Indie Web Series: Phase 6
Phase 6 is a scripted web drama on the “New York Girls TV” YouTube channel. This channel specializes in making shows that highlight the experiences of women of color from within the LGBTQ spectrum and has 138,000 subscribers. Amira Shaunice is the driving force behind the operation of the channel, producing and directing close to every featured web series, including Phase 6.
We begin season 1 following Jessica (Peighton Bryant), a bisexual New Yorker in her mid-twenties, as she struggles to recover from her most recent break-up. She lets the audience know that there are six phases to a break-up and that she is still stuck on phase one. This breaking of the fourth wall is not unique to the first episode, or even the first scene of every episode. Throughout the series, Jessica directly addresses the audience in different asides, expressing exactly what is going through her mind as events transpire.
After a scene where Tammy (Supreme Bae), goads Jessica into rescheduling a meeting with her mother, we are quickly introduced to Frankie (Jaiiy D. Moses), the primary love interest, nonchalantly strolling down the city street with her headphones in. From the very first shot, we can tell that Frankie is a well-crafted romantic foil for our protagonist. One can tell this is the case simply through the characterization of Jessica as indoors and anxious, while Frankie is outdoors and unbothered.
While the budding romantic relationship between these two unique humans is the engine that keeps the series intriguing, as the episodes continue, we begin to see the secondary characters act on their own motivations and become stronger in their convictions. Victoria (Bobbi Owens), Jessica’s Mother, is trying to reconnect with her daughter, reactivating and navigating the trauma she inflicted on Jessica regarding her sexuality. Meanwhile, Tammy is trying to activate a romantic relationship with Jessica, a next step that she has desired for a long time.
While these 15-20 minute conflicts may seem simple by themselves, Phase 6 does an excellent job of balancing these plot threads and how they intertwine. Shaunice is careful to make sure that no character is lacking when it comes to their personal motivations. One way this is apparent in the cinematic technique is using flashbacks. Normally, when a flashback occurs, the audience sees an entire scene from the past color the present moment. In Phase 6, sometimes the flashback deliberately withholds half of what happened before revisiting to the present, only for the rest of the flashback to play at a moment where a direct parallel from the past is drawn alongside the present. This nonlinear style enhances the storytelling because the flashback feels less like a device for delivering exposition, and more like a living memory for the characters.
This hyper-focus on character-driven storytelling expresses itself through uncommon narrative techniques. Additionally, the actors express it themselves outside of their characters. After every episode, there is a discussion segment, where the actors speak directly to the audience about how they are approaching and thinking about their characters. Through these talk-backs, one notices that the common thread connecting the characters, the actors, and the audience is relatability. Every character in the series is going through a unique journey of self-actualization as they navigate the conflicts and relationships in the series.
In a separate 3-minute video, the director herself discusses the process of writing and producing Phase 6. She describes the series as therapeutic for her, and it shows. The tacit encouragement of audience engagement within the show itself is present through Jessica’s 4th wall breaks, and the direct engagement through the actor interviews can also be described as therapeutic. The willingness to speak to the audience sets the series apart as something special, and actively inviting the audience to see themselves in the story makes Phase 6 a truly remarkable piece of storytelling.
