Axiom's Edge Science Fiction and Fantasy

By John J. Joex

Episode 1 Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars

Earlier this week I was pondering on what direction episodic Science Fiction and Fantasy would head now that the game-changing Lost has ended its run. Well I may have just had a glimpse of that future and it actually could involve a significant paradigm shift. As I speculated in that previous post, episodic series might turn away from that aging platform of television and toward the Internet, and Pioneer One may help lead the charge. This is a proposed seven episode series (with an additional four seasons mapped out), the first episode of which has been completed and made available for free download using bittorrent. The producers are asking that if people like this episode they should donate so that additional episodes can be produced and made available.

In the first episode of the series, a spacecraft crashes in a remote part of Montana and spreads radiation through the area sending several people to the hospital with radiation sickness. At first there is speculation that this may be an attempted terrorist attack, but the government agents sent to investigate do not feel that explanation fits the facts. They find a survivor in a section of the spaceship who appears to be a Soviet era Russian and whose body is riddled with cancer. As they continue to investigate, though, they discover an almost unbelievable explanation of where he came from.

The first episode, which runs 35 minutes, does a good job of setting up the premise for the series and engaging the viewer in the mystery that will unfold across the remaining season. Filmed on a budget of only $6 thousand, Pioneer One demonstrates notably good production values that represent a step up from many other web series that I have sampled across the Internet. The film has no named actors, but all of cast appears up to the task of bringing the script to life. And while I would not necessarily call the performances top-notch, they rarely descend to the amateurish level you might expect from such a production. The dialogue is well-scripted as well. It contains a minimum of copy-and-paste lines and has an authentic feel to it, flowing naturally as would normal conversation among adults.

And while it is definitely difficult to gauge the quality of the series from a single episode, this installment shows much promise and should pique the interest of Science Fiction fans. The episode is mostly dialogue driven with a minimal of special effects, but that’s how it rolls with web productions. Still, that delivers the promise of a more intelligent story not burdened by a mandate to cater to the lowest common denominator of the typical Prime Time audience. This format gives the creative team a freedom they would not enjoy under the yoke of network control, and while they must sacrifice some on the production side, many genre fans such as myself will concede this so long as stay focused on telling a good story.

So the question is how well does this model of s series work? Can it pull in enough in donations to keep it going through the remaining six episodes and the proposed continuations thereafter? Well I can say that I was impressed enough that I will be sending my contribution shortly. But I have my doubts about how well that type of funding could keep a production afloat over an extended period of time.

But then let’s look at the math and do some additional speculating. According to the show’s website as of today’s date, the first episode cost $6,000 to make and the producers (Josh Bernhard and Bracey Smith) previously had 450 thousand downloads on a prior project they worked on. Now that $6k budget came about by most of the participants working gratis, but let’s say that everybody was paid scale for their part. What would that bring the bill to? $50k or $100k at most? Then let’s say they charged typical iTunes cost to download an episode of around one to two bucks. They almost certainly would not get the 450 thousand number they have achieved previously with the free downloads, but could the get fifty or a hundred thousand? That would put the episode on target to recoup its budget (assuming my guestimates above are anywhere near accurate) and that’s not factoring in additional promotion or potential DVD revenue down the road. I would have no problem shelling out up to three bucks per episode if they continue the level of quality of the first installment and I believe plenty others would do the same.

So I would say the model based on donations has limited viability, but a per episode download cost could keep the series afloat, especially once it gets established. Quality is the key here, though, because interest (and sales) would plummet quickly if they could not keep that stable. But if this format for episodic series managed to work and expand and prove profitable, you could start to see shows with higher production values making their way into the mix as well. This model has potential and we already saw how well Dr. Horrible did two years ago. Pioneer One is yet another example of a high quality production that could help advance the format and potentially change the way we view episodic series in the genre. I highly recommend you check it because it’s worth watching and you could very well be getting a glimpse of at least one direction of the future of entertainment.

You can download Episode 1 for free at this link: vodo.net/pioneerone.  And also join in on the conversation at our thread over at Reddit.com discussing the viability of this experiment with episodic sci fi.

Also, See our Exclusive Interview with Josh Bernhard, Creator of Pioneer One