I’ve said it before with other web series that I’ve reviewed that when looking for a new web series, it can be difficult to find one that really grabs hold of you from the start.  The latest web series I’ve watched is called Guidestones and to be honest, I didn’t even have to watch the first episode before my curiosity was piqued.  Just looking at the website was enough for me and I’ll tell you why.  Because it’s intriguing and has a conspiracy theory driven plot.  Say no more, sign me up!

Guidestones is an interactive (the first I’ve seen of its kind) web series with a story that is based on the mysterious, and real, Georgia Guidestones.  Sandy Rai and Trevor Shale are originally paired up to complete a photojournalism assignment for school.  But what starts as a simple project about architecture soon takes the two students from Canada, to Georgia and even India as they try to figure out the clues to uncover what looks to be global conspiracy.

Sounds like the stuff that feature films are made of right?  First off, the Georgia Guidestones are interesting enough.  If you don’t know about them, they’re a mystery unto themselves.  They originally appeared in an open field back in 1979 in Elbert County, Georgia.  The megalith is an eight sided granite monument that has ten guidelines, or commandments if you will, engraved on each side, in eight different languages.  These aren’t THE 10 Commandments however.  They are something else entirely.  A man using a pseudonym had them made and erected, but what his real name was and the reasoning behind the structure is unknown.

This may not be the first interactive web series to be created, but it’s the first one that I’ve followed and the format lends itself to the mystery of the story.  Episodes are emailed in “real time”, meaning you may get several in a row, or you may not get one for a couple of days depending on how much time passes in the story itself.  There are 50 episodes total, and you can view it one of two ways.  The casual viewer may opt to just watch the story unfold.  The more inquisitive and in-depth viewer has the opportunity to follow along and look for clues along the way that will lead to additional information and content.  By content I mean, other videos, web sites, photos, etc.  Either way you get the story in full.  Eventually a linear version will be released that will allow you to watch it from beginning to end, but that may take the fun out of it for some.  Either way, the combination of fact and fiction mixed in with conspiracy theories and murder mysteries is enough to engage any level of viewer.

Another area in which this web series excels is in its production.  This series has an incredibly polished look, and was shot on location in Canada, the United States and India.  I’ve not seen any other web series take on so many locations and look as good as this one does.  Director Jay Ferguson certainly knows what he’s doing and it all comes across on-screen.  The cast is just one more ace in the whole as well.  I’ve seen quite a few web series where the acting leaves something to be desired, but every member of this cast is stellar.  Especially the leads Supinder Wraich (Sandy) and Dan Fox (Trevor).  Each of them works well off the other and truly immerses themselves in their characters.

That fact that this is a web series and not an actual feature film boggles my mind.  It beats some of the stuff I’ve seen in the theater in recent memory and it’s original and fresh, which is a nice change of pace from the reboots and sequels that litter the cinemas these days.

If you like mysteries, conspiracy theories, and puzzles, then this is the web series for you.  Check out the website Guidenstones.org to sign up for the mailing list and the first episode will reach you in no time.  You can also check out the Facebook and Twitter pages as well.

If you don’t want to commit just yet, check out the trailer below and you may change your mind.

About the author

Tracy Ladd has written 534 articles on this blog.

Tracy has been writing about film since her days on the her high school newspaper. Even though she took a decade or two off to explore other things, she's back to doing what she loves. She also bakes, can knit a pretty nifty scarf and makes lightsaber sounds with her knitting needles. Or chopsticks. Especially with the lightsaber chopsticks. Follow her on Twitter: @ReelGoddess

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This entry was posted on Thursday, June 7th, 2012 at 10:05 am and is filed under Web Series. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.