Tune in Tomorrow

Mary Kate Maltzan (above) pivots in a fencing scene taped February 8 for the episodic Ski Vixens from the X Dimension. The Ski Vixens online soap is described as part Orpheus myth, part B-movie musical, and part science fiction spectacular. (Photograph by Olivier Laude)

h, those sexy, scheming, secretive soap opera characters. Wouldn't you like to know what they're really thinking when they say "I love you," or what they write in their diaries when no one is looking? Of course you would, and that's one of the main reasons why online soap operas -- known as "episodics" -- are beginning to draw loyal followings.

"The Spot", "Union Squared", "The Ferndale Experiment", and other episodics offer much of the intrigue and outlandish plot lines that their television counterparts do, but with an important difference: These soaps are interactive. Through email and chat sessions, audiences talk back to the characters, exchange messages with other devotees of the program, and even become part of the story themselves. The interactive format also gives viewers a chance to take a peek at the characters' diaries (The Ferndale Experiment) or read their innermost thoughts (Union Squared). With a TV-based soap opera, there's nothing more complicated to read than a character's body language.

Ski Vixens also features an Elvis impersonator (left) and a chainsaw-wielding beaver. (Photograph by Olivier Laude)

Sharon gets makeup before a Union Squared shoot. (Photograph by Nicole Bengiveno)

Characters of The Spot mourn at the funeral of one of their roommates. (Photograph by Aaron Chang)

Spot characters Kim and Michelle pucker up for one of the serial's episodes. (Photograph by Aaron Chang)

On February 8, crews on both coasts were busy behind the scenes. Near Los Angeles, the cast of The Spot acted out a birthday party and a funeral. At a ski resort in California's Sierra Nevada mountains, a group from the San Francisco Bay Area was videotaping segments for something called "Ski Vixens from the X Dimension." And in New York City, actors and photographers worked on the latest installment of Union Squared.

Despite their interactive advantage, episodics can't compete visually with TV soaps -- yet. The Ski Vixens serial, for instance, consists of 25 video installments of 5 minutes each and began cybercasting in May 1996. Audiences must wait as the videos are downloaded, and they'll need the required software to view the episodes. Still, the potential is enormous, both for viewers and for budding producers.

"Storytelling has long been at the heart of community," says Gayle Hanson, Ski Vixens' creator. "But the age of television has largely reduced the audience to a passive community of watchers. I believe very strongly that the World Wide Web has changed that. It has created a truly global community in which anyone with access to a computer, some programming skills, and a video camera can do what we're doing."

The Spot:http://www.thespot.com/
Union Squared:http://totalny.com/city/union
Ferndale:http://www.ferndale.com