Since his career began, Osorio has impressed readers around the globe with his storytelling capabilities. While working on the comic strip Alienados, he told the tale of confused aliens learning about arts and culture, and with his children’s novel Cosas Que Nadie Sabe, he explained why things the way they are in a fun and unique way. However, earlier this year, Osorio branched out into television, working on the web series Hollywood.
“Writing for a new medium is always exciting, even more so when this medium is so strong these days and growing even stronger. These days, web series creators are one step away from getting a creative job with any television network or digital platform. Also, finding creative ways to solve storytelling issues for such a short format was challenging and a very interesting learning experience,” said Osorio.
This web series is dedicated to young aspiring actors. It is about the most terrifying stage for actors: the casting call. In each episode, the actors attend casting calls and become their roles. There are six episodes: The Terrorist, The Lover, The Student, The Bull, The Make-up Artist, The Suit. Osorio wrote the episode The Student.
Hollywood premiered on Vice and Vimeo earlier this year, and has been extremely successful with audiences and critics. It’s list of accolades include: Winner 2017 London Independent Film Award, Winner 2017 Berlin Flash Film Festival, Winner 2017 LifeArt Festival (Athens), Winner 2017 Best Actress Sicily Web Festival, Official Selection 2017 Raindance Film Festival (London), Official Selection 2017 HollyWeb Festival (Los Angeles), Special Screening Universal Studios April 2017, Official Selection 2017 Barcelona Planet Film Festival, Official Selection 2017 Bucharest ShortCut CineFest, Official Selection 2017 Filmmatic International Short Film Festival (Los Angeles), Artist Circle 2017 The NOVA Northern Virginia Film and Music Festival, Official Selection 2017 The New Hope Film Festival, Official Selection 2017 Asia Web Awards, Official Selection 2017 Wendie WebFest Hamburg, Official Selection 2017 Seoul Web Festival, Official Selection 2017 Long Beach Indie International Film Festival, and Official Selection 2017 Barcelona International Short Film and Video Festival.
“Getting that much recognition when it’s your first time working on a new format is very exciting. It certifies that I have a good understanding of the format, and now I feel empowered to try new and riskier things,” said Osorio.
The series was directed by Clementine Clarke. The director knew she needed talented writers to make her show a success, which is why she approached Osorio. She knew of his abilities as a writer, and wanted him to help generate new and exciting ideas for the episodes for in series. After some brainstorming sessions, the episodes became more than simply an idea, but a script outline.
“Victor is a very talented writer, easy to work with, and helps elevate other people’s ideas. He is a great team player and a very collaborative person. Hollywood would not have been the same without him,” said Clarke.
For Osorio, writing the web series was similar to writing his children’s book. As a writer, he tells any story he writes with extreme brevity. Applying that knowledge to the audio-visual format was simply different rather than challenging for the writer. Visual storytelling has its own structure and narrative tricks. He had to be very concise and precise with the words and visual imagery that he decided to use. Internet media must have a very strong pacing or else the audience loses interest. At the same time, films and shows need to be well-balanced. Finding the perfect union between such requirements can be difficult, but Osorio managed it easily. He also says working with Clarke was the ideal situation, and collaborating on the project was extremely fulfilling. Not many writers can write with others on the same piece of paper, and adapting to this style can require a drastic shift in thinking. However, Osorio remains humble, and his ego never gets in the way of the success of a project.
“My inspiration for this was the crazy life of Hollywood and the tribulations that actors need to go through to make anything happen in this industry. For a short period of time, I tried being an actor in Spain and the casting sessions were usually tense and uncomfortable events. I drew from all those personal experiences and from all the tales and stories that one hears in Hollywood,” Osorio concluded.
Be sure to check out the web series Hollywood.