Austen novel basis for student web series

Twelve Warwick students have created a new TV show based on Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility.

The show, called Elinor and Marianne Take Barton, is broadcast on YouTube at 5pm on Fridays and follows the experiences of two sisters during their first year of university.

The series is made up of 32 six to eight minute long episodes and writing was finished in May 2014. The series gives a modern spin on Sense and Sensibility, with the characters using Twitter and Tumblr.

The show receives funding and support from the Lord Rootes Memorial Fund.

Olivia Cole, film and literature undergraduate and director and co-writer of the project, said: “Elinor and Marianne Take Barton is an updated web-series version of Sense and Sensibility, set at university.

“Although we’ve taken some creative license, the story mostly follows sisters Elinor and Marianne Dashwood as they attempt to navigate university life.”

She also commented on the high number of viewers that the show receives, saying: “The online response to Barton has been really ridiculously exciting – each episode now gets over 1,000 hits in a matter of days, and the channel currently has about 35,000 views and 1,300 subscribers.

“Most of our audience actually come from the United States – which is quite funny as they apparently like the ‘posh’ accents of our cast!”

She added: “Many of our cast and crew are interested in working professionally in film, media and theatre, but I think what was especially great for our cast was getting screen acting experience. The drama scene at Warwick is amazing but student films are still starting out here.”

“Experience in both disciplines is really helpful for anyone who wants to work in performance related areas. Fortunately, in the last few years there have been loads of student film projects produced independently and from WTV.”