Independent filmmaking is a well known sector of the industry, but what about independent television? It’s a production model that could be on the cusp of a significant boom, but it needs creators willing to take a risk and be the ones to show others the way. Who better to spearhead that movement than Mark Duplass, Mel Eslyn, and the team at Duplass Brothers Productions?
Duplass and Eslyn made their indie TV film festival debut in January when they brought Penelope to the Sundance Film Festival. A mere two months later, they’re leveling up at SXSW. Not only did they bring Penelope to Austin, but three other independently made television shows as well — Ryley Walker and Friends, The Broadcast, and The Long Long Night.
Created by Courtney Pauroso and Natalie Palamides, The Broadcast stars the duo as scientists hosting the world’s only remaining news show in an absurd dystopian future. Playwright Barret O’Brien wrote, directed and stars in The Long Long Night, a show about longtime best friends trying to build adult lives with meaning and purpose. Ryley Walker and Friends is a documentary series about singer-songwriter Ryley Walker. Directed by Duplass, the show follows Ryley as he visits music idols like Bridget St. John.
While in Austin celebrating the world premiere of those three shows and Penelope’s Texas Premiere, Duplass, Eslyn, Pauroso, Palamides, and O’Brien all visited the Collider interview studio to walk us through the Indie TV-making process.
9