yourself in heavy subject matter and artistry that stays with you long after you’ve left the theater or simply as a means to escape reality for a couple of hours. Television has the same appeal but with the added advantage of the ability to spread its story arc over multiple episodes and hopefully seasons. But with the advent of the internet and today’s portable media players, we see the emergence of a third screen — and therefore the emergence of new possibilities.

Beyond the myriad of original content available on YouTube and other sites like the Independent Movie Channel, I first became seriously interested in the concept of the Third Screen when I discovered Green Porno. Funded by Robert Redford and the Sundance Channel, Green Porno was conceived by long time David Lynch collaborator Isabella Rossellini who writes, directs and stars in the series. These 1 to 4 minute short films are based around the reproductive habits of various insects and more recently, marine animals — capitalizing on the various kinks and quirks of each species’ sexual life. Its subject matter is fascinating enough, however, the real substance comes from Rossellini’s comedic performance and passion for the material. Where else are you ever going to see a former Lancome model shit on her own head (performing as a snail of course)?

Originally filmed and art directed with the Internet and portable media players in mind, the series has been so well received it was recently adapted into a book — a curious move that must have had the marketers in the publishing industry scratching their heads. After all, finding an audience for hardcore S&M, hermaphrodite orgies and 7-foot penises would probably be a little easier if your protagonists were humans rather than earthworms, cuttlefish and dragonflies. Green Porno remains my favorite example of cutting edge Third Screen media.

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As subsequent searches for original web content as exciting as Green Porno failed, I soon settled for original material ranging from the hilarious lo-fi antics of Barley Political’s Auto-Tune the News to the HD quality of  Bitter Lawyer’s Living the Dream and David W. Cooper’s A Man of Principals. But it wasn’t until I discovered the wonderful 2/8 Life that my interest in the Third Screen’s potential returned.

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Unlike the celebrated Green Porno, 2/8 Life seems to have slipped under the radar of discerning viewers and critics. That could be due to the fact that the show itself is an obvious parody of the successful web series Quarterlife. Quarterlife, created for the web by the people behind Thirtysomething, was in fact almost a major Third Screen success story being picked up by NBC in an attempt to try it as a full-blown T.V. series. Dismal ratings found the show dropped after one airing, although personally I don’t consider 31 million viewers to be dismal. Basically, Quarterlife is a twentysomething version Thirtysomething. Its merits have been debated elsewhere, but I have to say its parody is so much more worthy of discussion.

2/8 Life seems to have no idea how special it is. Beyond the subject matter itself, there is a quality to the writing and production that can only be described as full of heart. How else could you fall for such vapid characters? Whereas Quarterlife attempted to describe Generation Y,  it’s actually 2/8 Life’s parody that reveals the truly valuable insight into modern youth culture through its disconnected characters and their selfish pursuits; a wannabe actress states, “They say you have to sleep with the right people to make it but they never tell you who the right people are, so I’m just sleeping with everybody.” Another character blogging about ’saving the world’ becomes annoyed when interrupted by a Greenpeace canvasser. There’s also a sparse B-line story about a displaced Rwanda survivor that is solid gold and his story arc over the two seasons is just hilarious. You can watch the entire series on Hulu and become a fan on facebook.

What the above mentioned shows have in common is they are all filling niche markets. This is where I see the biggest advantage to the Third Screen and one that again seems to be slipping by the majority of producers and studios — it can fill markets that have never survived on television and even struggle on cable in many cases. Living the dream and its story of a young lawyer could easily be adapted for a television audience, but only by rewriting it so many times in an effort to reach a wider audience that it would lose its point, and definitely its charm. The Guild, a web series about a group of devoted gamers feels right at home on the web. Although it suffers slightly from a lack of solid acting, its theme alone has proven sustainable as the show moves into its third season. Another strong contender in a gamer-themed world is Roleplayed. I’m very impressed with the sound design and editing of this new series. Simple yet effective.

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The future looks healthy for the Third Screen. It’s still a relatively young medium with many unexplored possibilities. So many, the entertainment industry doesn’t quite know whether to join it or buy it. College Humor is teaming up with MTV to bring their web shows to cable while NBC launches a Heroes spin-off as a web series. And then there’s Hulu who seems to think we want to see yet another teen reality show (sponsored by Ford and Pepsi). We don’t. We want to see filmmakers take full advantage of the potential of the the medium and utilize all the blank space left behind by Hollywood and television. And thankfully people are.

was hoping to publish a post about some of the recent projects we’ve embarked on, but something more pressing has caught my attention. Yes, it is none other than spam, only not the spam in the can, but the appropriated name that refers to e-mail blasts that you receive from soliciting bots, companies, and other unlikely characters that fill up your inbox with junk messages about VIAGRA, PARIS HILTON, GAINING A FEW INCHES, LOSING A FEW POUNDS, and any other ridiculous message that has nothing to do with who you are as an individual.

Now, let’s take it a step further. Why is it that people who are bent on being unsociable are so quick and inclined to join the ranks of the so called “socially elite” or in other words “social networking sites?”

I mean, c’mon, just think about it. Someone who is unsociable, joining a social networking site? Ummm… Contradiction?!?!

Anyway, what exactly does it mean to be unsociable? Well, by definition it means the following:

1. not needing the company of others
2. not congenial or compatible
3. unfriendly

Now that we’re all clear on that, let’s move on. Recently I’ve noticed a rapid influx of messages on various social networking sites that Christy and I frequent regularly. All of the messages that we receive are from the acquaintances that we correspond with on a regular basis in our “group.” The messages tend to consist of the following topics:

• “I just updated my portfolio, and I’d like to get everyone’s opinion.”

• “I just finished a new print, and it would be great if people would leave some feedback.”

• “I’ve just finished redesigning my website, and I’d love to know what you all think.”

Apparently some people find it annoying to receive messages like this, and even go so far as to lump messages like this into the appropriated term known as spam. Well, I can sincerely understand how receiving a message like the ones I quoted above would be annoying if I didn’t, in someway, know the person. But, if I did know the person, and / or I did approve of them being in my “group of friends” and I received a message like the ones I quoted above, I would personally be intrigued, and certainly inclined by curiosity to experience first hand the “portfolio”, “print”, or “website” they were so kind enough to share with me. Further more, you have to ask yourself, “if I approve of a person to be in my group of friends (whether it be via social networking online, or face to face), and they keep me in the loop of what is going on in their life, and they feel so inclined to share their new experiences with me, should I not reciprocate by politely paying my respects to share in their joy?”

Well, apparently not everyone feels the same way I do. Clearly it’s anyone’s prerogative to do as they please, but I have a suggestion to those of you who are so inclined to misuse the appropriated term known as spam. Please, take what I say with a grain of salt; this is merely a humble opinion, but if you’re going to join a social networking site, and you’re going to participate in joining groups of individuals, and corresponding with those individuals, don’t complain if those individuals seek out your opinion / or feedback about an experience they have had, or an accomplishment they have made. Crying “spam” is not only inaccurate, it’s also horribly unsociable, and in those circumstances, is hilariously ironic.

1+1 still equals 2, right?