The Book of Jer3miah
| The Book of Jer3miah | |
|---|---|
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of episodes | 10 |
| Production | |
| Running time | 3-5 min. |
| Original release | |
| Network | distributed online |
| Release | Feb 3, 2009 – present |
The Book of Jer3miah is a web series created by a group of Brigham Young University students and faculty members that premiered on February 3rd, 2009. Season one will comprise of 17 three- to five-minute webisodes. The first three webisodes were shown in the Varsity Theatre on the Brigham Young University campus as well as online. Subsequent episodes debut online every Friday.
The show also incorporates an alternate reality game with its hub at thedavenportpapers.com.
Concept
The series is a pioneering program aimed to produce New Media for Latter Day Saint audiences. It was designed and intended to be a participation drama. The project uses Vimeo and YouTube for video hosting, and involves viewers through Twitter, Facebook, and custom Ning networks. It is a class project created by Theater & Media Arts associate professor Jeff Parkin and produced by Jeff Parkin, Jared Cardon and over 30 students. Without a textbook, the planning and conceptualization for the series were assisted by concepts derived from readings in Wired magazine and the writing of Henry Jenkins and Gideon Burton.
The webisodes incorporate themes from The Book of Mormon and the plot involves Utah and Mormon folklore, especially myths and Indian legends surrounding Manti, UT. In addition to traditional webisodes, the project includes an interactive online experience through TheDavenportPapers.com, zoobynews.com, and other sites. Viewers work together to uncover the plot of the series from clues within the show and online puzzles. The game also extends to physical clues around the Brigham Young University campus including statues, plaques, and GPS locations where more clues are hidden.
Influences
The project is inspired by Web 2.0 fiction like Gemini Division. It mirrors the interactive nature of Bungee’s I Love Bees experience, The Truth About Marika, and the BMW The Hire game. It is the first known university-sponsored web series that uses transmedia storytelling, and also the first Latter Day Saint themed web series.
Plot Overview
Jeremiah Whitney, a college freshman at an unnamed university, is the main character. The series follows him as he defends his life and the lives of his friends from the mysterious conspiracies around him. When his parents are mysteriously murdered, Jeremiah and his roommate Porter try to solve their mystery while running for their lives.
Plot
Jeremiah Whitney, a college freshman at an unnamed university (most likely Brigham Young) in Provo is the main character. The series follows him as he defends his life and the lives of his friends from the mysterious conspiracies around him. When his parents are mysteriously murdered, Jeremiah and his roommate Porter try to solve their mystery while running for their lives.
Episodes
| Episode | Title | Released |
|---|---|---|
| 1.01 | "A gift, A Record" | 3 February 2009 |
| 1.02 | "A Sacred Trust" | 4 February 2009 |
| 1.03 | "Detour" | 5 February 2009 |
| 1.04 | "Porter's Call" | 12 February 2009 |
| 1.05 | "Departure" | 20 February 2009 |
| 1.06 | "Coming Home" | 27 February 2009 |
| 1.07 | "Back to School" | 6 March 2009 |
| 1.08 | "Abide With Me" | 13 March 2009 |
| 1.09 | "Lineage" | 13 March 2009 |
| 1.10 | "Constance" | 13 March 2009 |
Episode 1: A Gift, A Record Jeremiah’s parents are in town for a family reunion and give him a camcorder for his birthday. They meet Porter, his obnoxious roommate, and find a mysterious envelope in their locked car directing them to Manti, UT.
Episode 2: A Sacred Trust As they drive to Manti the family is nearly hit by a reckless semi-truck driver. They arrive at the Manti City Library where a woman sneaks them in through a back door. She leads them deep into the catacombs of the library to a locker. The combination is Jeremiah’s real birthday, not the birthday he’s always believed. The locker opens and the woman pulls out a dark mysterious box. She explains extremely important rules about caring for the box, and Jeremiah is hesitant to accept the responsibility. Someone starts pounding on the back door, and the Holy Spirit directs Jeremiah to take the box.
Episode 3: Detour Back on the road to the family reunion, Jeremiah is upset that his parents lied about his birthday, and that they don’t listen to his spiritual promptings. After convincing them to pull over at a gas station he runs inside with the mysterious box. After staring at the mirror for a few moments, Jeremiah is harassed by the suspicious attendant. The attendant sneaks up on Jeremiah and tries to steal the box from him. Suddenly a semi-truck slams into his Parent’s van outside, and Jeremiah runs out to save them, dropping his camcorder and the box. Gloved hands pick the box up from the ground.
Episode 4: Porter's Call A police officer interrogates Jeremiah about the incident. Jeremiah watches the footage on his camcorder, and gets a ride home from the officer. A dark car is parked outside his dorm. He gets a text message from an unknown number. His roommates Porter, Brian and Simon are playing with action figures, but Jeremiah ignores them and crashes on his bed. Porter sees the dark car parked outside, and sits in the doorway to guard the room overnight.
Episode 5: Departure Jeremiah has yet to tell anyone of the previous day’s occurences, but the news is spreading quickly. He goes to breakfast, and is met there by Lilah and Porter, followed by Claire and Megan.
Episode 6: Coming Home Jeremiah has a sobering trip home to New York. After his parents' funeral, he returns home only to find his home ablaze and an unfamiliar truck in the driveway. Fleeing the scene, he finds an envelope addressed to him in the mailbox. Inside are the records of his adoption.
Episode 7: Back to School Jeremiah arrives back at his dorm after his harrowing trip to New York. He is repeatedly invited to a dorm function, but insists he needs to just go back to his room. He arrives at his room to find it ransacked.
Episode 8: Abide With Me Jeremiah runs from an attacker. His roommate Porter arrives shortly thereafter to find Simon tied up and the room in disarray. While Porter rushes to find Jeremiah, Brian comes in and takes pictures, claiming that he is the light that will reveal the truth. Porter eventually finds Jeremiah and helps him in the nick of time.
Episode 9: Lineage Jeremiah and the other students at his university return to classes at their University. Curiosity about Jeremiah's parentage continues, as he refuses to believe that he is adopted. His peers continue to seek after the truth of his lineage before a professor in his Old Testament class helps him understand an important part of who he is.
Episode 10: Constance Finally giving in to his roommate Porter's nagging, Jeremiah goes to the Family History center to try to find out who his biological parents are. There he is helped by Lilah's Grandmother, Constance. A mysterious man shows up outside the family history center and gives Constance a message to give to Jeremiah.
Press
On February 2 2009 The Daily Universe [1] ran an article about The Book of Jer3miah, including interviews with series creators Jeff Parkin and Jared Cardon. [1]
On March 6 2009 The Daily Universe [2] ran another article about The Book of Jer3miah, this time focusing on the ARG aspect of the show and only interviewing participants of the game. [2]