1) Identify a specific internet property that is of interest to you.
“The 30-Second Bunnies Theatre Library...in which a troupe of bunnies parodies a collection of movies by re-enacting them in 30 seconds, more or less” as seen on http://www.angryalien.com/
2) Is this entertaining or interesting? Why?
I love this work. I feel like you almost have to watch them several times to really “get” how well done they are. I heard of this site from a friend (who forwarded me a link to the Reservoir Dogs parody) and I thought it was hilarious. It does seem to follow some of the “recipes” for successful online vide (i.e. quick cuts, pop-culture references, short and sweet). However, I can’t figure out why it’s not more popular (though I must admit that I didn’t send it along to anyone else). One guess is that it lacks the elements of “discoverable-ness” that videos on sites like YouTube have. There doesn’t seem to be good ways of finding this work if you don’t already know about it or if you don’t get a link sent to you by a friend. Perhaps this contributes to the reasons why this work isn’t more well-known, popular or talked-about. For example, if it is being talked about, there’s no way to know on the site itself (e.g. no comment box, etc.).
3) Is this original?
The concept seems very original: Animated bunny rabbits acting out the plots of famous Hollywood movies in about 30 seconds. The funny part of this whole thing is, as with many great ideas, the “Bunnies Theater” series wasn’t the original intention. Animator/Producer Jennifer Shiman said she originally did the first 30-second reenactment to pay tribute to movies while beefing-up her online portfolio. The resulting 30-second short crashed the server and got her lots of attention. According to an interview online article about Shiman from coldhardflash.com, “In the halcyon days of the dotcom boom, she was steadily working in Hollywood as a multimedia designer and animator, occasionally pitching a project or two around town and updating her website. Three years later, she pieced together a 30-second reenactment of 'The Exorcist,' and in place of Linda Blair and Max von Sydow, Jennifer inserted animated bunnies. And just like that, Jennifer had ushered a hot new show concept into the digital world without scheduling a single pitch meeting.” The idea still, somehow, feels “fresh” despite the fact the first one was made years ago.
4) What are the production values? Is it appropriate to the genre/content?
The production values of these pieces really simple and at the same time really high (they seem, in some ways, more “sophisticated” that something like JibJab). They are totally appropriate to this content and genre. The fact that she calls this Bunny Theater and that there is a series of them (with a renewable resource of material from Hollywood) makes them even more effective, I believe. A series of short works often seems much more effective than a one-off.
5) Who is this targeting (audience-wise)?
As I mentioned above, Bunnies Theater creator Jennifer Shiman said she originally did the first Bunny Theater to pay tribute to movies (albeit while beefing-up her online portfolio). This work targets movie-lovers. You actually have to be pretty familiar with the movie she is parodying in order to really keep-up. I would imagine that that’s why these parodies, and parodies in general, really work when you know the material and really fall flat when you don’t. But seeing them all as a group on her site, it definitely looks like content for movie-lovers.
6) How does it use the medium? Is this just something that could be on TV but is being sent over the internet, or does it take advantage of the medium?
Shiman eventually teamed up with the Starz network who commissioned 10 reenactments per year for 2005 and 2006. The pieces first show up first on the cable channel Starz On Demand where in the first 5 months they were available, according to a Starz press release, they generated “more than 1.6 million hits” (http://starz.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=press_releases&item=113).
They were so popular on the site, in fact, that “In May, 2005, four of the bunny spots collectively were viewed more than any individual movie title.” In addition, “hundreds of thousands of these bunny shorts have also been viewed as part of the two-minute file packages that now air before and after mainstream Starz On Demand movies.”
(http://starz.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=press_releases&item=113).
Despite the claims on the Starz press release on the web, there is really no way for viewers to know that this media is so popular. Instead of typical television fare that is served up on the internet, this model is the opposite. The Bunnies Theater, created for the internet, was moved onto a television channel specializing in movies. The content is really programmed according to audience-genre (movie parodies on a website for movie lovers) instead of using the medium for which it was created. According to the animator’s website, the movie parodies, “premiere on Starz on Demand® and Starz.com, eventually joining the bunnies library here at angryalien.com. This coming year's batch may make an appearance on Starz television, too” (http://www.angryalien.com/news_archive.asp). This is a bizarre fate for these shorts which seem primed for a viral video life and yet are stuck in the television world.
The only way for users to interact with the work on the Starz website to receive updates when new Bunnies Theater pieces are added (which is barely an interaction) or on the angryalien.com site, to submit ideas for future bunny reenactments (http://www.angryalien.com/requests.html). This low-level interaction cannot sustain any level of engagement that would lead to an investment in the work. It seems people come to the work because it is good work and they send it onto friends who will watch/like it. This is how this work seems to be getting around, even if “viral-readiness” is not built in.
LINKS:
'Bunny' Movie Parodies Click With Starz Viewers
More Than 1.6 Million Hits Since the 30-Second Shorts Began Airing in April
http://starz.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=press_releases&item=113
Shake Your Bunny Maker, part 1: Interview with Jennifer Shiman
http://www.coldhardflash.com/2005/08/shake-your-bunny-maker-part-1.html
Starz Entertainment Group Orders More 'Bunny Biz'
Commissions 10 More Animated 'Bunny' Movie Parody Shorts
http://sev.prnewswire.com/entertainment/20050114/LAF04314012005-1.html
