More and more traditional and newbie filmmakers are jumping into the
web series production world, faster than ever before. You may already
know why creating a web series is a good idea, but below I list some
reasons that you possibly haven’t considered on why creating a web
series is definitely a solid idea!
1. You can do a lot with very little – Creating a
web series is extremely low cost compared to creating a TV series. With
more options than ever before for financing and funding a web series,
Kickstarter
and other donation sites are becoming (some) filmmakers best friends.
Sure, raising hundreds or thousands of dollars is never an easy
assignment, but if you have a compelling story to tell and can
emotionally connect with funding individuals with money to burn, then
crowdfunding may work especially well for your project. If you can’t
raise the ideal funding you’re looking for from the outside world, then
consider hustling for a few bucks from your friends, family, and out of
your own pocket to send things into motion. Be scrappy and creative
because entertaining videos can be created for little or no money at
all, and have the potential to reach millions of viewers across the
world.
2. Cross Promotion – Individuals in the web series
space are very open to cross promotional ideas if it means growing their
audience. If you create a web series look for other shows in your genre
and reach out to the creators/producers to strike up some top level
marketing conversations. Don’t go overboard though otherwise your
viewers will feel used and abused. Try to come off as offering them
value for discovering new entertaining content that may interest them to
watch and share. Be authentic, and listen.
3. No gatekeepers – It seems pretty fun and
exciting to think about creating a TV series doesn’t it?! The truth is
it’s a tough business to get into, the chances of your show getting
picked up are pretty much zero percent, and if it does get picked up the
chances of it staying “on air” after just one season are slim to none
and slim just left the station. With a web series you have lots of
freedom, so put together a tight script, and start building your team
with members who can visually execute your story and fulfill your
vision. If you need to build a team, then consider posting your project
on
Spidvid.
4. No rules – You don’t need to worry about securing
FCC approvals, or bureaucratic stumbling blocks. As long as you don’t
break video sharing website’s terms of agreements, then you’re fine. You
may want to read up on them real quick before you film anything to make
sure your content will fit within their relatively loose restrictions.
There may come a day when more red flags are raised forcing you to tone
things down a bit, but that time isn’t happening anytime soon so get
creative and push the envelop.
5. You may actually succeed – Let’s be honest here;
not many web series see big time success. The ones that do have hundreds
of thousands or millions of regular viewers, and manage to secure deals
with top consumer brands to bake their products directly into the
content. Branded entertainment is a fast growing market, so be sure that
your content is “brand safe” and that you can easily accommodate a
product in your story without disrupting it.
Have a 6th reason to add on why to create a web series? The comments are all yours below!
- Article published by
Jeremy Campbell.