RCVR

RCVR (pronounced Receiver) is a transmedia science fiction series created for the Internet by producer-director David van Eyssen, which offers an explanation for the exponential growth in science and technology since the late 19th century. The series was also produced by Tavin Marin Titus through production company Science To Fiction. The original story on which RCVR was based was written by van Eyssen. Brian Horiuchi and van Eyssen wrote the first season of RCVR as a team.

RCVR
GenreScience Fiction
Mystery
Paranormal
Period Drama
Created by
  • David van Eyssen
Written by
  • David van Eyssen
  • Brian Horiuchi
Directed byDavid van Eyssen
Starring
ComposerRob Lord
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of episodes6[1]
Production
Executive producers
  • David van Eyssen
  • Tavin Marin Titus
  • Jennifer Levine
  • Andy Shapiro
ProducersDavid van Eyssen
Tavin Marin Titus
Production locationsLos Angeles, United States
Camera setupMulti-camera
Running time8-11 minutes[1]
Production companies
  • Science To Fiction Transmedia
DistributorMachinima
Release
Original networkYouTube
Original releaseSeptember 21 (2011-09-21) –
October 19, 2011 (2011-10-19)

The series premiered on Machinima on September 21, 2011 and met with critical acclaim and a user "like" rating of 96%. The show generated 2.6 million views in 14 days and approximately 6 million views by October 2011.[2] The first season of RCVR is made up of 6 episodes each which are 6–9 minutes in duration. Cumulatively, the first season had a run-time of more than 46 minutes.[3]

Alternate Reality Gaming

Accompanying the premiere of the series was the launch of a corresponding blog "ProjectRCVR" and Twitter account linking the user to supplemental videos and commentary that formed part of an ARG (Alternate Reality Game) which challenged users to access a password-protected website containing the truth about human-alien encounters. At the conclusion of each episode, users were invited to "Discover The Truth" by subscribing to RCVR's Twitter account.[4]

Story

RCVR follows SIGMA agents Luke Weber, played by South-African born actor Daniel Bonjour, and Sandy Bergson played by Catherine Kresge, as they investigate and attempt to cover up alien encounters in 1973. The agents are also "RCVR hunters", tasked with tracking down individuals who possess valuable information channeled to them by extraterrestrial life-forms. In the series, these contactees are known as "receivers" or "RCVRs" (SIGMA's notation). But beyond the many technological advances that are used by corporations and governments for personal profit, RCVRs also carry fragments of a deeper knowledge—information suggesting that life can be extended indefinitely, that energy can be created without a fuel source and that time-travel is possible. Possession of this information makes RCVRs a powerful but dangerous commodity.[5]

Sponsorship

Motorola Mobility sponsored the first season of RCVR.[6] The company's products and logo were integrated at key points in the series: In Episode 1 the Xoom tablet appears on a motel television; in Episode 3, models of the Xoom tablet, StarTAC phone and an oversized microprocessor are examined by Weber during his interview of a suspected contactee; in Episode 4, Sandy Bergson uses a prototype version of the DynaTAC phone which would not be commercially available until a decade later, in 1983; in Episode 5, the undercarriage of the alien mothership displays the Motorola "M" as it descends.

Simultaneously, the editor of "ProjectRCVR", Alvin Peters, announced that he had uncovered a relationship between Motorola and SIGMA. Users that obtained five sets of usernames and passcodes to enter SIGMA's official website shared Peters' discoveries. In the process of accessing hidden levels of SIGMA, users would also learn the truth about six UFO-related mysteries that have been the subject of controversy: Area 51, Roswell, Majestic 12, NASA, Kenneth Arnold and The Arkansas Incident (on which Season 1 is based). Alien-styled augmented reality devices that influenced the manufacture of Motorola technology since 1973, Google-maps references of sightings, and classified archive video and articles interactively extended the RCVR mythology.

Score

The music for RCVR was composed by British composer Rob Lord and recorded in London, Paris and Los Angeles in 2011. The score features a number of unusual instruments including ondes Martenot, Cristal Baschet and Glass Harmonica played by French virtuoso musician Thomas Bloch plus a twelve piece choir, live string section, piano, guitars and basses often heavily treated and manipulated with electronic effects. Much of the composition and recording was started before filming commenced and was based on the script and discussions between Rob Lord and director David van Eyssen. The music was refined further during the edit period and final changes to the score were made during mix sessions for the film at Lotus Audio Santa Monica.

Awards

In January 2012, RCVR was honored at the International Academy of Web Television Awards, held at the Venetian Hotel in Las Vegas, with three prizes: Best Dramatic Series (accepted by David van Eyssen), Best Male Lead (Daniel Bonjour) and Best Cinematographer (Joost van Starrenburg). The series received twelve nominations from the IAWTV.

Episodes

Notes
  1. "'H+ the Digital Series' takes the online series to new heights". Los Angeles Times. 10 August 2012.
  2. Indiewire, 6 Oct. 2011
  3. RCVR - YouTube
  4. Buzzfeed, Sept. 2011
  5. Open Minds, 22 Sept. 2011
  6. Atkinson, Chris (22 September 2011). [reelseo.com/rcvr-machinima-web-series/ "RCVR Series Is Machinima's Answer To X-Files And Lost"] Check |url= value (help). Retrieved 26 June 2015.

References
  • Variety Wallenstein, Andrew. "Could the Fall's Best Series NOT Be on TV? Meet 'RCVR'." Variety, 21 Sept. 2011.
  • Indiewire "Making Content Too Good For YouTube: How 'RCVR' Found 2.6 Million Views in Two Weeks." Indie Wire, 6 Oct. 2011.
  • Buzzfeed "Web Show Takes On Alien Abductions In 'RCVR'." Buzz Feed, Sept. 2011.
  • Digiday Shields, Mike. "Machinima Scores With Scripted Drama." Digiday. 7 Oct. 2011.
  • Open Minds McClellan, Jason. "New Web Series Explores UFOs, Extraterrestrials." Open Minds | UFO Investigations, UFO News and a UFO Magazine. 22 Sept. 2011.
  • I Am Rogue Powell, Jenni. "Web Content Corner With Jenni Powell: David Van Eyssen Interview." I Am Rogue. 10 Oct. 2011.
  • Tubefilter Hustvedt, Marc. "'RCVR' Premieres on Machinima, Online Drama Is Getting Good Now." Tubefilter - YouTube, Web Series, Web TV and Online Video News. 21 Sept. 2011
  • ScienceFiction.com Hardbarger, Bryan. "'RCVR: Little Green Men' - Recap." Science Fiction (sci-fi) News, Books, TV, Movies, Comic Books, Video Games and More... Sept. 2011
  • Web Television Observer Benzakein, Dan. "RCVR, Une Serie Web Qui Rivalise Avec Les Fictions TV." Web Television Observer. 21 Oct. 2011.
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