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The Hunted (web series)

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The Hunted
GenreAction comedy
Created byRobert Chapin
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
Production
Production locationsLos Angeles, California
Running time6-10 minutes
Original release
NetworkYouTube
ReleaseApril 22, 2001 (2001-04-22) –
present

The Hunted is an American action comedy web series created by Robert Chapin.[1][2] The show follows a group of people who have been bitten by vampires but have not yet been turned, and their attempts to prove the existence of vampires through the web series. The show has been described as a sword-slinging, vampire-slaying cross between the American TV shows Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Cops.[3][4] Episodes have been filmed by amateur and professional filmmakers throughout the United States and overseas.[5][6]

Plot

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The Hunted is a group of vampire attack survivors who band together to protect themselves from getting turned into cattle.[7][8] They learn to curb their blood-lust in order to help other potential vampire victims, whom they protect using swords, martial arts and humor.

Background

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The Hunted franchise is based on user-generated content. To generate the series, fans and filmmakers (amateur and professional alike) are encouraged to write and film individual episodes of The Hunted to make a TV series. These episodes can then be uploaded to YouTube with a link to the main program. Contests with rewards, including cash prizes, are given to help encourage users to generate content.[9] Entries are judged by a panel of industry professionals.[5][6][10]

Initially, seventeen episodes were shot (mostly in Los Angeles) and were eventually made available on a 2-season DVD set and uploaded to YouTube in January 2007. The show has over 100 episodes online including unique content from 5 affiliate projects across the country and fans from around the world.[11] The five main affiliates are The Hunted: NYCSS, the first women-powered series, which created jobs for non-binary and cisfemale artists. NYCSS was directed by Crystal Arnette and starred Orion Cho as Lou, a non-binary mystic. The Hunted: Tampa, The Hunted: Compton, The Chronicles of Kendall, and The Hunted: Expulsion, which has later been rebooted in the form of Hunted: Encore, directed by Ryan Gibeau and written by Ned Donovan with music by Marcus Bagala.[1][12][13][14][15][16] The stories are 4–6 minutes so that multiple characters appear in arc-like episodes as opposed to telling a whole story in one chapter.[17]

The show's series have been filmed by amateur and professional filmmakers throughout the United States. There have also been international episodes shot in Canada and South Africa.[5][6] The second season of The Hunted: Encore came online in November 2017.[18]

History

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The first episode premiered on the show's website on April 22, 2001.The series continues to feature new episodes, making it one of the longest-running online shows.[19][20] The show was originally created as a performance venue for Robert Chapin's stage combat students. It also became an opportunity for creative people to develop their skill in writing, acting, directing and editing without the pressures of a big-budget production.[21]

Over the years, the show has developed an International fan base, which was instrumental in financing The Hunted Feature Film.

Feature film

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The Hunted received financial support in June, 2011, via a Kickstarter campaign. The funds raised were used to finance the creation of a feature film based on the series. The film was shot in August, 2012, and post-production was completed in March, 2015.[22] The series received support from New Deal Studios.[23]

Cast

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There is no fixed cast of the web series. One unique aspect of the show is its ability to attract skilled actors, directors and locations (such as the Hollywood Bowl) for a quick weekend shoot that would be expensive or impossible to get for longer commitments.[24] The Hunted has been able to acquire many Hollywood actor and stunt coordinators, who are involved in the filming of its episodes, while also receiving input from the general public. Because it is a web series based almost entirely on user content, virtually anyone, anywhere may shoot an episode.[21][25][26]

Some better-known cast members include Robert Chapin, Anthony De Longis, Roberta Brown, Andrew Helm and Reuben Langdon.

Recognition

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  • The web series was an Official Selection in the Action on Film International Film Festival.[27]
  • The Hunted was an Official Selection in the Vampire Film Festival 2010.[28]
  • The web series was an Official Selection in Gencon 2010.[28]
  • The Hunted was an Official Selection in The Combat Con in 2011, where Derek Conley, Jessica Cail, Andrew Helm, and Kendall Wells of the web series were chosen as presenters along with 36 others.[29]
  • The Hunted was nominated for two 8th Annual Indie Series Awards in the categories Best Special/Visual Effects and Best Soundtrack.[30][31]
  • The Hunted: Encore became the winner of the 2017 LA Webfest, winning in two categories for Outstanding Score and Trailer Of The Year.[32][33]
  • The show was a semi-finalist of the FirstGlance Los Angeles Film Festival.[34]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Indie Spotlight: 'The Hunted: Encore' Reinvents A Classic Web Series With Song - Tubefilter". Tubefilter. 2016-12-09. Retrieved 2017-06-11.
  2. ^ ""The Hunted" creator Robert Chapin | | Fan Film Follies". Fan Film Follies. 2006-07-07. Retrieved 2017-06-11.
  3. ^ "The Hunted » SciFinal: The Best Listing of Independent Scifi Web Shows and Scifi Web Series". www.scifinal.com. Retrieved 2017-06-12.
  4. ^ "The Hunted TV". Roku Guide. 2015-11-27. Retrieved 2017-06-12.
  5. ^ a b c "Wired in the Blood". Impact Magazine (231): 15. April 2011.
  6. ^ a b c "Wired in the Blood". Impact Magazine (231): 16. April 2011.
  7. ^ ""The Hunted" Review". www.thehunted.tv. Retrieved 2017-06-11.
  8. ^ "ROBERT CHAPIN "Ah…To Be THE HUNTED or The Hunter ?" « GUESTAR". www.thehunted.tv. Retrieved 2017-06-11.
  9. ^ Hudson, Dale (18 May 2017), Vampires, Race, and Transnational Hollywoods, Edinburgh University Press, p. 222, ISBN 978-1474423090, retrieved 2020-02-20.
  10. ^ Dehn, T.K. "Exclusive Interview: Creator Robert Chapin Is One Of 'The Hunted'". www.thehunted.tv. iF Magazine. Retrieved 2017-06-11.
  11. ^ Crawford, Nathanielle Sean (2016-10-31). "The Hunted: Encore". Nathanielle Sean Crawford. Retrieved 2017-06-12.
  12. ^ "Marcus Bagala". IMDb. Retrieved 2017-06-12.
  13. ^ "Ned Donovan". IMDb. Retrieved 2017-06-12.
  14. ^ "Ryan Gibeau". IMDb. Retrieved 2017-06-12.
  15. ^ Piepenburg, Erik (2016-10-27). "Zombie, Vampire, Slasher? Choose Your Halloween Villain and Celebrate". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2017-06-12.
  16. ^ The Hunted: Encore (TV Series 2016– ), retrieved 2017-06-12
  17. ^ Terrace, Vincent (16 December 2014), Internet Drama and Mystery Television Series, 1996-2014, McFarland, p. 94, ISBN 978-0786495818, retrieved 2020-02-20.
  18. ^ "Here's How A 17-Year-Old Vampire Web Series Uses Crowdsourcing To Keep Its Blood Flowing". 14 November 2017. Retrieved 2020-02-20.
  19. ^ "An Interview with THE HUNTED creator Robert Chapin • Vampires.com". www.vampires.com. 16 June 2016. Retrieved 2017-06-12.
  20. ^ "Q&A: Director/Actor Robert Chapin on His YouTube-Spawned Vampire Actioner "THE HUNTED"". FANGORIA®. Retrieved 2017-06-13.
  21. ^ a b "Affiliate". TheHunted.tv. Retrieved February 25, 2012.
  22. ^ "The Hunted - Feature Film by Robert Chapin — Kickstarter". Kickstarter.com. June 18, 2011. Retrieved February 20, 2012.
  23. ^ "The Hunted". SharedStoryWorlds.com. June 6, 2011. Retrieved February 20, 2012.
  24. ^ "Web Series Directory! - Watch The Guild". Watchtheguild.com. Retrieved February 20, 2012.
  25. ^ Moshier, Christopher (August 8, 2006). "Talking with Jessica Cail - "The Hunted"". TheHunted.tv. Retrieved February 20, 2012.
  26. ^ Johnson, Rick (June 26, 2011). "The Hunted". Retrieved February 20, 2012.
  27. ^ "Action on Film International Film Festival: Official Film Selections" (PDF). Retrieved February 26, 2012.
  28. ^ a b "The Hunted". Retrieved February 26, 2012.
  29. ^ "The Combat Con 2011: Presenters". The Combat Con. Retrieved February 26, 2012.
  30. ^ Desk, TV News. "8th Annual Indie Series Awards Nominees Revealed". Retrieved 2017-06-12. {{cite news}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  31. ^ "8th Annual Indie Series Awards Nominations". Retrieved 2017-06-12.
  32. ^ "The Hunted: Encore". Charging Moose Media. Retrieved 2017-06-12.
  33. ^ "2017 Award Winners". 2018 LAWEBFEST. 2017-05-02. Archived from the original on 2017-12-05. Retrieved 2017-06-12.
  34. ^ "FirstGlance Film Festival Los Angeles 2017 Official Selections – FirstGlance Film Festivals". firstglancefilms.com. Retrieved 2017-06-12.
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