Second Life to get HBO treatment

It's not just TV, it's Second Life TV on HBO. The cable movie giant announced today it picked up the documentary "My Second Life: The Video Diaries of Molotov Alva."

According to Variety, the film was shot entirely in the popular virtual universe Second Life. Reuters reports that HBO paid six-figures for the rights to Alva.

The animated film follows the life of Alva, an avatar of real life director Douglas Gayeton. Alva's purpose is to discover the creator of Second Life, but is instead met and deals with a number of situations and colorful characters. Gayeton says the documentary follows a man who "disappeared from his California home" and begins issuing video dispatches from Second Life. "There is nothing outside Second Life I could have done; the only way to find a creator of Second Life is from the inside. I had to deal with everything directors deal with in the real world, like weather and unruly crowds. And then I had problems you don't have in the real world, like I'd show up one day and the location would be gone." Gayeton said.

HBO plans a total of seven mini-episodes of "My Second Life," each exploring a different subculture within the virtual world, including "Furries," "Cyberpunks," "Neo-Luddites," "Sex Slaves" and "the King of the Hobos." The pilot episode of "My Second Life" is currently available on YouTube and the documentary is scheduled for release sometime in 2008.

Second Life says some 8 million people have inhabited the online world at one time or another. But while it has a nice buzz, there are indications the site may be losing at least some of its luster. In the past month, several of the big brands that trumpeted their arrival on the site are quietly backing away. The lack of visitors or any sound strategic rationale for being there have begun to affect many of them. American Apparel has all but given up on its virtual store, citing the criticism it has received and "insignificant" sales. Starwood is also set to leave the site. Only Coca-Cola is bullish about Second Life, according to this article on theage.com.