Commenting Rules: Keep the conversation civil and on topic. If your comment does not add to the conversation, it will be removed. Debate intelligently. Insulting the author, /Film, or other commenters will result in comment removal and possible ban. If you want to point out a typo, correction, suggestion or criticism for /Film, please email us instead. Please use your name or nickname and not your business name (ie Discount Car Parts) as we might confuse and mark it as spam. If you would like to have your own Avatar show up with your comment, sign-up for a free Disqus account. Any Links will go into moderation before being approved. Anything we deem as spam will not be approved.

Rosario Dawson’s Gemini Division is Now Online

Posted on Monday, August 18th, 2008 by Peter Sciretta


The first two episodes (or is it webisodes) of Rosario Dawson’s new web series, Gemini Division, are now online. It’s amazing what a talented/professional actress brings to the table. I have yet to really get involved with a web series the way I have television shows, partly because the quality of product is just so much lower. I’ve also found a problem with shows that move to slowly or try to play it off as the story is 100% real, which usually results in a mockumentary-level performance. While Gemini Division is shot and told through a female first-person confessional, like other popular web series (LonelyGirl), it is also presented in a more cinematic fashion.

Comprised of 50 three-minute episodes, the sci-fi thriller is set “five minutes in the future” about a New York City detective. Anna Diaz (Dawson), who realizes her fiance isn’t everything she thought he was. And the Gemini Division is an organization that has been formed to bring together a group of “renegade sims”, that were created for the Iraq war, but all of a sudden went AWOL and are rumored to be forming a secret terrorist cell. Much of the footage is shot on green screen, transporting the actors to locations and places they otherwise couldn’t afford. Truth is, they plan to shoot 150 minutes worth of content for only $1.75 million. You can check out the first two episodes on GeminiDivision.com or embedded below:

Comments 

 

Related Posts

Tags

Action/Adventure, Sci-Fi, Short Films, Thriller, Video Clips, ,

  • Hell Yeah! Rosario Dawson is amazingly hot and just as nerdy as any fanboy, I love her! I can never get enough of her, Eagle Eye!
  • Chuck Phoenix
    This is cool, it will give me something to look forward to checking out at work now. RD's emotions seemed so bloody real it was incredible.. It looks wicked cool and I am psyched to see where its going to go from here.
  • Jordan
    I look forward to the day when studios will figure out that people outside the US might like to watch their content as well...
  • TheAverageDave
    the fact that you made no mention of the obvious product placement element of the show makes your existence as an independent blogger suspicious. Had you mentioned the cleverness of Samsung or something to that effect I would be much less suspicious.

    What are your feelings on product placement within the news articles you write? I think my feelings on that are pretty clear.
  • You know what sucks?? Not being able to view content!!

    Can someone please tell these people that the internet exists outside of the US!!! Somebody call Joss Whedon at least we could ALL watch Dr. Horrible on the web.

    All theses traditional broadcasters are trying to make it seem like they're leading the way an innovating, making serious inroads into IPTV and web content, but then make it country specific! Whether they're not having the foresight to clear worldwide rights or not I don't know, but someone needs to kick their ass! >:/
  • TheAverageDave
    by samsung i meant microsoft
  • ContentContentContent
    ONLY 1.75 million? That's HUGE for a web series! Eisner's online shows usually tag in under half a million.

    Watched the first two episodes.

    Interesting phone - nice windows mobile plug. The blue screen stuff works in some ways but sometimes not at all (That Paris montage in ep 1... WTF was that?)

    Is the entire thing going to be mostly her talking to this unknown person on the phone? Wonder how much Rosario is getting since this is not a 1.75 million show.

    Looks like they have some nice sponsors lined up - Benz, Cool Whip, Microsoft, maybe Cisco.

    Is this like Alias where her dad is the head of Gemini Division or something?
  • ContentContentContent
    TheAverageDave - I don't think it's a big deal /film didn't mention the product placement. That's a big part of how these shows get made. I don't find it distracting. Hell most network shows are doing it now too. Does it really need to be pointed out?
  • The Average Dave: Product placement is a norm in movies, tv, and especially web series. I don't see how me not mentioning the product placement is "suspicious". If I had to mention obvious product placement every-time I see it, it would appear in every movie review. I only bring attention to such when it's obnoxious, like in Michael Bay's The Island.
  • ContentContentContent
    Matt Grover - Geoblocking is only going to happen more and more. They release to US only to build traction and then sell the foreing rights. You'd think by now that could happen day in date. It doesn't because A) Building buzz in the US drives up the foreign price and B) Sometimes they just can't sell it in time. Making these deals takes time and they often want to get the product out the door.
  • Captain Awesome
    Rosario can sit on my face, forever.
  • Pixel Pusher
    Does anybody else find the moo-ing at the end to really break the mood of the whole thing?
  • Fab
    The clip isn't available from your location, bla bla. So much for US citizens who live or work abroad...
  • Goobity
    Rosario is...well...what CA said works. :)

    Any idea how often these are being released?

    @ Peter: Or FedEx in Castaway...That one ruined the whole damn movie, for me.
  • McGruff
    1) I want that phone if it exists

    2) it looks like this show was made using that little camera that comes on macbooks. ew
  • Ryan
    "Move to slow"

    What's wrong with this you pretentious English majors?
  • Zach
    TheAverageDave, I think your feelings are pretty clear to everyone, it's also clear that we don't want to hear it. If you would have come around complaining of product placement oh, maybe a few years ago(or really, 30 years ago) when it started to become a huge thing, then we might have listened. But seriously, this is a web series. Stop complaining.

    To note on the whole series, I watched the first part here at work, interesting to say the least. Not sure if I really like it, I think Rosario is an up and down actress, sometimes really good, other times not so much. I will have to watch a few more to make up my mind.

    And also, I agree with Pixel Pusher, the moo cow is incredibly mood breaking.
  • Its so important for the interactive TV genre that Gemini Division puts on a good showing. This is the kind of innovative product that exploits the interactivity of the internet and changes the lean back viewing experience of traditional TV into something far more engaging. Its success would bring much needed attention to the indie interactive web scene.

    Signing Rosario Dawson is a great choice, a neo sci-fi plot is a great choice, the one gripe I have though is geo-blocking the show limiting it only to a US audience, I think its a cop out and a failure to fully embrace the internet. NBC, why get only half pregnant?! In mitigation, I suppose with a huge marketing budget, Gemini Division does not have to rely on viral distribution like indies do. And it probably has found revenues in international distribution.

    @ContentContentContent - I agree, $1.75M is HUGE for the web TV world but my hope is that a nice chunk of that is allocated to marketing (and you can count Rosario's paycheck in that) to bring attention to the nascent interactive web series genre ... indies like ours will gladly ride this coat tail.
  • Nice embeds. Not sure where to get those. Anyone have a link of the source? I found embeds at Hulu, but not for the NBC widget which has higher quality. Can't wait to see where the story goes and how it develops.

    Thanks slashfilm.
  • All well and good that it is a groundbreaking web only series but where's the love for people living outside the USA. Everywhere I look it won't work. Even when i use proxy programs. Not happy.
  • @Anthony - it appears that Sony will be bringing it to a platform near you. You may have to wait though. In the mean time, you might like to check out www.deletedthegame.com you can WATCH + PLAY anywhere, anytime or download via iTunes to any device ... for free.

    For what it's worth, the first of Gemini Division's clips are pretty cool.
blog comments powered by Disqus

gorilla nation

/Film

Copyright © 2009 /Film. Web design by Pro Blog Design. Logo Concept by: Illumination Ink

All names, trademarks and images are copyright their respective owners.