Red vs. Blue Case study

(Going to throw a bit of a curveball here and opt for an internet based show rather than TV)
Red vs. Blue is an award winning internet Machinima series  based off of the popular video games series Halo. It is an internet based series  The first episode of the series first aired on the first of April in 2003 as a download due to the lack of streaming technologies such as YouTube not being available at the time. the base plot was initially revolving around a team of soldiers protecting their base from their opposing team whilst their opposition does the same, this plot-line largely derives from the video game in which the show was produced as it features a game mode in which the two teams must capture a flag from the other base to win. The show began mainly as a comedy that parodied the online antics of gamers in Halo but over time evolved with the game series to become more of an action/drama/comedy hybrid.

Channel And Brand Identity

The company that produces the series, Roosterteeth, is mainly a comedy institution in that the majority of content they produce is comedic, It is also reflected in their company title as it is a euphemism for the phrase Cockbite which is an insult that derives from one of their early productions as well as their logo which shows a pair of wind up comedy teeth;  they also have a spin off division within the company named "Achievement Hunter" that focuses on video games whilst retaining the comedic style of the company. Red vs. Blue is often regarded as the flagship product of the company as it is the production that kick-started it and lead to all their other productions.The original series of the show is largely a comedic production as it focuses less on the elaborate plots and fight scenes shown in the later series though this can be due to the technological of the initial series as it has improved with each iteration in the Halo game series until the point where the team were able to use pre-rendering to create the show. The humour in the show tends to vary from low key to slapstick which reflects the institutions style of humour, This series can be seen to be the source of the companies humour style due to it being their original product from which the company grew.

Target Audience and scheduling

Red vs. Blue's target audience tends to vary from teenage to adult, though there are both younger and older fans of the show though. This is largely due to game in which it was created in is aimed at the same audience, but also because this tends to be the typical age of YouTube users which the show happens to be popular with. The style of writing also appeals to this target audience as it incorporates elements that a large range of audiences could enjoy such as the varying comedic elements as well as the fight scenes and the storyline.The The scheduling for release tends to be weekly on the day of the first episodes release in a series and the series release schedule varies greatly depending on overall episode progress. the show does not seem to conform to the gender stereotypes seen in both comedy and action as the female characters are largely portrayed as being stronger and more intelligent than their male team-mates which deviates away from the Barthes theory of each production having specific character types. The show does regularly produce content and has reached a total of 185 episodes including promotion and announcement videos, the very first episode has around 5.6 million views on YouTube alone with many more views on the shows site and in its original downloadable format. Due to the shows popularity, Roosterteeth has been hired to produce trailers and additional videos for the Halo series and many others including the Sims 2 and the Madden NFL series. The shows popularity has also led to some celebrity appearances in the show including high profile actors such as Elijah Wood who played on of the primary characters in the tenth series.

Audience appeals and responses

The main appeal in the show was originally due to its comedic nature but has evolved to incorporate a more cohesive plotline in order to draw a larger audience in. one of the other original reasons for its popularity is that it came before YouTube and internet video were as popular as they are now and provided on of the few online video series at the time. The way that the series has been integrated into the culture of the Halo series also adds to its appeal to the target audience. The show follows an episodic formulae with each series having episodes from 2 minutes to 5 on average in a series of around 20 leading to a variety in episode types with some being mainly dialogue centric episodes and others being action oriented leading to the show appealing to a variety of tastes due to both the pacing and content. Another appeal is that there is very little competition for this kind of Machinima as many others are often just one off's and lack the long series style of production as well as the plots to match their length. The show has also a large fanbase partially thanks to their productions used to promote the halo games due to them being promoted by the company behind them. Roosterteeth also hold an annual convention event in which they can interact with fans helping to appeal to them through personal interaction.

Format and technology

Whilst initially the show was only available as download it has now become more popular to watch it through YouTube  or through the companies site. All series are also available on DVD and blue ray with the orginal series having their resolution upscaled to make them more suitable for that formats use. Due to being produced in a video game, the series visuals and animations were limited to the games technology. As of 2009 the show began to produced through prerendering footage as well as animation programs. Also being an internet based production, the series is a good example of new and digital media as it would not have been able to be produced without the internet to distribute it as well as to recruit the various people that have created it.