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Instagram is getting ready to let its users enjoy watching a series of videos on their device. Earlier today, they have announced their newest venture into the world of video. Along with this announcement, they have introduced their first original video series entitled Shield 5. The show is directed by Anthony Wilcox, the same director as Hello Carter; Adam Dewar co-created and wrote the script for the show. Shield 5 stars Christian Cooke, Elliot Gleave, Wallis Day, and Kieran O’Brien. Its producers include Mark Hopkins, Declan Reddington, and Julian Bird of Lorton Entertainment as the executive producer.
The show follows the story of an on-the-run security driver named John Swift, who was framed for being involved in a diamond heist. It might not exactly be an entirely new plot but it’s interesting to see how the director has prepared each video in a 15-second format. Since each show is only available for 15 seconds, the series will sporadically uploaded throughout the month. It is said to have a total of 28 episodes, which comes down to about 7 minutes. Apart from the 15-second episode, each post will come with a photograph noted to have an important part in the story. The first episode is scheduled to arrive today, February 2nd.
This new form of viewing content is being called as “social cinema.” Right now, it’s unsure why Instagram has decided to test the waters and dive into this venture. But considering the nature of their app, it could be because they are giving social photo service a chance and see if it could be a potentially good way to raise income. Especially since a large part of the income of Instagram depends on the ads it receives, a scripted video series just might do the trick. The concept of scripted shows isn’t exactly new. It was first attempted by Snapchat but that didn’t go quite well. To be honest though, Instagram’s idea of a video series does sound promising. With a 15-second video, you can’t really expect an intricate plot for the show. Not unless the video series becomes a hit and Instagram decides to expand on it. Check out the first episode of the show which is set to go live today.