Spin-off is a word that is almost unfamiliar to a wide circle of inhabitants. Only the most avid movie fans may know what it is. From this article you can find out what is hidden behind this term.
Origin of the term
Spin-off is an offshoot of an existing popular work of art - a book, film, series, computer game. This is an attempt to use a product already known to viewers, readers or users to obtain even greater commercial benefits. Simply put, spin-offs are the operation of an already hyped series, movie, book or computer toy.
The name of the term is an abbreviation of English commercial spin-off, which literally means "commercial extra income."
What kind of work can give life to spin-offs?
What could be the subject of a spin-off? Only that work of art that has long and constant success. If this is a series, then it should go on the screen for at least 3-4 seasons. If it’s a book, it must be an incredible bestseller. But more often than not - this is a series of books. The same rules apply to computer games. The most common occurrence is the spin-off of the series.
The difference between the spin-off and the sequel
A sequel is an artistic continuation of a story told in a book, series, or film. There are many examples of this: a series of books about Harry Potter, the trilogy of Alexander Dumas about the musketeers, the space saga "Star Wars". Here is a direct continuation of the events that happen to the main characters.
Spin-offs are a continuation of the story not of the main characters, but of secondary ones. Also, the main theme of events in the original work will not be the topic of a spin-off. It is assumed that the commercial sequel should become better and more interesting than the original, as the audience is already familiar with the characters and approximately aware of the events that will be told in the sequel. Practice shows that this does not always work.
Spin offs of popular TV shows
The most successful series can have several side branches. “Doctor Who” broke all records in this regard. He boasts that he gave birth to four new series at once. However, only one of them was successful - “Torchwood”, telling about captain Jack Harkness, one of the doctor’s associates.
However, there are examples of successful spin-offs. This is the Ancients series, a by-product of the highly successful Vampire Diaries project. Despite the fact that the original of the series continues to successfully go on screens, its spin-off was released on October 3 and was in demand among the viewer.
Of the domestic branches of well-known series, the most successful were SashaTanya and Univer. New hostel. "
Other recent works of art have also given rise to such recent TV shows as The Supernatural and The Walking Dead, as well as a series of films about the adventures of Harry Potter. As for The Walking Dead, the success of the first episodes was so high that the creators of the project decided to use it as quickly as possible and announced the launch of a new series on the same theme of the post-apocalyptic world inhabited by terrible zombies. So far, it is only known that the series will feature completely new heroes, and not secondary characters of The Walking Dead. The announcement of the pilot series is planned for 2015.
Supernatural spin-offs - title and heroes
A veteran of fantasy detectives - the series Supernatural, released in 2005 - finished its 9th season this spring. 10 years on the screen did not reduce the popularity of the Winchester brothers, the main characters. A contract has already been signed with the actors to continue filming season 10. And a surprise was prepared for fans of the series: episode 20 of the 9th season became a pilot screening of the Supernatural spin-off. The heroes of this series, telling about the war of two clans of monsters in Chicago, will become the main characters of the new series. Whether the Winchester brothers themselves will appear in the new film is still unknown.
There are problems with the name. It was initially decided to name the series Supernatural: Clans. But now there is information about another alleged name, under which it was decided to promote a new project - “Supernatural: Kinship.” Nothing has been announced about the release date of the series, although there has been information that there has not yet been a place for the Kinship spin-off in the broadcasting network of the CW television channel. Perhaps the producers considered the new series not as promising as its original. What will happen next - time will tell.
Spin-off Harry Potter - the return of a fairy tale world
In 2016, an offshoot of the Harry Potter series is planned. As you know, Joan Rowling gave the vow to no longer write about the boy with the scar. But the writer could not part with the fairy-tale universe she created. She wrote the book Fantastic Beasts and Their Habitats. This is a textbook of magical creatures that Harry and his friends taught.
The series, it was decided to name the same as the book. Events in it will occur long before the birth of Harry and his main opponent. This will be a completely different story based on the works of Rowling. It remains only to wait for the release of a new series, which promises to be interesting.