Web series…
With the amount of time we spend online, many consider them to be the entertainment of the future. Here at TheSkyKid.com we have already featured Alec in WILDerland – a reality themed show devoted to exploring the outdoors.
Today I want to introduce Kid’s Town, a Canadian family-friendly web series that follows the adventures of 12-year-old Brian Russell (David Knoll) who, with his father, moves to a new town. New friendships, challenges, dealing with bullies and peer pressure are just a few of the universal teenage experiences that are addressed in the series. Thanks to the producer of the show, I had the opportunity to preview the first six episodes (available for streaming on demand at the Kid’s Town website — see link at the end of this review).
But first things first…
I was impressed with the overall production quality of the series: the camerawork and editing are on a par with some of the big budgeted Disney productions, which is a real achievement for a series that is partly financed through an Indigogo crowd sourced campaign.
The second most impressive thing about Kid’s Town are the performances of the youthful cast. Take David Knoll’s performance as Brian as an example. The scenes in which he recalls his encounters at the new town and reflects on the impact of the events he goes through are top notch. Additionally, his voice has a really intriguing timber, which further enhances the appeal and the genuineness of his character.
For the sake of objectivity, I must admit that some of the episodes I have seen left me wanting for less predictability within the narratives. I know the idea is to keep the teenage experiences portrayed in the series as true as possible to those teenagers face in the real life. But I believe that if more elements of surprise and suspense were introduced into the series, the audience’s enjoyment level would vastly improve. Having enjoyed the first person narrative of David Knoll’s character, I find myself wishing that the other members were given more of an opportunity to develop their characters who, in most cases, appear one dimensional and flat. With the talent the young actors exhibit, it’s up to the director and screenwriter to provide better character development throughout the production.
The screen duration of each episode is between twelve and fourteen minutes – a good choice that keeps in mind the attention span of pre-teen and teen audiences (likely the audience targeted for Kid’s Town). The length of the episodes gives them the appeal of a short film, which made me recall the not-for-profit production house Sterling Productions and some of their films such as Emmet, Swim Zack Swim and Clear Cut that I have seen and reviewed at TheSkyKid.com.
As mentioned at the outset of this review, the Kid’s Town series is family-friendly and therefore appropriate for all ages. The team behind the series is really active on the social media and they’ve attained the support of many young entertainers (singers, actors) and their promoters.
Kid’s Town Official Trailer
http://youtu.be/ZTIiAgRU8ao
Kid`s Town Official Web Site