Pioneer One is a web-based episodic Science Fiction series available for download and funded through donations. The first episode was produced on $6,000 and is available for free download via bittorrent. The producers have asked viewers to donate if they like the episode so that they can complete the remaining six episodes of the planned first season. They set a goal of $20k to cover the next three episodes which they achieved in one and a half weeks and additional donations continue to role in that will cover additional costs for producing the series. You can read Johnny Jay’s review of the first episode at this link and we recently sat down with Josh Bernhard, creator of the series, to discuss how the concept began and where he thinks it will go and what impact it will have on the future of episodic sci fi. Following is our interview with Josh (and to download the episode and/or donate, you can go to the Pioneer One Website):
AE: You have achieved your goal of $20k in donations to complete the next three episodes of Pioneer One. First, congratulations! Second, what is the timing for having the next set of episodes available for download?
JB: Thank you! I was really amazed at how quickly we were able to raise that money. It’s going to carry us through pre-production on the first production block of three episodes, which we plan to begin shooting in September. We’ll have a little break in between that and the second block of three, which will finish out the first season. This way, we’ll be able to have an uninterrupted release schedule so people aren’t kept guessing for months when the next episode might pop up. Depending on how things go, we should be able to start releasing them in November or December.
AE: What inspired the creation of Pioneer One, storywise and as a web series?
JB: I’ve always loved television. I’m big into movies, but TV even more so. It has something to do with its serial nature and the attachments you form with characters. Breaking into TV as a writer is tough these days, and I had no desire to leave New York for LA. We had the means to make this pilot and a way to get it out there through VODO, so doing it seemed like a no-brainer.
As for the story, it was pointed out to me that this is a perfect blend of two subjects I’ve always been interested in: Cold War history and space exploration. You’d think I’d have realized that myself!
AE: Did you try and pitch this series to any of the broadcast networks, cable channels, or other production houses, and if so, what was the response?
JB: We didn’t pitch it to anyone. We saw no reason to go that route, to get someone’s permission to do work we knew we could do. Beyond that, I’m pretty certain that had we tried to pitch to somewhere, we wouldn’t be as far along as we are now. It’d likely be sitting on a shelf somewhere collecting dust. And I couldn’t have blamed anybody for not taking a chance on two unknowns with an unknown property.
AE: The response we at Axiom’s Edge have seen across the web to the first episode of Pioneer One has been generally favorable so far. Have you received mostly positive feedback as well?
JB: Most of the feedback has been incredibly positive. Obviously there are detractors, some for whom it just wasn’t there thing, etcetera, as with anything. Which is absolutely fine. We’re not doing the show to find adoration, but to realize this story and do the work we want to do. Of course, you hope people respond the way you want, but you can never tell how these things are going to land. The difference with this, I think for everyone involved in the show, has been the scale of the response. We’re somewhere in the neighborhood of half a million downloads on the torrent, and at least 100,000 completed streams on various websites. None of us have ever experienced anything like this, and it’s taken some getting used to. But this is what it’s all about, and I’m excited about growing a relationship with our audience.
AE: I have noticed from comments on Reddit and on Axiom’s Edge that even people who did not give Pioneer One high praise still mentioned that they would donate. This seems to suggest that fans are very supportive of new outlets for Science Fiction and Fantasy productions. Do you believe that Pioneer One could be sustained throughout its full run (the current season plus the four subsequent ones planned) on donations alone?
JB: People have been amazingly supportive and generous with donations, and I think it demonstrates that people want content from alternative venues like this. The entertainment industry is very monolithic, and a lot of good stuff doesn’t get made. But there are other ways of doing things and we hope that maybe Pioneer One will demonstrate one way it can work.
That said, we’re not going to be able to continue the show on viewer support alone. We designed the show in such a way that it would start out small and scale up as the story goes on. We’re looking for more substantial backing and are now pursuing various possibilities to secure it. But viewer support is always going to be an important part of the show. Any success we have is completely due to the people who responded to the show and demonstrated their support, either in the form of a donation, or by spreading the word. We’re not looking at VODO or the Internet community as a stepping stone to a “real” network–this is how we want to put it out there.
AE: The first episode had almost no special effects. I assume upcoming eps will employ SFX, so will you use CGI and do you have a team to handle that?
JB: It’s funny–there were actually two effects-heavy scenes that were completed, but we cut them out! And not because they weren’t good, it was for pacing reasons. Bracey Smith, the director of the episode and my producing partner, did all of the visual effects. There are actually a handful of SFX shots in there, but most are meant to be “invisible.” The scene in the infirmary where the agents are brought to see the suspected terrorist, for example. There was nothing on the other side of that window, in actuality.
But yes, in the future, we’re going to have a need for heavier special effects including digital models and things like that. We’ve had some generous offers for help in that area from people who have seen the pilot.
AE: Have you looked into adding this among Hulu.com’s offerings?
JB: We haven’t looked into Hulu, and I’m not sure what their policy is for content not licensed with the studios they have deals with. Right now though we are exploring all options for future distribution, but VODO is still our primary venue. There are other ways of making the show visible, especially to people who aren’t familiar with the concept of torrenting.
AE: Have you considered making this available on iTunes? If so, what would you charge per download and do you think you would be able to sell enough to recoup the costs of the production?
JB: We haven’t looked at iTunes yet, but that’s definitely something we’ll consider once we have our episodes in production. I know Apple takes a big cut, but we wouldn’t charge anything more than a normal TV episode. At this point, I really can’t say either way if it would be of any significant help in recouping costs.
AE: You mentioned on your website that many of the people involved with the production worked for free and that you managed to do the first episode for $6,000. What do you estimate the budget for an episode would be if you were paying scale to all involved? Is a “professional” web production bound by the same union pay scales that television shows adhere to?
JB: We haven’t worked out exactly what it “should” have cost, but based on the numbers I do have in my head, we’re talking tens of thousands of dollars at the low-end. We’re discovering now all of the legalities involved in what we’re trying to do, but at this stage I don’t know that we’d be subject to union pay scales.
AE: Science Fiction and Fantasy shows tend to have a high cancellation rate on television, especially with the broadcast networks. Do you see web series like Pioneer One as the future of episodic Science Fiction and Fantasy productions?
JB: I would hope so. I think there’s more freedom on the Internet to tell interesting, challenging stories. There’s more opportunity for risk. I think genre series would do well to explore online distribution as a primary venue. At the current moment, television still has a certain cache of legitimacy that I don’t know the Internet has yet. I think that prevents a lot of people from seeing the possibilities.
AE: We thank you for participation in this interview and for “pioneering” this new direction in episodic sci fi and look forward to the upcoming episodes of Pioneer One. Is there anything else you would like to add about this or future productions?
JB: It was my pleasure! I would just like to say for the record that this show is a true labor of love and I would ask that people approach it with an open mind. We’re not doing this show cause we think it’ll make us rich or gain us notoriety. There are many better ways to do that. We’re passionate about this story, and we’re passionate about this work, and that’s why we’re doing it. I think that comes through in the show, and I hope people receive it on those terms.
Axiom’s Edge Featured Columns:
The Must-Watch List: The best of the best in the Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror genres.
The Anti-Blockbusters: Movies that bucked the Hollywood Blockbuster trend and still managed to deliver a superior viewing experience.
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Gary Kurtz co-produced the first two Star Wars films with George Lucas (now known as Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope and Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes) and he recently reflected on the franchise with the L.A. Times as attended a celebration for the 30th anniversary of Empire. Kurtz, who has said little publicly about the franchise, spoke frankly about why he left after Empire and his concerns at the time on the direction Lucas wanted to go with Star Wars.
