Created to fill in the gap between Lizzie Bennet and the next full-length novel adaptation, Sanditon features the return of Lizzie Bennet co-star Allison Page as Gigi Darcy, who’s spending the summer in the small coastal California town of Sanditon, working with the local community to launch a beta version of an app called Domino.

When the concept of the “Domino app” was introduced in the Lizzie Bennet narrative, it was on the surface a story device meant to explain how a particular character was successfully tracked down and brought to justice. But now, the format of the Domino app serves as a revised take on Lizzie Bennet‘s vlog-style storytelling, with the app enabling members of the Sanditon community to collaborate on videos. The first episode showcases this new approach, with Gigi sharing screen time with the town’s mayor and local ice cream shop owner.

But Domino’s reach expands past its presence on YouTube, thanks to a partnership between LBD production company Pemberley Digital and Theatrics.com. With the launch of today’s episode came the launch of Domino Beta Platform: Sanditon, where, in just the first few hours online today, over 30 new profiles (AKA “personas”) have been created, each by audience members looking to participate in the story.

People are playing in Sanditon outside of the Theatrics platform — a Twitter list created by the official Sanditon account currently lists over 300 “townspeople” beyond the official cast of the series. But the Sanditon team will be able to communicate privately with those participating on Theatrics, meaning that they’ll be able to keep the fan community abreast of upcoming plot points, allowing everyone to engage fully with the story.

Jay Bushman and Margaret Dunlap, who are co-showrunning Sanditon, were “looking to extend the opportunity for fans to engage in the story,” Theatric’s head of new business development Nick DeMartino said. The problem with that kind of fan engagement with a pre-established narrative like, say, Pride and Prejudice, is well-known.

However, Austen’s Sanditon is famously unfinished. “They wanted to continue to be respectful of the spine of the story,” he said, “But here the story’s cut off at the neck.”

The first Sanditon resident, whose video was posted this morning, features Sarah Richard-Preston, who was one of those who pledged to LBD‘s record-breaking Kickstarter campaign.

At her donor level, her character is guaranteed to be included in the main story, but there’s also potential for other personas to be included down the line, depending on how the Sanditon community develops.

According to DeMartino, Theatrics’ involvement with Sanditon is its first venture into consumer-facing platforms — prior to now, it has focused on a white label offering, giving entities like USA Network for collaborative storytelling ventures.

“What we’re trying to do here is build customers and get feedback on how the platform is working for them,” DeMartino said. The plan is to then broaden to other tool-based programs for creators interested in the platform — as well as brands.

“All brands are storytellers,” DeMartino added. “They have to be.”

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Yahoo 

Celebrity Presence: John Stamos, Ed Helms, Morgan Spurlock, Cheryl Hines, Rachael Harris, The Lumineers (who performed live).

New Shows Presented: A mix of comedy and lifestyle programming, including Helms’s Tiny Commando, a show about the intersection of food and film, and a Spurlock-produced series where celebrities tell Stamos about the first time they had sex.

Biggest News Announced: For wrestling fans, it was probably the announcement that Yahoo and the WWE will be “tag-teaming” video distribution. But Yahoo also announced plans to partner with Condé Nast and CNBC for shows.

Money Quote: From Sam Gutelle at Tubefilter’s coverage, based off a comment by Yahoo COO Henrique de Castro:

De Castro asked advertisers to sink 5% of their TV budget of just one brand into Yahoo. Clearly, he understands that while the online video space is growing in popularity, it is still an area meant to complement TV, not overtake it. Yahoo’s new shows should do just that by providing solid, accessible entertainment.

My Take: None of the announced partnerships are as high-profile as Yahoo getting the exclusive rights to Saturday Night Live clips. That said, of all the new shows announced this week, I might be the most intrigued by Losing Your Virginity with John Stamos: It sounds like a lot of fun.

AOL 

Celebrity Presence: Sarah Jessica Parker, Nicole Richie, Baratunde Thurston, iJustine.

New Shows Presented: A wide range of largely lifestyle-oriented programming, including the Gwyneth Paltrow-starring Second Chances, Hank Azaria’s Fatherhood, Webby co-founder Tiffany Shlain’s The Future Starts Here, and a show about ballet executive-produced by Parker.

Biggest News Announced: To track who’s actually watching all that programming, AOL will be collaborating with Nielsen on a system that will “express audience measurement in the language of TV, enabling comparisons between the audience of AOL’s high-quality original programming and curated premium partner content to TV viewership” (according to the press release).

Money Quote: From Video Ink’s coverage of the Nielsen deal, an interview with Nielsen SVP of Strategic Partnerships John Burbank:

Ultimately, it’s not up to the Comscores and Nielsens of the world. “It’s really the market that has to decide, and we’re doing our best to make the measurement as robust and as fair for everybody so the buyer and the seller have to agree to transact on the data,” Burbank added.

My Take: Some of AOL’s original programming sounds potentially interesting, but relying on celebrities and brands to drive web content is far from a fresh business model, and oftentimes doesn’t have much staying power. However, if the audience for that content finally gets properly measured, it could help advertisers better understand the potential impact of online video.

Hulu

Celebrity Presence: SNL‘s Seth Meyers (who hosted the event), Desperate Housewives star Eva Longoria, professional wrestlers Sergeant Slaughter and Rey Mysterio.

New Shows Presented: Two new exclusives include Quick Draw, a comedy western, and high school drama East Los Angeles. Plenty of other series are on their way, and Hulu made note of One Life to Live and All My Children, which have performed well in their new digital iteration.

Biggest News Announced: Hulu had some exciting numbers to report, most importantly that Hulu Plus has topped four million subscribers, and according to comScore, it’s number one in engagement among top ad-supported sites.

Money Quote: From Variety’s coverage, a snippet from Meyers:

“‘You might be wondering why someone who works for a traditional network like NBC is at the Hulu upfront,’ he said. ‘Simply put, I’m hedging my bets. I don’t want to be working for the steam-engine company and wondering if cars are going to work.’”

My Take: It would have been interesting to see bigger-name content presented by Hulu this week, but with subscribers on the rise and the site bringing in more original series, things seem to be going well for the site.

Blip

Celebrity Presence: Rob Huebel (who hosted the event), Grace Helbig, Rooster Teeth’s Burnie Burns.

New Shows Presented: The Huebel-starring comedy Mainly Murder, unscripted competition series Jewelry Star, The Great S. Cape!, created by Dark Knight producer Michael Uslan. (Full details presented on Blip’s site.)

Biggest News Announced: Not only has Blip already announced a partnership with My Damn Channel to distribute original content, but on Wednesday they announced a production deal with hugely popular (and outspoken) YouTuber Ray William Johnson.

Money Quote: From AdWeek’s coverage of the event:

“‘Blip is the future of TV,’ said CEO Kelly Day. ‘We have the largest library of Web originals anywhere. And we are not a platform.’”

My Take: Blip is currently in the midst of a massive sea change — so it was inevitable that this week’s news is a bit underwhelming in comparison to earlier shakeups. However, it’ll be exciting to see how the talent Blip’s brought in meshes together.

Crackle 

Celebrity Presence: Jerry Seinfeld, David Arquette, Missi Pyle.

New Shows Presented: Plenty of them, including Extraction, a feature-length thriller starring Danny Glover and Vinnie Jones, Cleaners, an assassin action series with a cast including Arquette and Gina Gershon, and Strand Street, directed and produced by Milo Ventimiglia.

Biggest News Announced: As previously announced, there will be a second season of Jerry Seinfeld’s extremely successful Comedians In Cars Getting Coffee, but more importantly the landmark 2010 web series The Bannen Way will return in 2013 for six new half-hour episodes.

Money Quote: From the Hollywood Reporter’s coverage:

“Crackle is for the new living room,” Eric Berger, executive vice president of digital networks at Sony Pictures Television and GM of Crackle. “It’s programmed, it’s everywhere and its easily accessible. We’re not a content aggregator but a programmer much like a cable network.”

My Take: Anecdotal evidence suggests that Comedians In Cars has been huge for Crackle, introducing a whole new audience to the service, and the emphasis on thriller and drama programming is a positive step forward for those looking to see web original content mature.

But there’s this line from the press release: “The long-awaited sequel to the cult favorite David Spade comedy Joe Dirt will break new ground as the first made for digital movie that is a sequel to a hit motion picture.” We might be looking at two steps forward, one step back.

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Some of these troupes, such as Human Giant and Derrick Comedy, gave birth to comedy stars like Rob Huebel, Aziz Ansari and Donald Glover — but what nearly all of these sketch troupes have in common is the fact that most of them aren’t really working together anymore.

One of these troupes was Olde English, which rose to prominence in 2006 and 2007, with popular shorts including One Picture Every Day and Akon Calls T-Pain. But their latest project might be their last: A feature-length film, riffing off the titular party game, called The Exquisite Corpse Project.

Exquisite Corpse Project is a hybrid of comedy and drama, documentary and fiction, and also, in its unique way, a coming-of-age story. The film tracks five filmmakers, either former members of Olde English or frequent collaborators, who co-wrote a feature-length film; each person, however, was only able to read the last five pages of the previous section before writing their section.

The results are a mish-mash of different genres and stories, with characters changing personality and in some cases even names depending on the whims of the writers. The actors remain the same, but the story is in constant flux.

In between clips of the various segments, meanwhile, the filmmakers are interviewed: Some of whom were fully engaged with the project and some of whom might have been deliberately trying to sabotage it.

But according to director/producer Ben Popik, who spearheaded the project, it was an opportunity to work with his friends one last time, before they permanently scattered from Brooklyn to other careers and destinations, including Los Angeles and Belize.

Appropriately enough, Exquisite Corpse Project has found its home in digital distribution, similar in style to the model being developed by VHX and Chill Direct. However, Exquisite Corpse can be found via a new player on the scene: The Awl comedy brand Splitsider, which launched the Splitsider Presents brand with the release of Exquisite Corpse.

Pay attention when you download, though — while Exquisite Corpse only costs $5, Splitsider has some very specific rules for its purchase. From the landing page:

“You can download the video 5 times. Once you’ve got it, it’s yours to do with as you like: sync it to your Zune, stream it over wi-fi to your spouse, burn
it to DVD, etc.”

“You get 3 video streams and each stream lasts 6 hours. When they’re all gone, you will need to purchase the show again to do more streaming. (Download a copy to keep it forever.)”

Exquisite Corpse Project is the sort of film that defines niche — an independent docu-comedy about the making of a movie — however, it fits well with a brand like Splitsider’s. It’ll be interesting to see what comes of this approach, and what other projects Splitsider decides to take on.

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This week, news broke that the remaining eight episodes of the ABC sitcom Don’t Trust the B In Apartment 23, which was taken off the air in January, would be posted to ABC.com, Hulu and iTunes.

The announcement is a boon for fans of the show, but they shouldn’t get their hopes up that successful online distribution will mean another season of the show; much of the cast has already moved on to other projects.

However, another show may truly get a second life: Also this week, rumors spread that Microsoft is looking at rebooting NBC’s Heroes, which was canceled in 2010, for Xbox and MSN distribution.

As television continues its evolution from a single box that sits in your living room to a multi-platform experience across many devices, resurrections like these are increasingly common — though sometimes they’re less like Lazarus, and more like zombies.

Netflix is of course a front runner in the rebirth business, thanks to picking up Arrested Development (only one more month, Bluth fans!).

But there’s a deep history to this practice. For instance: In late 2009, producer Ashton Kutcher turned to YouTube to screen the unaired five episodes of model drama The Beautiful Life, which had just been canceled by The CW.

However, while the TBL channel is currently at over five million views, not one of the five episodes on it has surpassed a million views.

They’re all still online, along with a plea posted by Kutcher saying that they’d be able to produce more episodes if the channel’s subscriber count hit a certain, unspecified threshold.

Whatever that threshold was, it was greater than 35,000 subscribers — which is the channel’s current standing, four years later. But TBL does deserve credit for being an early example of a show realizing the potential power of digital distribution — arguably ahead of its time in that respect.

The key is transitioning from digital distribution to actually producing new episodes. The most daring and ultimately successful example of this isn’t necessarily Joss Whedon getting to make a feature film follow-up to Firefly or the return of Veronica Mars as a feature — the real kickoff of digital distribution having real meaning for canceled shows comes from the early 2000s, and DVDs.

The Fox animated series Family Guy first premiered in 1999, and was canceled in 2002. But thanks to blockbuster DVD sales of the first three seasons, it was brought back to the airwaves in 2005, and has remained a key part of Fox’s schedule ever since. Creator Seth MacFarlane has even gone on to create at least two other shows for the network.

(Personal anecdote: I was working as a clerk in a DVD store in 2003, and I keenly remember how we couldn’t keep Family Guy box sets on the shelves; they sold out like crazy.)

Sometimes, things need to end. Sometimes, shows don’t work or don’t connect with a wide audience, and those involved are ready to move on. The Onion satirized this beautifully in the aftermath of the Veronica Mars Kickstarter campaign with this piece headined “Stars Of Canceled Show Terrified Fans Will Raise Money For Movie,” centered around recently-terminated NBC sitcom Animal Practice.

The episodes of Animal Practice left unaired after its cancelation are currently available online, though it’s unlikely to come back — a zombie, for better or worse.

But as the industry figures out how to make original content on the web sustainable and profitable, we’ll see more and more examples of Lazarus.

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The game and show have been pitched as groundbreaking transmedia, thanks to how they have been designed to complement each other and build out the world of its characters. And digging into the way both elements have been created to co-exist, it’s hard to deny the potential in the approach.

Syfy and game company Trion Worlds began collaborating on Defiance in 2008, when parent company NBC Universal made an investment in Trion and the two sides began discussing how they might work together.

“We definitely knew that we wanted to create something that would live beyond the television screen, something that would live in different platforms,” Syfy head of original content Mark Stern said, adding:

“But the pilots we were showing them were’t helpful to them from a game perspective, so we really had to start with the ground up. We started trading ideas back and forth until we came up with the concept for this world that was really interesting to both of us, and went from there.”

The biggest challenge, according to Nick Beliaeff, senior VP of development at Trion Worlds, was Trion and Syfy learning to work outside of their normal pattern. For example, he said, “We needed to know in 2010 who they cast because we needed to be able to build playable characters. But at that time they had just one writer on, no production staff — not even the people who would do makeup and costume design.”

The collaboration came together, though: Five years later, the result is a sprawling game universe populated by at least a half dozen alien races, and a series headlined by a cast including Grant Bowler, Julie Benz, Mia Kirshner and Fionnula Flanagan.

“There’s no question that having this very rich, diverse and deep world and mythology, part of the requisite for the game in particular, was really helpful for the series,” Stern said. “There are details that have been worked out that you would never have had the chance to do with a normal show.”

A few examples of how the show and game work together (it’s hard to detail exactly how the game and show work together without some minor spoilers, so apologies): In the opening minutes of the pilot, we meet Nolan (Bowler) and Irisa (Stephanie Leonidas), who have obtained a strange gem — a gem you helped them acquire in the game, as one of the very first missions.

Also, one episode of the show will end with a virus outbreak — over the following week, players of the game will be able to create a vaccine. And one character will be first introduced on the show, then will escape to the game world mid-way through the season.

Plot points like these, plus details like wardrobe, character design and music (the latter of which was created for both experiences by Battlestar Galactica composer Bear McCreary) are meant to blend the two experiences together, rewarding viewers who participate in both: “We’ll alter the game every single time an episode is on the air,” Beliaeff said.

It also, in an interesting twist, rewards those who don’t time-shift their viewing of the show, as game elements are timed to the airing of episodes. “We want to incentivize people — not force them. But if you watch it live while playing the game, you’re going to get more out of it,” Stern said.

Key to keeping the two components separate but collaborative is geography: The show takes place in what was once St. Louis, while players of the game roam around a post-apocalyptic San Francisco.

“We first started out thinking it would be awesome if they took place in the same city — we thought the whole Defiance universe would take place in the Bay Area. But as we developed that idea further, it became problematic,” Beliaeff said. “So we placed them close enough that communication is easy, but travel is difficult.”

Another interesting difference between the game and the show is its rating — while the televised Defiance is in line with Syfy’s other programming (which rarely exceeds a TV-14), the game has been rated Mature for “Blood, Drug Reference, Sexual Themes, Strong Language, and Violence.”

That difference, according to Stern, is by design. “[The show] is going for a broader, older demo, but [the game] is going for a younger and more male-skewed audience,” he said. “Hopefully we’ll be able to pull more of that younger demo into our channel and push older audience into the game.”

That’s the real hope of Defiance — while all of these elements are interesting, the only ones who will really get to enjoy them are those who participate in both parts of the story.

Trion did not provide sales numbers for the game, but Beliaeff did say that they received replenishment orders from Wal-Mart and GameSpot in the first week, and sold out of their Xbox inventory. “We’re smiling,” he added.

It’s now down to Monday night’s television premiere, but either way, Defiance has been a learning experience for both teams. “It’s just been fascinating to see these creative elements cross over and learn what it takes to build an successful interactive MMO. That’s been educational on all sorts of levels,” Stern said. “Not only are we going to be able to use all these elements to launch a potential season two, but we’ll also hopefully be able to apply it to new properties.”

Right now, the writing staff for the show is breaking stories for a potential (not-yet-greenlit) season two, while Trion works to create more content for after the show’s season finale. “We’ll certainly be lighter on our feet with season two than we were with season one. It won’t take us five years,” Stern added.

It’ll take a while to see whether this level of cross-platform storytelling makes Defiance better than your average sci-fi drama. But it definitely makes it bigger.

Disclaimer: I was previously employed by G4, a division of NBC Universal, but had no interaction with Syfy.

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The latest example of a short film evolving into a feature length project is The Raven, which began life as a 2010 online video directed by Ricardo de Montreuil, and is now in development as a feature film for Universal. The premise: A telekinetic rebel with some sweet parkour skills goes on the run from a futuristic LAPD.

While the film was originally being developed as a vehicle for producer Mark Wahlberg, Deadline reported this week that The Raven is looking to sign Hunger Games star Liam Helmsworth for the lead — bringing the dystopian sci-fi action project that much closer to multiplexes.

Here are some key takeaways from The Raven‘s success:

You never know what will get you some attention

De Montreuil is an established director on the festival circuit, having already directed three feature films, including the 2008 Mancora, which was screened at both the Sundance and SXSW film festivals. But it’s this $5,000 short, shot in 48 hours, that pushed him towards directing his first big studio picture.

Sometimes the path of a successful online short film takes you directly to a feature — take the example of Neill Blomkamp, whose short film Alive In Joburg eventually evolved into the Oscar-nominated 2009 film District 9.

But other times it’s less direct, as with former Totally Rad Show host Dan Trachtenberg, who made a big splash in 2011 with a short inspired by the video game Portal.

While a Portal feature remains elusive, the buzz that resulted lead Trachtenberg to another project — directing the adaptation of Y The Last Man, an award-winning graphic novel series that has equal fanboy appeal.

The Raven is more likely on the Blomkamp track than the Trachtenberg track, but even if a feature version is never produced, De Montreuil has gotten his foot inside the door.

Making movies really does take a long time

The Raven was originally posted on April 21, 2010, and was picked up by film blogs a few days later.

But the deal with Universal didn’t come through until July 2010, and between then and now there have been few updates. Even for projects that could technically be considered success stories, the pace of the studio system requires no shortage of patience.

Put it all out there

The Raven was released simultaneously on both YouTube and Vimeo, and across both sites the description is simple and to the point — it lays out the project’s logline, the cast and crew, the tools used to create the short, and a contact email for the creator.

And the most important fact laid out is the budget for the project: $5,000, which is impressive given the level of digital effects involved.

In addition to the short film, the official Facebook page contains news updates and concept art for the future tech featured in the project, and a short behind the scenes video showcases some of the stunt work that gives the project a human edge.

All of this leads to a concept of the short film as more than a short film — as a prototype for a much larger project. Which, for filmmakers interested in this approach, is the most valuable takeaway of all.

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But our interview is now technically over, and even though Hart’s arm is in a sling from a dance contest-related injury, she’s right back at work.

“You want to stay and help?” she asks, and moments later I find myself affixing return address labels to envelopes, passing them down the assembly line to be stuffed with t-shirts.

Like at least 10,300 people before me, I’ve just discovered, it’s hard to say no to Hart.

The T-shirts, thank you notes and “E-Polygamy Certificates” we’re packaging up are bound for those who helped Hart raise over $222,000 on Indiegogo for an international tour bringing her face to face with the fans.

Beginning this April, Hart and a two-to-three person production crew will board an RV and begin traveling from Los Angeles to Canada, cooking in the kitchens of strangers, volunteering at food banks and in general spreading the Hart brand from coast to coast.

The inspiration for the tour, Hart says, came directly from the audience: “Ever since My Drunk Kitchen started, the community of ‘Hartosexuals’ — the audience, fans of the show — have said, ‘oh, I want you to come and cook in my kitchen, dude!’ Or, ‘you should do a travel show — I’d watch you do Anthony Bourdain any time!’.”

While that audience might have come as a result of Hart’s breakout work as the star of her series My Drunk Kitchen, this is not the My Drunk Kitchen Tour — instead, all information can be found at HelloHarto.com. That’s because this is the second phase of Hart’s web video journey.

The first phase began in 2011, when Hart got drunk at home one night and made a grilled cheese sandwich; the funny free spirit cooking sauces while sauced quickly grew a fanbase and was picked up by The Collective for representation.

But while My Drunk Kitchen has been a web hit, it has never had sponsorship, for one specific reason according to Hart: The word drunk, which scares off potential brands.

While MDK is only one part of Hart’s current YouTube output, it’s still the show she’s known best for — hence the new emphasis on the Harto brand. “The dedicated community who watches the the channel — they are the ones who know that it’s a Harto channel. The outside world thinks it’s a My Drunk Kitchen channel,” Hart says.

How do you go about this sort of rebranding? “Slow and steady wins the race,” she says. “I’m doing an entire tour around the world called Hello Harto.”

In recent months, Hart has spearheaded volunteer efforts at Los Angeles local food banks, bringing in fans to help organizations like the Los Angeles Food Bank. It’s something she wants to continue on the tour — however, thanks to the “D-word,” they’ve even had difficulties finding food banks to work with.

But during my initial interview with Hart, the production team finds out that the food bank network Feeding America has agreed to make introductions to local food banks along their tour stops — but with the stipulation, according to tour producer Pearl Wible, that Hello Harto and My Drunk Kitchen are separate entities.

“That makes it so much easier for us, because instead of having to explain to all these separate people what we’re about, we can work with organizations that will hoepfully be excited to work with us,” Hart said.

Hart, adding labels to envelopes for Indiegogo perk deliveries.

The Hello Harto tour is a clear turning point for Hart and her online presence. Hart says that while “My Drunk Kitchen will always be My Drunk Kitchen. It’s a funny joke,” the Harto brand is much bigger than that.

“Does this mean that in two years, My Drunk Kitchen will be a footnote on your Wikipedia page?” I ask.

“Absolutely,” Hart says, certain. “100 percent.”

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Warner Bros. is super-into this

In a very illuminating interview with HitFix, Veronica Mars creator Rob Thomas addressed a great number of the concerns that have been raised about the campaign.

The whole interview is worth reading, and one of the biggest takeaways is how engaged Warner Bros. is with the project.

Working with Warner Bros. was always going to be necessary for a Veronica Mars movie, as Mars is intellectual property belonging to the studio. But there are other benefits. S.T. VanAirsdale looked at the costs typically associated with a campaign like this — specifically in regards to basic things like manufacturing 40,000 T-shirts:

At the time, the number of backers entitled to Thomas’ limited-edition shirts was 34,000 and change. CustomInk gave me a rough quote for the exact number of shirts I sought: $3.90 each, for a total of $132,600. (“You saved $579,360.00 [81%] with Volume Discount,” the site reassured me.) BlueCotton was cheaper at $3.44 apiece, but it maxed out at 9,999 shirts, meaning some rough multiplication and rougher estimate of $116,960. That’s more than 4% of the total amount raised so far — ostensibly Thomas’ production budget, which also has to cover such actual necessities as crew, equipment, transportation and craft service — just to produce t-shirts.

While these concerns are huge for independent Kickstarter campaigns, one of the many advantages Thomas has is that a team at Warner Bros. is handling the logistics of the campaign as well as the film’s promotion and distribution. The money being raised on Kickstarter is purely for production — this is because, according to Thomas, Warner is treating Mars as an experiment:

I know, on the second part of the question, that Warner Bros. isn’t treating “Veronica Mars” like a one-off. I think they’re treating us like a guinea pig — in the best way. They want to see if this model works, and they made the calculated decision, and for a lot of the reasons you articulated in that story, that we were a good test case for this. We just happened to be the right show at the right time, got to be the first one out of the gate. I think Warner Bros., if it works, they could start doing more of these. And you know that if it works at one studio, that they’re not going to be the only studio in town that will be trying it.

Is Veronica Mars bad for Kickstarter?

The controversy that’s stirred up around Mars on Kickstarter seems to boil down to the following question: When you contribute to a Kickstarter campaign, what role do you play in it? Are you a consumer, paying a certain fee for a certain benefit, whether it be a T-shirt or tickets to a red carpet premiere? Are you a booster, selflessly donating your money to support a project you believe in? Or does your money give you a role akin to a producer of the project?

10 minutes and $30,000 of “Veronica Mars”‘s Kickstarter campaign — specifically, March 13th, 8:49 AM-8:59 AM PST.

Many who find the Mars Kickstarter campaign troubling are coming at it from that latter perspective, such as paidContent commenter jrhmobile earlier this week:

So, do these investors get points in the movie sales? Or are they just throwing a couple of million bucks at a major studio with no return on their investment?

I’d like to think it’s more than “I funded a movie for Warner Brothers, and all I got was this lousy T-shirt.”

The key word there, potentially, is “lousy.” Thomas explained to HitFix:

The nice thing is that we never wanted to be perceived as a charity. We always imagined that we’re putting up a Kickstarter page, and we’re selling real product at real prices to fans. It’s not like a pledge drive where you pledge 100 dollars and get a 4 dollar tote bag, where it’s done out of the goodness of your heart, and for charity. We wanted to created packages where people look at what they’re getting and think, ‘Wow, I got a script and a digital download and a t-shirt for $35. I would pay that!’ So all those people worrying that we’re aksing for this money to make our movie, we’re selling you a product. Think of us as a store, not a charity.

The other issue being raised is whether success stories like this overshadow independent projects. Kenyatta Cheese, a freelance consultant and co-creator of Know Your Meme, offered the following analysis on Tumblr:

The success of the Marshmallows does nothing for unknown, unconnected creators on Kickstarter unless Kickstarter can get the backers of its high profile projects to discover some of the lesser known but equally intriguing small projects. That sort of thing has to be planned and programmed. It doesn’t just happen through the implementation of a Discover page with a few carousels of local and staff pick recommendations. This happens through building a backer community that celebrates their continued involvement while fostering a culture of discovery. The good news is that if anybody has a head start on figuring this sort of thing out, it’s Kickstarter.

And Kickstarter has numbers which show that blockbusters like Mars help build the Kickstarter ecosystem — bringing in new donors who may go on to fund other projects.

The current largest contributor to the Mars campaign, a guy who pledged $10,000 for a speaking role, is an entrepreneur named Steven Dengler. When interviewed by Entertainment Weekly, Dengler referred to himself as a “small-f fan” of Mars — what he actually is is a fan of Kickstarter projects. He’s funded over 60 of them.

“Save [NAME OF YOUR FAVORITE CANCELED SHOW HERE]!

I enjoyed Firefly, don’t get me wrong. But having witnessed the show’s hardcore fanbase overreacting to even the possible hint of new space Western adventures over the past half-dozen years, I’d like to thank Joss Whedon for, within 24 hours of Mars hitting $2 million, telling Buzzfeed that Kickstarter won’t bring back the crew of the Serenity anytime soon:

I’ve said repeatedly that I would love to make another movie with these guys, and that remains the case. It also remains the case that I’m booked up by Marvel for the next three years, and that I haven’t even been able to get Dr. Horrible 2 off the ground because of that. So I don’t even entertain the notion of entertaining the notion of doing this, and won’t. Couple years from now, when Nathan [Fillion]‘s no longer [on] Castle and I’m no longer the Tom Hagen of the Marvel Universe and making a giant movie, we might look and see where the market is then. But right now, it’s a complete non-Kickstarter for me.

Hardcore Firefly fans are thus out of luck at present. But other creators are watching Mars with interest. Shawn Ryan, whose offbeat drama Terriers was canceled after one season on FX, Tweeted the below on Wednesday:

Very interested to see how this Veronica Mars kickstarter goes. Could be a model for a Terriers wrap up film.

— Shawn Ryan (@ShawnRyanTV) March 13, 2013

And as Thomas told HitFix:

I did get an email from Bryan Fuller earlier today saying, ‘Hey, can you jump on the phone with me at some point? I know you’re busy, but I would love to talk to you about how this thing works.’ And I know it was specifically for Pushing Daisies.

Fuller’s Daisies was canceled by ABC after two seasons — just one of many cult shows that never got the chance to wrap up its many storylines.

I used the word “cult” in this article more than once, but depending on what happens here, that term might become much more apt than before. Because, after all, aren’t cults financially supported by their followers?

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She also got death threats.

In starting the Tropes vs. Women In Video Games project, Sarkeesian, founder of the Feminist Frequency video blog, committed the crime of looking to produce and research a series of YouTube videos questioning why the roles female characters play in mainstream gaming are problematic at best and insulting at worst.

Everything would have been fine, if 4Chan hadn’t found out about it, and declared troll war upon her. The New York Times summarized the abuse she received as a result of the campaign:

Angry fumers tried to hack her Twitter and Google accounts; they e-mailed her drawings of her being raped by video game characters; one even created a Flash game where you clicked the mouse and bruises and welts appeared on her face.

Sarkeesian ended up giving a TEDxWomen talk about the experience of being targeted by a cybermob, and specifically how (transforming the language of games to a new purpose), the men harrassing her saw themselves as heroic victims taking on a great injustice, ”and they cast me in the role of the villain.”

This campaign of abuse did give the project greater exposure, including coverage on outlets like Kotaku, Boing Boing, ThinkProgress and (as mentioned above) the New York Times. But the price of this publicity was incredibly high.

After a delay caused in part by Sarkeesian’s decision to expand the project beyond its original scope (given that she initially only intended to raise $6,000 to fund the research and production of Tropes vs. Women), the first episode launched this week.

At nearly 24 minutes (making it part of the growing trend in lengthier YouTube content), “Damsels in Distress: Part 1″ examines the frequency with which female characters in video games get kidnapped — the foundation upon which classic games like Super Mario Bros. and The Legend of Zelda are based.

In perhaps a wise move to avoid a repeat of what happened with the original Kickstarter pitch, YouTube ratings and comments on Episode 1 are disabled; to understand why, just look at this Gameranx compilation of what’s being said across various blogs about it.

However, so far the first episode has racked up over 500,000 views in just a few days, and while trolls were always unavoidable, it’s also inspiring reasoned debate over the episode and Sarkeesian’s approach to the subject.  And that’s the version of the conversation that should be had — because that’s the version which could lead to real change for the video game industry.

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It also said that last year’s redesign would make subscriptions more meaningful, but has since found out that average users still don’t know what subscribing actually does.

I wanted to see how that actually stacked up in the real world. So I asked both established online video experts like Zadi Diaz, YouTube stars like Amy Pham and average users: How exactly do you do YouTube?

Annette Brown, 47, business owner and mother

How often do you go to YouTube.com?

I watch YouTube videos when I’m on Facebook, but other than that I probably go directly to YouTube once a week or so.

When you go to YouTube.com, is it to search for a new video, or is it to browse through your video options?

To search for a new video. During the election if I found a video on Facebook and went to YouTube to watch it, I would usually see similar videos and keep watching but usually I go to a specific video, rate it if I liked it or not and then leave YouTube.

Do you subscribe to any YouTube channels?

No. I thought YouTube was a channel by itself.

What is the one YouTube channel you watch more than any other?

N/A

What’s the most common way you find new online video (on YouTube or elsewhere)?

I find them through Facebook or email.

Matt McLernon, 29, YouTube communications manager

How often do you go to YouTube.com?

About every 5 minutes, by choice. When I’m not on YouTube.com, you can probably find me on the Android app or using the send to TV feature to send videos from my phone to my Google TV.

When you go to YouTube.com, is it to search for a new video, or is it to browse through your video options?

It’s both. At work, I do a ton of searching for videos and channels to look for the awesome people making videos for fun or for a living. At home, I’ll flip through my channel guide and watch anything from folks like Vice, The Gregory Brothers, DevinSupertramp and others on YouTube.

Do you subscribe to any YouTube channels?

About 50. When I first started paying attention to my subscriptions, I found I had a ton that I never watched (hundreds), so I removed a bunch and channels became much more useful. I have a mix based on what I like and how frequent they post – some folks post a lot like NASA or The Laugh Factory, some post about weekly like BadLipReading, and some run in seasons like Video Game High School.

What is the one YouTube channel you watch more than any other?

I flipped through my Watch History and I think it’s Red Bull. They do some of the craziest, most inspiring stuff all within a few minutes, and they’re always trying to push the limit with their next video. I know I’m in for a surprise every time from them, from their Kluge video to their Enduro Chronicles series.

What’s the most common way you find new online video (on YouTube or elsewhere)?

These days it’s through the Social Feed on my guide. It’s a feed just of what my friends are sharing on social networks (G+, Facebook, Twitter). It’s like replacing all those “gotta watch this video” emails you get from friends and parents, with a feed you can easily flip through.

Christina Boland, 24, Director of Operations at Grind Spaces and casual user

How often do you go to YouTube.com?

Probably daily.

When you go to YouTube.com, is it to search for a new video, or is it to browse through your video options?

To search for a video or theme that I’m thinking of already.

Do you subscribe to any YouTube channels?

No.

What is the one YouTube channel you watch more than any other?

Not sure of any channels — I watch a lot of animal videos and a lot of music videos.

What’s the most common way you find new online video (on YouTube or elsewhere)?

Through word of mouth or Facebook.

Zadi Diaz, Head of Content Development, Disney Interactive Entertainment

How often do you go to YouTube.com?

Seems like I’ve had YouTube on an open browser tab since 2005. I check videos several times a day because it’s an important part of my job and because I’m obsessed with this form of entertainment. It’s what I’ve been doing for the past nine years.

When you go to YouTube.com, is it to search for a new video, or is it to browse through your video options?

Both. I do a lot of search through video. YouTube has in many ways taken the place of Google text search when it comes to finding and collecting specific topics of discussion. When I’m on YouTube, I do end up browsing through my subscriptions, especially if the thumbnail and title look engaging.

Do you subscribe to any YouTube channels?

I’m currently subscribed to 157 channels.

What is the one YouTube channel you watch more than any other?

Besides the Disney network of YouTube channels (my favorite is DisneyShows), there are three channels that I keep coming back to: iamOTHER, SoulPancake, and THNKR. I love their smart, positive vibe.

What’s the most common way you find new online video (on YouTube or elsewhere)?

I find videos through sites like Reddit, Buzzfeed, Tubefilter, NewMediaRockStars, and even Kickstarter. I’ll also find new videos through my social feeds on Facebook, Google+, Tumblr, and Twitter. I have a wide network of online friends and colleagues who produce, direct, write, or perform in web shows, so I’ll find new videos through them. And sometimes, I’ll even get a video that I haven’t seen from my mother-in-law via email!

Kristina, 12, student (and my second cousin)

How often do you go to YouTube.com?

At least every day.

When you go to YouTube.com, is it to search for a new video, or is it to browse through your video options?

I normally search for a video.

Do you subscribe to any YouTube channels?

Yes, I do subscribe to many people.

What is the one YouTube channel you watch more than any other?

Um I probably watch Shane Dawson more than anything.

What’s the most common way you find new online video (on YouTube or elsewhere)?

I find out through what YouTube recommends actually.

Mickey Meyer, 28, EVP of YouTube network Jash

How often do you go to YouTube.com?

Too Much. Daily if not hourly.

When you go to YouTube.com, is it to search for a new video, or is it to browse through your video options?

A little of column A, a little of column B. It’s fun to develop a subscription feed. Most people don’t even know what that means, so it’s cool to just be exploring how it could work, which it seems like no one, YouTube included, knows right now.

When I don’t see anything appealing in my feed, I tend to go to my most top pages, and see if they uploaded something I missed. If not, then I’ll just comb the most popular videos of the day. YouTube’s unfortunately made that harder to do in an effort to prove itself in the realm of original/consistent programming.

Do you subscribe to any YouTube channels?

Too many. Again, it’s really just fun to watch how it’s evolving. I subscribe to some I don’t regularly watch just to keep tabs on them.

What is the one YouTube channel you watch more than any other?

I’ve watched every Epic Rap Battles of History, but I’m a little biased as I used to work on them. I’ve been watching Dead Kevin a lot lately. When Fatal Farm releases new content, I’ll watch any and all of that too.

What’s the most common way you find new online video (on YouTube or elsewhere)?

Friends. I watch what people whose taste I trust, post. Outside of that, Facebook in general is a good barometer of what’s actually worth watching. If three people post the same thing, I’ll check it out. Two, it better have a good thumbnail.

Rebecca Lando, 30, Network Director, Nerdist Channel and Creator, Working Class Foodies

How often do you go to YouTube.com?

At least twice daily.

When you go to YouTube.com, is it to search for a new video, or is it to browse through your video options?

Both.

Do you subscribe to any YouTube channels?

Yes; about 25.

What is the one YouTube channel you watch more than any other?

MinutePhysics.

What’s the most common way you find new online video (on YouTube or elsewhere)?

Word of mouth/friend recommendations and links; search; memes.

Sam Louderback, 13, student (and son of Revision3 CEO Jim Louderback)

How often do you go to YouTube.com?

Every day after I finish my homework, for about 3 hours.

When you go to YouTube.com, is it to search for a new video, or is it to browse through your video options?

Since I have been using YouTube for so long, I have so many YouTubers that I am subscribed to, so I just browse through my subscriptions.

Do you subscribe to any YouTube channels?

Yes. I am currently subscribed to 64 YouTube channels.

What is the one YouTube channel you watch more than any other?

Right now I mostly watch two different YouTubers: Ijevin and vintagebeef.

What’s the most common way you find new online video (on YouTube or elsewhere)?

I find new YouTubers through collaborations and dual commentaries.

YouTuber Amy Pham, Host of The Platform’s “The Fashion Statement”

How often do you go to YouTube.com?

Weekly, I check in every week to see what’s going on in the YouTube world and the type of feedback we get on our content. I try to keep up with what’s working and what the viewers are responding to, in addition to what isn’t.

When you go to YouTube.com, is it to search for a new video, or is it to browse through your video options?

I usually go to Youtube to browse through any new videos that pop up on my radar; sometimes thought I do find myself searching when I’m on the hunt for a specific music video or tutorial!

Do you subscribe to any YouTube channels?

Yes! The Platform of course, Andreaschoice, MakeupbyCamila, Beautycrush, Essiebutton, Pixiwoo, ClothesEncounters, etc. All the lovely beauty and fashion channels whom I’ve come to respect and become huge fans of!

What is the one YouTube channel you watch more than any other?

The Platform! Although I might be biased in that regard (I check the channel constantly to see what’s working with our audience, and to see if there’s anything I can do to help improve my show).

What’s the most common way you find new online video (on YouTube or elsewhere)?

YouTube, YouTube, YouTube. If you’re looking for new online videos, why go elsewhere but the source?

Final Thoughts

The big thing I observed from doing this survey: The responses from these folk, civilians and industry pros alike, show that social is still a huge part of discovery, even the people who understand the intricacies of the YouTube channel and subscription system.

However, the people actively using YouTube’s advanced features and finding new content through strategies like collaboration aren’t just the YouTube savvy — the youth of today are highly engaged with these methods. The question now becomes for YouTube: Is there a way to get everyone using the site behaving like a 12-year-old?

Want to add your own answers to the survey? Feel free to do so in the comments!

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