The Lizzie Bennet Diaries
I list this one first because it was the first of these sort of web series that I watched. I actually saw it a couple years ago, and I loved it then. The writer in me wanted to do something similar.
The Lizzie Bennet Diaries is an adaptation of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. It made me laugh, it made me want to pull my hair out in frustration, and it made me swoon and ship like the best of them. This series had so many strengths to it in my eyes. The parallels to the book are fantastic. The characters are loveable and well-portrayed. The story is encapturing - I watched the entirety of it in a day. It obviously didn't have a small budget with the costuming, lighting, set, and overall quality.
However, despite these strengths, it also had its weaknesses. The biggest probably being that despite it being a vlog series, it didn't feel real enough. It almost felt too professional. For some, this is probably a great strength. However, I would want my series to feel like the character is a real person, putting themselves out there on the internet like many people really do every single day.
I give The Lizzie Bennet Diaries a score of 9/10. Definitely suggest that each of you watch it.
Watch it here:
Jules and Monty
Jules and Monty is probably my favorite of these web series. It was written, produced, and acted by college students, and it is utterly fantastic. It is the story of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet set in the college atmosphere where Juliet's brother is the head of a frat and Monty, or Romeo, is in the opposing frat. Just like the play, there is love, drama, and even tragedy. It made me cry. I am so amazed by all of the talent put into this, and would love to make something like this.
I would say that the strengths of this are pretty much its entirety. The acting and characterization is great. Modernization of the story is on point. The writing and production of it makes it feel quite realistic without just looking horrible, and I really just love it.
Weaknesses: I can't really think of anything that stands out to me. I really love this series.
I give Jules and Monty a rating of 10/10. It is worth watching all of it in a day.
Watch the first episode now:
Nothing Much to Do
Nothing Much to Do is probably the most realistic-feeling of these webseries. It is another Shakespeare-based series, based on Much Ado About Nothing. It is based in a high school setting, in New Zealand, and portrayed over several different character's channels and both of the protagonists have a steady vlog. Also written and produced by college (and one high school student), it is extremely impressive.
The strengths of this vlogseries are many: the realistic feel of it, the characters are very strong and well-acted, the modernization and storyline, and many others. It is very charming, and I love the characters so much. Characterization is extremely down to pat.
The weakness of this series is probably that - gah! I can't even think of one! Like Jules and Monty, the series is fantastic, though different.
I rate this one also 10/10. I would highly recommend that each of you watch it, because I know that I thoroughly enjoyed it. Watch the first episode here:
The Nick Carraway Chronicles
This series is another one written, acted, and produced by college students. It is an adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby. It could be considered slightly charming, and shows a lot of the characters.
The strengths of this series are that it is fairly well written, the main actor is actually really good at telling the story, and the sets are quite great. Also, the lighting comes out quite nice.
On the other hand, it has quite a few weaknesses: the cast, though charming, aren't the best actors (except for the actors of Nick and Jordan. This is probably the biggest thing that I can find wrong with it, and I don't mean it to be rude in any way, shape, or form. I'm just thinking that in my own series, I would want the acting to be extremely up to par.
I rate this series a 5/10. I did enjoy watching it, but it wouldn't be the first one on my list of suggestions to watch. Watch the first episode:
I think that's all that I will put for now. In the future, I may continue this list in another blog post. I have found many good things that I would like to be able to do. The majority of these are done by high school or college students, and it makes me feel like I can make something just as good if I set my mind to it! Let me know what you all think!
Signed,
Katie Weber
