Written by Liz Shannon Miller
Posted Wednesday, April 1, 2009 at 10:00 AM PT

 

Dictated But Not Read Captivates In Capturing the Temping Zeitgeist

Read, watch, review and rate Dictated But Not Read »
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Website for this show »
  • Premiere: April 1, 2009
  • Length: 13 minutes an episode
  • Budget: Medium
Cast
  • Lucie: Claire Wellesley
  • Jonathan: Jonathan Frakes
Crew
  • Writer / Director / Executive Producer / Cinematographer / Editor / Sound: Marty Rossum
Awards
  • 2009 Streamy Awards: Best Comedy, Best Drama?
Web series production, let’s face it, can be a gamble — especially for the independent creator, who’s often funding the bulk of the production out-of-pocket, with no guarantee of success. But for those who put all their metaphorical chips on black, sometimes the YouTube roulette wheel has the courtesy to stop where it should. And that’s the case with Dictated But Not Read, from first-time writer/director Marty Rossum.

You might argue that that the mockumentary/vlog hybrid Dictated is treading similar ground as previous series, such as quarterlife, but the truth is that while we’ve listened plenty to Angelenos in their mid-20s, the voice of a disaffected 28-year-old Sherman Oaks temporary worker (“temp”) has rarely had a chance to be heard. And as a spokesperson for this subculture, Lucie (Claire Wellesley) is a compelling lead, bringing pathos to the world of temps working specifically in the entertainment industry.

Struggling with familial pressure to set up a Roth IRA while working for $18 an hour, Lucie is haunted by memories of her recent firing, the mystery behind which adds some powerful stakes to the ongoing narrative (and has also been spun off into an upcoming ARG component). Part film noir vixen, part screwball comedienne, Wellesley adds both pathos and wit to the proceedings: a delightful running gag is her continual inability to remember to pick up a present for her best friend’s baby shower, despite the fact that she lives next door to a Kids R’ Us.

The almost Dogma-esque choice to shoot every scene, including Lucie’s office and the local 7/11, within the confines of Rossum’s apartment gives the series a charming low-fi quality that reminds audiences of Michel Gondry’s more inspired efforts. But, even though he’s working with a cast derived mostly from his friends, Rossum does have one ace up his sleeve — he’s the second cousin of Star Trek: The Next Generation’s Jonathan Frakes.

“I called him up and reminded him of the money he owes my mom,” Rossum deadpanned via phone, “and he came by to do a few scenes, no problem.” Frakes is a major draw as the delightfully jaded owner of the temp agency that staffs out Lucie and her friends, adding extra life to the three shots in which he appears during the first six episodes made available for preview. Also, Rossum was lucky enough to have some costs defrayed with minimal sponsorship (although, watching Frakes knowingly wink as he hands Lucie a carefully-displayed box of Kotex on her way to the bathroom is just the slightest bit creepy).

Ultimately, Dictated represents a bold step forward for the medium, an epic revision of what we thought online video could do. At least, as far as I could tell in the minute and a half I was able to watch before the player froze on me and I switched over to watching videos of cats. Streamy winner next year? Only time will tell — but for now, it’s got my vote.

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Topic: Random Stuff, Shows & Stars

Comments (5)

  • OMG!!!!!1 Your clearly a total n00b when it comes to this show! Johnathan Fraikes is totally not the reason to watch! Nobody even watches that old star treck anymore or cares about it’s old ass stars.

    If you put the clues togather, any fan can figure out why she was fired. First, go to the charactor’s facebook profile and you cna see that she was posting from her job constantly, about how boring the job is. Also, there are clues like the shot of her appointment calendar saying “booze cruise with Rachel” on a work night.

    This is my favorite show evar!! I loved when she ate floor hot dogs at 7-11!!!!1

    Adam — 10:38 AM on April 1, 2009 Reply

  • I smell….instant success! I can’t wait for the entire series! I expect commentary on them all….very excited!

    Alex A — 10:58 AM on April 1, 2009 Reply

  • Look, Liz often I find your reviews to be insightful, unbiased, and pleasingly right leaning, but this one goes too far. First of all, it’s “Dictated But Not Read, Good Job!”; Marty is a huge fan of Tim and Eric and wanted to pay homage to his mentors in comedy. Nice “reporting”.

    Second, technically not every scene is shot in Marty’s apartment- the dream sequence in ep01 has a shot looking down outside from the balcony to the street below, which is technically outside, making this review a farce of journalistic integrity.

    Also, I noticed in the credits of ep01 in the “Special Thanks” section there is a one “Lizlet” thanked. WEIRD.

    While the show has now been viewed over 12Million times, it is mostly due to the fact that it is in fact an extended campaign for the new Fox reality show “Temps” and they have thrown ungodly amounts of money into view/ratings rigging, prime placement on Youtube and Myspace, and a banner ad campaign that I would argue borders on child pornography. This is not a case of the “YouTube roulette wheel” stopping where it should, this is a case of corporate Old Media cramming more self-promotion down our throats, and you bought it hook line and sinker.

    BTW: I am a fan of the show, despite all I just said- Christy is HOT as the secretary!!

    Andy Cochrane — 11:07 AM on April 1, 2009 Reply

  • @Andy — Yes, Marty did thank me in the credits, but that was for lending him the giant sunglasses used in episode 1, and had no effect on the outcome of this review. Really, if that was a factor it would have negatively affected my opinion of the series, given the fact that I had to drive to and from the Valley during rush hour in order to drop them off.

    And, sure, maybe I missed the Fox tie-in initially, but you can’t deny that the series has achieved that success largely on its own merits. Plus, “child pornography”? Sometimes a baby smoking a cigar is just a baby smoking a cigar, as Freud would say.

    Liz Shannon Miller — 11:38 AM on April 1, 2009 Reply

  • To think critics referred to “The Wire” as great modern literature. The bar has been raised, people.

    Kirby Ferguson — 12:16 PM on April 1, 2009 Reply

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