We live in a world where it is harder than ever for young people to get themselves into Film,Television or any form of creative production; nevertheless this pilot episode ‘Meatspace’ (a proposed television series) is a strong example of why this should not put people off the creative industries. Sometimes the simple passion and determination for a project is all that is needed to create something of a genuine high standard.
‘Meatspace’ is a proposed television series created by William ‘Trilbee’ Carlisle, a youtube personality well known for his Film and Television reviews.
Please take note that this is a review of the pre-released rough cut of the pilot episode, not the fully finished episode.
‘Meatspace’ revolves around a group of first year university students who live together, we have Jamie the film-maker, Lydia the writer, Megan the musician and David who doesn’t quite have his ‘thing’ yet. While this kind of premise is hardly unknown in the landscape of television, that does not mean it can’t still be done well and that’s exactly what ‘Meatspace’ does. Without a doubt, the best things about the episode are each of the four characters. It’s clear that Carlisle is a very competent writer that has created four characters that genuinely feel like real students as opposed to traditional sit-com archetypes. To achieve this in under 30 minutes is impressive and I along with many others would love to see more of them in the future.
A great bunch of characters that we can hope to see more of.
Carlisle’s script successfully captures the traditional lifestyle of a student through these characters, whether it be through the small touches such as their obsession with finally getting an internet connection or going to the pub; or through more intimate character moments, while I am not going to spoil anything in this review, I will say that it is Megan’s character who provides the heart of this episode as the fellow characters encourage her to come out of her shell more. This is handled brilliantly as it is not laid on too thick yet the audience can still emotionally respond to the material. Yet of course, this is mostly a comedic 30 minutes. The banter between each of the characters is a delight to watch with the particular comedic stand-out being David, who’s eccentric yet laid back personality will most likely get the biggest laughs from the audience. His conversations with Jamie are definitely the biggest comedic highlights of the episode. The funniest jokes are definitely the smaller and quick witted lines, which is why the episode stumbles slightly when it seems to be trying too hard to be funny, whether it be through the use of a “Legend of Zelda” sound effect or an over-the-top cut-away gag.
As great as the writing is, it is the impressive talents of the dedicated cast that the bring the characters to life in superb fashion. John Ferguson, Della Maylan, Chloey Rose and Cayde Sleeth Wilding are four extremely capable actors that have clearly engaged well the script and made the characters their own. The scripts best moments would simply not be as good without these talented actors and I look forward to seeing more of them in future.
One thing that may potentially set ‘Meatspace’ apart from its contenders is the emphasis on the characters’ creative ambitions, which is something you don’t always see. Being created by someone who wants to work within the creative media industry for an audience who will largely share the same ambition; it seems fitting that these kind of ambitions can be explored through the characters. The script references how many people will discourage others from wanting to work in a more creative industry, and this leads to a scene in which Lydia delivers a great and uplifting monologue on doing what she wants to do. If this angle were to be explored further in any future ‘Meatspace’ episodes, it could really allow it to rise above its contenders.
Carlisle is also the director for this episode as well as the writer and while I believe it is his writing skills that make him a stand-out talent, his directorial capabilities are also highly impressive. The projects rather low budget is highly apparent when you notice the amount of minor audio and visual issues (some of which may be resolved in the final cut), however it does not prevent the crews work from being appreciated. While there is nothing particularly incredible about the direction or visual style of the episode, the camera always seems to be in perfect place, the shots are very well handled and the editing is not far off typical television standards despite being done by just one person on standard software. As long as most of the major colour correction issues as well as other minor problems are cleared up for the final cut, this could be a very impressively put together pilot.
While ‘Meatspace’ is by no means a masterpiece, this pilot is still very impressive and its clear that this concept has potential to become a brilliant television show that would have little trouble in engaging with it’s audience. It’s brilliantly written, has an incredible cast and crew and is impressively put together despite the restraints of its budget. I hope this isn’t the last we see of ‘Meatspace.
8.5/10
‘Meatspace’ will broadcast on Friday September 5th at 21:00 on the TrilbeeReviews Youtube channel. For more information, follow this link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c90J9jSfpvE .
CG Media 