Where are the Joneses
Encyclopedia
Where are the Joneses? is a 2007 British daily online filmed sitcom
created by the Imagination Group and Baby Cow Productions
, sponsored by Ford of Europe
, and promotion by digital specialists Hot Cherry http://www.hotcherry.co.uk.
The script of each two to five minute episode is a collaboratively written by viewers via wiki
s and social networking sites such as mySpace
, Facebook
, Flickr
and blog
s, with each character having their own Twitter
feed. The faux-documentary
style video
is filmed daily on location
and is also available via YouTube
. The first episode was released on 15 June 2007.
The plot follows Dawn Jones who discovers in the opening episode that she is the child of a sperm donor and follows her travels around Europe
to find her 26 siblings. It stars Emma Fryer
in the lead role, with Neil Edmond
as Ian, the first brother she locates and who travels with her.
Unusually, the production is released under a Creative Commons
'Attribution-Share alike' licence, allowing it to be freely re-edited, even commercially, and press coverage has considered it as 'Wikipedia
-like' in allowing anyone to edit and contribute to the storyline. The internet-only release on the back of the current mania for online social networking has also generated substantial independent blog review and analysis.
Situation comedy
A situation comedy, often shortened to sitcom, is a genre of comedy that features characters sharing the same common environment, such as a home or workplace, accompanied with jokes as part of the dialogue...
created by the Imagination Group and Baby Cow Productions
Baby Cow Productions
Baby Cow Productions Ltd is a UK comedy television production company established in 1999 by Steve Coogan and Henry Normal based in London and Manchester. It has since diversified into radio, animation and film. In 2008, BBC Worldwide bought a 25% stake in the company...
, sponsored by Ford of Europe
Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company is an American multinational automaker based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford and Lincoln brands, Ford also owns a small stake in Mazda in Japan and Aston Martin in the UK...
, and promotion by digital specialists Hot Cherry http://www.hotcherry.co.uk.
The script of each two to five minute episode is a collaboratively written by viewers via wiki
Wiki
A wiki is a website that allows the creation and editing of any number of interlinked web pages via a web browser using a simplified markup language or a WYSIWYG text editor. Wikis are typically powered by wiki software and are often used collaboratively by multiple users. Examples include...
s and social networking sites such as mySpace
MySpace
Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
Facebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
, Flickr
Flickr
Flickr is an image hosting and video hosting website, web services suite, and online community that was created by Ludicorp in 2004 and acquired by Yahoo! in 2005. In addition to being a popular website for users to share and embed personal photographs, the service is widely used by bloggers to...
and blog
Blog
A blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...
s, with each character having their own Twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
feed. The faux-documentary
Mockumentary
A mockumentary , is a type of film or television show in which fictitious events are presented in documentary format. These productions are often used to analyze or comment on current events and issues by using a fictitious setting, or to parody the documentary form itself...
style video
Video
Video is the technology of electronically capturing, recording, processing, storing, transmitting, and reconstructing a sequence of still images representing scenes in motion.- History :...
is filmed daily on location
Filming location
A filming location is a place where some or all of a film or television series is produced, in addition to or instead of using sets constructed on a movie studio backlot or soundstage...
and is also available via YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
. The first episode was released on 15 June 2007.
The plot follows Dawn Jones who discovers in the opening episode that she is the child of a sperm donor and follows her travels around Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
to find her 26 siblings. It stars Emma Fryer
Emma Fryer
Emma Fryer is a British stand-up comedian, actress and writer from Coventry, best known for playing Tania in BBC Three's Ideal, Janine in E4's PhoneShop and Gaynor in BBC 2's Home Time, which she co-wrote with Neil Edmond....
in the lead role, with Neil Edmond
Neil Edmond
Neil Edmond is a British actor and comedy writer.Neil was a member of the comedic sketch trio The Consultants, alongside James Rawlings and Justin Edwards. In 2002 they won the Perrier award for Best Newcomer at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. The Consultants went on to record four series for BBC...
as Ian, the first brother she locates and who travels with her.
Unusually, the production is released under a Creative Commons
Creative Commons
Creative Commons is a non-profit organization headquartered in Mountain View, California, United States devoted to expanding the range of creative works available for others to build upon legally and to share. The organization has released several copyright-licenses known as Creative Commons...
'Attribution-Share alike' licence, allowing it to be freely re-edited, even commercially, and press coverage has considered it as 'Wikipedia
Wikipedia
Wikipedia is a free, web-based, collaborative, multilingual encyclopedia project supported by the non-profit Wikimedia Foundation. Its 20 million articles have been written collaboratively by volunteers around the world. Almost all of its articles can be edited by anyone with access to the site,...
-like' in allowing anyone to edit and contribute to the storyline. The internet-only release on the back of the current mania for online social networking has also generated substantial independent blog review and analysis.
External links
- www.wherearethejoneses.com
- Where are the Joneses? wiki
- The Imagination Group's Press Release (retrieved 16 July 2007)
- www.hotcherry.co.uk
- Media Guardian article (retrieved 16 July 2007)
- Sunday Times article 22 July 2007
- bowblog review (blog)
- NewTeeVee review (blog)