LIVE Web Series Today CHAT: To MNC or NOT? @ 12:30 PST / 3:30 EST

LIVE Web Series Today CHAT: To MNC or NOT? @ 12:30 PST / 3:30 EST

https://www.facebook.com/events/740706982725430/

JOIN the LIVE chat

http://webchat.freenode.net/?channels=WebSeriesToday

Existing discussion within the FB group can be found at: 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/webseriestoday/permalink/994783260573587/

Web Series Today: Updating the blog "author" list.

Every now and again we need to update the Web Series Today blog "author" list so that it only includes active authors. An active author is defined as someone who has posted on the blog in the past 30 days. If you have done this then there will be no change. If you have not there is a good chance you will be removed from the blog "author" list unless you make a post immediately.

Why do we update the list?

The list has to be updated because the Blogger platform only allows us a maximum of 100 blog "authors". When we reach that limit we need to "cull" inactive authors to make room for new author requests. We choose 30 days because Web Series Today "authors" are intended for community members who want to keep the community up to date with what is going on in the World of Web series on a regular basis. If an author has not posted in 30 days we can only assume that they no longer want to contribute on a regular basis.


What can you do if you are removed from the list and still want to be an author?

If you have been removed from the list but still want to participate in Web Series Today as an "author" you should send a new "author" request to [email protected] as soon as possible. The spaces that have been opened up quickly fill, but if you send it a request immediately the chances are good that you can be added back.

What if you have never been an author but want to become one? 

The mission of Web Series Today is to keep the Web series community up to date with what is going on in the World of Web series. As such, any community member that wishes to participate can do so by becoming an "author". To do so, just follow the instructions at: http://www.webseriestoday.com/2010/11/web-series-today-become-author.html.

Note that we are mostly interested in authors who will post on a regular basis. Some people think it is sufficient to make one post about their own Web series and then move on. This really does no good for either the series or the blog. So think carefully about whether you want to participate in an authentic and on going manner before signing up.

Web Series Today: passes 7000 followers on Twitter!!!!!!

It is nice to pass another mile stone, but what is important is what it means for anyone who posts here on the Web Series Today blog. Almost all the posts on Web Series Today automatically go out on our Twitter feed. That means your posts here on the Web Series Today blog have the potential to reach our 7000+ followers on Twitter. And, as that number grows we all benefit by reaching a larger and larger potential audience.


One of the ways you can help Web Series Today grow is by re-tweeting not only your own post, but the post of any series you personally enjoy.  That lets the community know you are not just a series creator, but also an active participant in the community.

Want to become an author on Web Series Today, and have your posts seen by our Twitter followers and more?

Follow the instructions: 
http://www.webseriestoday.com/2010/11/web-series-today-become-author.html

The "Content" Debate

Recently, on the Toronto Web Series Community on FaceBook, there has a been a vigorous discussion about the term "content". https://www.facebook.com/groups/172490439449876/permalink/502237046475212/

The discussion stems from a couple of posts:

Content-free
https://www.tbray.org/ongoing/When/201x/2013/12/14/Discontent

 "Content" has the stink of failure (and it's a lie, besides)
http://boingboing.net/2014/01/03/content-has-the-stink-of-f.html

But first, a little perspective....

The original term used on YouTube and other platforms was "user generated content". That had its origins in the DMCA which made it possible for YouTube to exist as a "content holder". YouTube had no direct control over the content it hosted other than its legal obligations as a "safe harbor".

From the view point of YouTube everything uploaded by their "users" was "content". Over time "creators" became concerned that the term "user generated content" did not adequately describe what was being produced because the name looks at the content from the perspective of the hosting service, and not from the perspective of the creator. Over time "creators" came up with new terms that better encapsulated the nature of the content from their own perspective.

Now when it comes to the medium itself the World Wide Web has become the matrix on which most new entertainment grows today. This is a reality independent of whether you access entertainment via computer, mobile, tablet or TV screen. It would be fair to say that even traditional TV is slowly adapting to this new reality and they too have to deal with the Web as a medium of significant importance.

Most new TV shows have an active presence on social media, including both cast and crew of their shows. This year saw the development of interesting cross fertilization between social media streams for different shows, with actors in each interacting to create an entirely new dynamic. Stars of TV reach out to blogs and podcasts for interviews and as a way to form a deeper relationship with those that enjoy their shows.

Of course this direct involvement of cast and crew is nothing new to those involved in Web series. It has been viewed as an integral part of any show since the early days of lonelygirl5. It is, if you will part of the medium of the Web.

But the medium of the Web goes far beyond this. It potentiates much of what is now described as transmedia. It embraces interactivity in all its forms: ranging from comment interactions to sophisticated ARGS. The Web has provided us with the matrix on which we can build. The question is what can we build. I would content that the answer to that has yet to be fully revealed and that is where the real potential of the Web as a medium lies.

Do you have important Web series related news to share?

Finding the top news stories about Web series is hard. Yes, there are a few good blogs, but few carry every thing, and when they try to, the important news gets buried in the clutter. Also news that is, on the surface, only tangentially related to Web series (social media, technology news, etc, etc) can also be extremely important to understanding the context of Web series.

This is where crowd source information becomes invaluable.

To this end we have created a new SubReddit for Web series news: Webseriesnews

The purpose of this SubReddit is to help surface the most important news, of importance to Web series. This should not be confused with the existing Web Series Today SubReddit that focusses on news provided directly by Web series creators about their series. The new SubReddit is intended for more general news stories written by blog and news Web sites.

Participation is very easy. To add a relevant news story just hit the "submit button and paste in the URL for the article of interest. The SubReddit will even suggest a title for you, making the submission process a simple cut and paste operation. The second way to participate is to vote up (or down) the news stories that have been submitted. This is how to find out what news the Web series community thinks collectively is the most important news of the day. The third way to participate is to leave a comment. This is where the community can have a conversation around a new article exploring its relevance and implications for Web series.

Of course we hope that some of these conversations will extend into our Web series Today Google+ community for closer examination, but as always we leave the choice up to you, the community, to determine where best to discuss any particular news story.

Web Series Today: 2 million page views!!!!!

Web Series Today has reached a significant milestone: 2 million page views!

The Web Series Today site has had 1,228,558 visits, it has over 4000 followers on Twitter and over 1000 likes on Facebook.

 If you would like to become an author on the Web Series Today blog, please follow the instructions given:

http://www.webseriestoday.com/2010/11/web-series-today-become-author.html

The 12 Step Process To Successfully Producing Web Series

Article published by Jeremy Campbell who's the Founder and President Spidvid. Spidvid is where video producers hire cast, crew, pre-production, and post-production talent, manage projects from start to finish, and network with thousands of individuals in the video production space. You can grab a free profile at Spidvid.com now!

The 12 Step Process To Successfully Producing Web Series:

1. Be passionate about the story you want to tell. Don’t create something just because you think other people will like it. In other words, if you hate Musicals, don’t make a “Glee” style program because it’s popular.

2. Don’t try to do every job yourself. It sounds prestigious to be a Writer-Producer-Director-Actor-Editor…until you realize that if no one else is a part of your project it means either a) you’re a control freak, or b) you couldn’t sell anyone else on your idea. Your project WILL be better if you use your passion to bring others together to create it–provided that you:

3. Assemble the right team to bring your project to life. That doesn’t mean find people who think exactly like you, and who know exactly what you know. It means find people who have complementary ideas to yours and skills that you don’t. It’s scary to do this–you’ll see your project become something different from what you first conceived, but its life force will grow exponentially as more people add their inspirations to yours.

4. Organize the team like a business. Define roles clearly, have regular meetings with agendas, action items and deadlines, and create a level of accountability. Even if no one is getting paid, setting a professional tone will help keep things on track and encourage the team to continue to take their jobs seriously.

5. Set a schedule, and do your best to stick to it. As early as you can, decide when the key steps of production will be done: When will the script be finalized? Pre-production begin? Principal Photography? When will the final product be ready to post? Of course, things will happen that may change your schedule, but creating a timeline and setting goals will keep you and your team from losing motivation, and it will prevent having an unreasonable number of steps to take all at once.

6. Research where you want to publicize your finished product. You may think it’s too early to worry about that if you’re just starting pre-production, but it isn’t. There are dozens of sites that host and promote independently created content, and they are all different. Some will allow anyone to post, whereas others require submission and acceptance like a film festival. Some are considered more prestigious than others, or specialize in specific genres (Like www.Scifinal.com. They stick to Science Fiction, obviously.) Knowing your target distribution site(s) will help you plan, and remind you to keep the genre and/or quality requirements in mind, so that when you’re finished you can post your project in the most prestigious locations possible, draw a large audience who likes your topics, and potentially court sponsors.

7. Develop a community around your project from the start. Even back in the days when film festivals were the only way to get your work seen, smart producers spread the word about their films whenever and however they could That way, there was already an audience waiting to get into their screenings when they played at festivals. It was much harder then, but now you have the Internet. Use it! A lot. Blog, Tweet, and Facebook, about your project. Be careful not to just barrage people with promotional messages, but make it interesting to become part of your project’s community. Have a contest, give away merchandise, invite others to contribute creatively, offer parts in your show, whatever you can do without jeopardizing the quality of your work.

8. Become part of the community of creators. The mechanics of production have become much easier since the advent of consumer cameras and editing systems, so a heck of a lot of people are making things and posting them online. Quality and professionalism varies quite a bit, so find some shows/films/sites that you respect, and develop relationships with the creators. Most of them are doing what I recommended in step 7, so you can find them all over the place, like Twitter, Facebook, Spidvid, etc. At this point in the evolution of online entertainment, we all want to encourage the world at large to take us seriously and introduce more people to quality independent online productions. So, even though there is an element of competition, most creators are excited to connect with others who have a similar goal.

9. Use resources where you live. Many large and mid size city governments have a Film Commission or Media department that can help with locations, permits, etc., and many places have private organizations that are dedicated to helping artists. I live in Toronto where we are lucky to have several places to look to. Look around– it’s a safe bet that no matter where you live, there are places not too far away that can offer some support.

10. Don’t spend all your own money! If you’re trying to be a professional, you can’t just self-finance your work. If you want to build a career, you need to show that you can convince others to invest in your vision, and spend that money wisely. Unless you’re established already, or have lots of wealthy patrons, you will likely have to spend some of your own money; but don’t neglect crowdfunding outlets such as indiegogo.com and kickstarter.com. There are other creative ways to raise funds as well, including pursuing product placement sponsorships. So see what others are doing, and decide how you can preserve your own Retirement Fund and still make your project.

11. Don’t get discouraged. Things will not always go well. People you were depending on will back out, time and money will be limited, shoots will go poorly, and you’ll wonder if anyone really cares about this thing you’re making. That’s a normal part of production, so roll with it. I don’t mean keep a false sense of positivity–recognize what went wrong, figure out why, and take steps to prevent it from happening again. But don’t let it derail your project. Leadership is very important. If you can show that positive action is being taken to make things better, your team will stick with you, and help you move forward to better days.

12. Expect Success. This is your chance. If you followed Step 1, you chose to commit to making something that you dream about a reality. Don’t skimp on that. Use your passion to draw together the most talented collaborators and know that you CAN find the time and money that you need to produce your project. Don’t let people tell you what can’t be done. Evaluate challenges realistically, but keep the attitude that you WILL do what you set out to do. If you find you can’t go over an obstacle, go around it. Expect to complete your project, draw millions of fans, and get funding for your next idea. Take comfort in the fact that many before you have done it, and strive to do it even better than they did.