Wired Magazine has a fantastic article giving an excellent update on the LonelyGirl15 tale.

Over the past few months, LonelyGirl15 has changed from a simple “stepping stone” into Hollywood to a full-fledged international serial thriller. The story has taken on a darker theme, and it’s exciting to see this new medium fall into place. The article offers a new look at the conception of the series and gives us a look at why things are going how they are.

It’s amazing to see how the internet has so drastically changed entertainment - things are so much more interactive than they used to be. Users can simply suggest where they think the plot is going, and amazingly, the writers accommodate it. Even the sheer number of page views that they experienced moved LonelyGirl15 from a future film to a permanent web institution.

I’m definitely following LonelyGirl and its creators. This is a new media experiment that’s doing quite well for itself.

LonelyGirl15 is a crossover internet superstar.

LonelyGirl15 (or Bree), in brief, is a fictional videoblogger played by New Zealand native Jessica Lee Rose. Created by a former California doctor, a laywer, and a screenwriter, LonelyGirl15 told (rather, tells) the tail of Bree’s life as a homeschooled 16-year-old girl with ultra-strict religious parents. As the series progressed, fans (unaware that the video blog was fiction) noticed inconsistencies and “quirks” in the videos and ultimately revealed the identities of all the major players in the LonelyGirl15 saga. The group made appearances on MTV, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, and other nationwide media outlets.

Why though is this relevant to mediamakers?

Simple - LonelyGirl15 is new media at its finest.

The story is, yes, inconsistent, and sure there are “quirks”, but the tale is a perfectly executed example of how we can fuse fiction into a traditionally non-fiction element and allow our audience’s input to shine through.

The creators of LonelyGirl are noted as saying that the audience’s input was a major part of the production. From the beginning, the creative team planned to utilize audience comments on YouTube, forums, etc. as a means to drive the story along. Genius point one - they listen to their audience.

The creators of LonelyGirl were also cheap, and when profits are hard to come by as it is, this is an important point. Of course, as they are using professional actors they have to cover those fees, however on the technical side they used items available to any consumer (you included!).

We did this with zero resources. Anybody could do what we did. Two desk lamps (one broken), an open window and a $130 camera.

Mesh Flinders, LonelyGirl15 Screenwriter

I’ll stress this frequently - profit is tough to come by as it is, so we need to do everything to lower overhead and keep costs down. The LonelyGirl15 project did this with absolute success. Every part of the project allowed for these low costs - the “webcam diary” format, internet distribution, the simple bedroom set, costumes, lighting, etc., etc., etc.

Even the story is intriguing. The fine researches at LonelyGirl forums all over the web are periodically finding new clues that connect Bree to a (alledgedly) satanic cult. Clues in the videos and inconspicous graphics on the “tribute” (read: official) website are helping these investigators reveal the secret double life of LonelyGirl15. Another genius point. They’re giving their fans ways to get involved more deeply than just watching - they can learn a bit along the way by taking in the clues and trying to predict the direction the blog will take. And as I pointed out earlier, the creators are watching the forums - so maybe a good theory will get incorporated!

The LonelyGirl saga is one that every new media expert, regardless of your love for video confessionals, should watch. The acting is top notch (for a video blog!) and the fan involvement is presenting interesting opportunities for the angles that the video blog can take.