Article web series
- 1. Actor draws upon his Riverdale roots for new Web TV series By Robert Lebowitz There is no question that the future of TV is radically changing. The traditional model of sitting at home on the couch watching a show by yourself or with close friends or family is giving way to broadcasts streamed over the Internet, able to be seen at any time, and allowing the viewer to then post feedback and engage in discussions online with a virtual community spread out across the nation and beyond. Passive watching is giving way to interactive conversations, thereby creating new opportunities for entertainment to also educate and create change. Among those concentrating their creative energies in this new medium is Joshua Feinman, a professional actor in Los Angeles and a Riverdale native. Feinman is the producer of “Front Seat Chronicles,” a new series streamed through the Internet, with new episodes broadcast each week at The Public Internet Channel (www.pic.tv), which hosts other shows dealing with social issues. The premise of “Front Seat Chronicles” is based upon the observation that many serious, heart-to-heart conversations happen in those moments after the time that a car has reached its destination and the ignition is shut off, and a reflective mood sometimes descends upon both driver and passenger before either disembarks. In those brief moments, the characters of “Chronicles” unburden themselves and discuss a wide variety of sensitive subjects, including unemployment, divorce, breaking old destructive habits, and caring for a parent with dementia. After each episode are resources to find out more information about the subject, and a forum for further discussion. For Feinman, “Chronicles” is the next step in a career increasingly focused upon using drama to engage and foster learning. For the past ten years, in between appearances in Hollywood blockbusters and leading roles in independent films, he has been performing the one-man interactive show, “Voyage of Odysseus,” across the country, primarily for young children. This past November, Feinman brought the show to P.S. 24, his alma mater, where he mesmerized students with the tale of the Greek hero, giving them roles as fellow sailors and leading them into each of his battles. Long after Feinman left the stage, students brought Odysseus’ journey back into their classrooms. “Chronicles” similarly seeks to draw attention to issues of deep concern through its unimposing format of 3-5 minute vignettes, and then lets the conversation continue from there. Eschewing elaborate props and glamorous actors, “Chronicles” instead favors a spartan, naturalistic setting with average-looking men and women in order to create as realistic and direct dramatic experience as possible. It was this format that immediately drew Feinman to the project. “Front Seat Chronicles makes sense to me on so many different levels,” he said “Incredibly intimate performances, written from an authentic place, directed by amazing story-tellers. As a producer, the containment and simplicity of it all made it a no-brainer. I jumped at the opportunity to give back to society.” For his work in “Chronicles”, Feinman draws from his own experiences and those of friends. In fact, one recent episode, “What Now?”, which Feinman directed, focuses upon two brothers struggling with the bureaucracy of placing their father, stricken with dementia, in a nursing home. The brothers discuss their experiences dealing with Schervier Nursing Care Center and the Hebrew Home—revealing the episode’s setting of Riverdale. Of course, this is not surprising, given that
- 2. the episode was written by Bradd Bowden, a lifelong friend of Feinman and a Riverdale resident with deep roots in the community. Bowden, whose mother, community activist and council member Debbie Bowden, passed away last month, grappled with these issues with his brothers when his father was no longer able to live independently due to Alzheimer’s Disease. Before “What Now?” Bowden had never written for film before. But Feinman’s project is all about engaging real issues in a direct way, and so he preferred the “authentic voice” of Bowden to anything written on the subject by a polished screenwriter. Feinman already has been contacted by several professors from the University of Rhode Island and Miami Dade College who have evinced interest in the series as a teaching tool. And though the site is not advertised through commercials as are traditional TV shows, sheer word-of-mouth has propelled the series’ popularity. Since it’s on the Web, the Nielsen ratings don’t apply, but interest has been gauged though the number of hits the site receives daily, which have grown exponentially since the series’ November debut. A new episode of “Front Seat Chronicles” is featured each Wednesday at http://pic.tv/front-seat-chronicles. And of course, there is no need for TiVo, since every episode is always available for viewing.