series Question About Web Series

A

Abbreviated Prod.

So when things finally get movie and i'm able to start remaking the film that i had hoped to make with a new actor and somewhat changed plot; i have thought maybe rather than trying to make an entire film, i should instead release the entire thing in short installments on youtube. I have questions though, them being:

1. Is there any sort of company or something of that sort that is interested in helping market or distribute such a thing?

2. Can i actually expect this to be a successful path? ie: does any one have experiences with something like this or know anyone who has.

Thanks alot.

-mike
 
You could post a web series on YouTube, but don't expect any unsolicited comments or exposure, the only videos they feature are stupid virals like someone falling off a roof. For filmmakers it's pretty useless.
 
There used to be, but they are all riding the YouTube train now. ifilm is now Spike TV, atomfilms is now comedy sketches only...

There is still www.medialab.ifc.com.
 
there is a site called coffee shorts that claims they are trying to start a site that only shows well done shorts instead of stuff like youtube thats filled mostly with crap. you have to email them your short and they will decide if it is good enough to go on there site. they claim to pay people depending on how much they make off advertising and how many hits your video gets but ive never put anything up there so i cant promise that.
 
My suggestion is to use the site were you currently watch
webseries. That site caught your attention, it should catch
the attention of others.

Regarding a web series being a successful path; it's hard to tell.
Lot's of filmmakers are making web series and even more are
thinking about doing it. I never watch any. Do you?

Michael Eisner's 18 month old prodCo Vuguru was set up to
provide content. Their series "Prom Queen" is said to get 200,000
views per day. But each episode is 90 seconds and the company
has a heavy hitter behind it. Do you watch it?
 
The only "series" I've watched on the net is Tom Green's show.
 
We've got a site in beta testing that is going to be more of a quality portfolio and networking site for filmmakers... if you'd like a beta invite, you're welcome to email me for it.
The site isn't quite finished though, so you'd have to bear with a few bugs.

We'll be launching in about another month if not before, so keep your ears open!

-Liza
(poptent.net)
 
I don't have a serial show to promote, but if you are on myspace, you can send out bulletins to let people know when the new installment is up. You can let people know about it before it is online to build some interest. Maybe that would work.....


-- spinner :cool:
 
The only reason i really even know there's such a thing as "Web Series" is like my seeing on the featured page of youtube "So and so Episode # So and So."

I never really watched any of them or had any interest, but they sometimes have like millions of views. I don't know, i guess they most likely have some sort of heavy marketing campaign behind them.
 
I think you are very typical of a lot of filmmakers. You don't watch
webisodes and you have no interest in them - me neither. A lot of
non filmmakers are like that, too. But you want to make webisodes
in hopes of catching the people who DO have an interest and watch
them.

It's a tough market. Most people have no interest and don't watch
them so it's really difficult to offer programming.

My suggestion is to check out those featured shows you see that have
millions of views, see what they are about, get a sense of who might
be watching and how they reach an audience of millions. Good research
is essential in this new media outlet. If they do have some sort of heavy
marketing campaign behind them it would be advantageous to know
what it is.

I never see that kind of marketing. Do you?
 
Yea, I had heard of them, but never even thought about watching one till I got hooked up with one that will soon be in production...the creator of this soon to be in production webseries turned me on to two that they'd come across that I watched a couple of and....After World and Imaginary B****es are both pretty good. but I haven't watched them all or anything and those are the only two i've seen.
 
First web series I ran across was Ninjai, the Little Ninja. That one hooked me, and I eagerly awaited each episode. Of course, it's presented by Atom Films, where I also ran across Angry Kid. Some funny stuff. Both are animated and require a twisted sense of humor (no problem here). The latter is a very creative method of stop motion.
 
Yeah, it's definitely a tough market to break through.

My own suggestion would be to try one video out on a site of your choice and just promote the living hell out of it.
 
You can always throw some keywords of current events in there.
 
To agree with what many people have already said, I've seen some really excellent shorts on YouTube that get absolutely no loving. However, what I've seen works with getting YouTube hits is having one video that's sure to get a lot of traffic that simultaneously showcases your abilities as a filmmaker.

For example, kmattson118, a YouTube member that my friend follows
http://www.youtube.com/user/kmattson118

If you check out his video "Canon HV20 Test", you'll see that he has 6,000 hits in about 8 months. It's not spectacular, but compared to the hits that I've seen from small time filmmakers, it's plenty. Many people like myself who are prospective camcorder buyers look on YouTube and Vimeo to see what can be churned out with whatever camera. Seeing the amazing footage he was able to capture on such a cheap camcorder amazes people (check out some of the comments he's getting) and people subscribe.

Now, I'm not saying that that's a route you should go, but putting up a video that a wide variety of people can appreciate should really help you if you ever do go the YouTube route. I'm not saying you should compromise your artistic integrity, but hey, if you can think of something good, it really is subscription gold.
 
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I don't agree that YouTube is the best place to showcase quality films. Their quality isn't that good. Too often I see videos that are squashed or stretched or horribly pixelated. I would prefer a site where I can have high quality clips. I will probably have my own web hosting when I get ready to showcase stuff. Either that, or I'll use eyesoda, which I also think is a great idea.
 
Well, on the count of this would not exactly be a web series, but instead a film broken up into installments as a way of getting it noticed or viewed. I take it that this is not my best option.

Which leads me to my next question. How does a 16 year old with no connections or money get a film exposure?
 
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