The medium of a Web Series

[john threat]

There's plenty of people doing oh-so funny jibber japper already. We'll take a pass on that one.....

Someone said, that comedy is actually harder to do. Lots of people do it, but do that do it arguably well is the question.

The rest of what you said rock tho nventie, with film you should expirement and push boundaries! Thats what drives me - not pedestrian copy cat works just to be "doing it"

Things dont always go viral unless you sneeze on a few people first, but ceraintly to get good at your craft you should keep creating everyday to stay sharp even when there is no dollars.

[Eric Boellner]

Q #1: Why does everyone think that web series' have to be 5 minute episodes?

Q #2: Why does everyone think that only melodrama bulls--t webseries about artists contemplating the meaning of life take effort to create, and that sitcoms that are actually funny, and which engage audiences on a regular basis, are just dumb laughs and money all around?

If I could make 1,000 people laugh consistently once a week, I'd be feeling pretty good about my skills as an artist.

-JMT

[gonzo_entertainment]

Q #1: Why does everyone think that web series' have to be 5 minute episodes?

I don't, mine will be 12 to 15 minute episodes. If I thought I could finance the additional expense I might even try TV length 22 minute episodes. People watch actual TV episodes on the net all the time. It's not the length. It's that the longer format you go, the closer the audience expects it to be to broadcast/cable production values, acting, writing, etc...

Q #2: Why does everyone think that only melodrama bulls--t webseries about artists contemplating the meaning of life take effort to create, and that sitcoms that are actually funny, and which engage audiences on a regular basis, are just dumb laughs and money all around?

They don't have to be, they just often are. All good "drama" contains comedy as well (and all good comedy contains drama). It's that a lot of "comedy" in general and web series in particular seem to require very limited skill and talent as a filmmaker. It seems to be "find some funny people, come up with some funny dialogue, stick them in front of a camera". That's all well and good and harder than I'm making it sound, but all the other elements of filmmaking like camera movement, production design, editing, music, etc... seem to get thrown aside. The entire product becomes about performance and dialogue. If that's what you like fine, it's just not what I'm into making.

[gonzo_entertainment]

"Things dont always go viral unless you sneeze on a few people first, but ceraintly to get good at your craft you should keep creating everyday to stay sharp even when there is no dollars."

That's really the whole point for me. The monetary goal is just to get to a self financing point on a web series. An opportunity to create content without draining my bank account.

[john threat]

I think comedy is best served short, sci-fi and action is best served long and melodrama not at all when it comes to the web!

[DarrenJSeeley]

What a timely subject.

While I await the results of one of my scripts which may be reworked into a webseries (horror/action genre) I think in time there will be two dominant genres in webseries content. One is animation, be it a 'Heavy Metal' or anime type of program, or something like Bugs Bunny and Roadrunner. Stuff like that. The other genre is the one that's taking a licking in recent times - and that is...the soap opera. Yes, you heard me right. In fact, it wouldn't shock me if there was something like that out there already.

Hopefully there's still room for horror...

[NVentive]

I think people say they want web episodes to be 5 minutes because they believe themselves to be busier in their daily lives than they actually are. A few people had the (perhaps) legitimate concern about battery life on their mobile devices, but we found very few people who were actually watching regular web programs on these devices to begin with...although I suspect that will change. As for comedy, I do agree that shorts are a good delivery format. We have hosted several short film festivals over the years, from what we have seen from audiences, 8 minutes seems to be a sweet spot.
Our little 'Dreamer' foray has been a really interesting experiment for us, and I am looking forward to getting back to it in a couple of months. We originally started it as a means of learning more about workkflows, we have discovered that learning more about audiences is actually more fun. What people say they want isn't always what they actually want, I'm thinking that there might be a good script in here somewhere...

[hscully]

I think that the short web episodes have evolved for a few reason not the least of which is the fact that it is a good length to produce. I'm shooting for 5 - 8 minute episodes because that's what I can afford and I want as many shots at the revenue from ads on BlipTV as I can get. The web series, for worse I think, evolves from the world of You tube and amateur video. Kids with cameras doing goofy stuff for their friends. That's the soup from which we have to make something good. That's what it's been so far an so laws of conservation keep it that way. It's no wonder comedy has an edge. It's folks like us that will turn it around. I also think that streaming shows over devices such as Roku offer a way of getting folks to their TVs, where they can have a much better experience to see our well made narratives and that this will change the game finally.

I think that the attention span of the web viewer is being correctly assessed at 5 - 8 minutes, at least that's what my research has found.

Like short films, the short series has limits regarding structure. It's not possible to squeeze 3 strong acts into a short. It's not easy squeezing the narrative structure of an hour series episode into 5 minutes. I think it's a real challenge to do other than short form comedy on the web but it's a worthy challenge and I think that it will pay off. I'm soon to find out!

[Eric Boellner]

I think that the short web episodes have evolved for a few reason not the least of which is the fact that it is a good length to produce. I'm shooting for 5 - 8 minute episodes because that's what I can afford and I want as many shots at the revenue from ads on BlipTV as I can get. The web series, for worse I think, evolves from the world of You tube and amateur video. Kids with cameras doing goofy stuff for their friends. That's the soup from which we have to make something good. That's what it's been so far an so laws of conservation keep it that way. It's no wonder comedy has an edge. It's folks like us that will turn it around. I also think that streaming shows over devices such as Roku offer a way of getting folks to their TVs, where they can have a much better experience to see our well made narratives and that this will change the game finally.

I think that the attention span of the web viewer is being correctly assessed at 5 - 8 minutes, at least that's what my research has found.

Like short films, the short series has limits regarding structure. It's not possible to squeeze 3 strong acts into a short. It's not easy squeezing the narrative structure of an hour series episode into 5 minutes. I think it's a real challenge to do other than short form comedy on the web but it's a worthy challenge and I think that it will pay off. I'm soon to find out!

I keep up with 3 network sitcoms, an HBO sitcom and a few HBO dramas, all on the internet. I also have watched probably around 14-15 seasons worth of different half-hour comedy shows on Netflix Instant (including AD, HIMYM, Archer, Scrubs -- and recently I'm starting in on Louie and The League). I have cable downstairs, but I never use it -- if I can't find it online, I'll wait till I can (this could be a problem when Mad Men returns, though. )

My biggest problem with The Guild, and the reason I've never gotten past 5 or 6 episodes is that I can't stand how short they are. Netflix strings them all together with no bumpers, so the show loses its entire comedic structure. So I tried watching on TG's website, where you can actually watch the episodes individually. The problem there is that it's annoying having to watch tons of different 5-minute videos when I've got 22m sitcoms I can watch elsewhere. Also, the structure itself is difficult to follow -- it's short and restrictive, making bits and gags the most that can ever really be accomplished. It's like vignettes of a stand-up show.

I'm not saying the show doesn't work -- lots of people love it, so they must be doing something right -- but if a half-hour sitcom like The League or Workaholics was a web series, it would do great, I think. Hell, even Louie could perform as a web series, LCK has already proven he has an audience, and the show is on the cheap but of good enough quality to do really well on the web.

I also think, when it comes to dramas, your best bet is longer. Maybe 10-20m instead of 42m, but definitely not 5-8. I think Gonzo has a good plan with 12-15m episodes, that seems like a good range.

-JMT

[Eric Boellner]

What a timely subject.

While I await the results of one of my scripts which may be reworked into a webseries (horror/action genre) I think in time there will be two dominant genres in webseries content. One is animation, be it a 'Heavy Metal' or anime type of program, or something like Bugs Bunny and Roadrunner. Stuff like that. The other genre is the one that's taking a licking in recent times - and that is...the soap opera. Yes, you heard me right. In fact, it wouldn't shock me if there was something like that out there already.

Hopefully there's still room for horror...

Animated shorts seem to get a much higher average number of views than live-action on the web. Wonder if that would translate to web series as well...