1. Introduction
[1.1] One of the first feature-length documentary films to take on the subject of online relationships, "IRL (In Real Life)" chronicles the life, death, and afterlife of an online community called The Bronze, made up of fans from the official Web site for Buffy, the Vampire Slayer. The documentary looks at the process and also the consequences that come from making friends through online fandom activity, and explores the integration of those relationships into "real" life.
[1.2] In 2003, I began a video project about the Bronzer community, even as the television series that had drawn the group together was about to come to an end. Traveling across the United States and Canada from 2003 to 2004, I recorded interviews and filmed gatherings, accumulating over 25 hours of footage. The resulting documentary provides an inside look at an early time in the growth not just of online fan groups but of online communities as a whole, providing a unique perspective on the way our interactions with other people on the Internet have changed—or not changed—over the last decade.
2. Interview
3. Note
[3.1] The full version of "IRL" is available for sale through my e-store. A $5 discount off the regular price is available for OTW members and readers here: http://www.dlfilms.com/irl/index.html.