My previous interview was with Abbi and Ilana where we discussed web series creation, collaborative team work, and the future of web series.

Today we learn from talented film director Johnny Blank.

1. What are the biggest challenges in creating a film, TV or web show?

Financing, financing, financing. We’re at a real turning point with the rapid rise of digital. Technology is now so cheap anyone can create it, so there’s more video content than ever before. Professional content creators are now fighting with a whole new influx of amateur content makers who are vying for audiences. Audiences are rapidly moving online and advertising dollars are drying up on TV. Then you also have the huge rise in illegal downloading which is crippling the film industry. Five years ago, digital was new and exciting and people were willing to invest in new web series and other video content development, now even that has dried up as investors can’t figure out how to successfully monetize online. What does this all mean? It means we’re currently stuck in an awkward transition phase. I attended MIPTV earlier this year, and all the broadcasters weren’t there to invest in new shows, they were there with repackaged old shows they were trying to sell to new markets to make local versions of these old shows! Things will definitely begin to change once convergence really happens between TV and online. The film industry is also beginning to learn some of the lessons from the music industry on finding new ways to monetize. I think we’ll begin to see some really new and exciting financing models emerge in the next few years. Sites such as Kickstarter and IndieGoGo are just the beginning.

2. Is collaboration between team members integral to the success of your production projects?

Absolutely, it is of paramount importance. Collaboration works on a number of levels: it is team building and encourages people to work together to make the best production possible. Everyone’s input is important to the process, and end result. There is also something quite magical about the collaboration process when people get together and bounce ideas off each other, often new and unexpected results occur that can really add to a production. Some of my best filmmaking experiences have occurred during the collaboration process when a discussion with a collaborator really sparked an idea that added to the narrative of a film, or added that special something to a scene. Great ideas are made even better and tremendously improved with great collaborators on board.

3. Is creativity perhaps the most important element in video production and content going forward?

It is certainly massively important. With the amount of video content set to rise exponentially (Cisco predicts that 90% of all internet traffic will be video by 2013) the main way for a video to stand out, is through creativity. I’d have to say though that technology will play an equally pivotal role in productions moving forward, it has already been a game changer in opening up filmmaking tools to just about anyone. With the advent of ARG’s, and innovative online distribution strategies, I think that creating ’story worlds’ rather than one-off videos or films will become the norm. Video’s that engage and allow an audience to interact on different levels will be the one’s that get the press and the audiences. I hasten to add though, that technology is often used in video now simply for the sake of it, but without creativity behind it, it falls flat.

4. Is film school needed in 2010 to become a star in the video or film industries?

No. Nor has film school ever been essential to becoming a star in the film industry. Many of the world’s greatest film directors never attended film school. Most of the new spate of online stars who are commanding millions of views per month never went to film school either. That being said, whether you attend film school or not is a choice about how you learn. For me personally, I’ve often found it easier to learn by doing rather than by sitting in a classroom. On the other hand, great film schools give you a fantastic grounding in the technicality and craft of filmmaking. In the end, making compelling work will make you a star in the film industry, no matter whether you went to film school or not.

5. What will the video production landscape look like in 2015, and how will it evolve from its current state today?

Hopefully it will be extremely exciting and true convergence will finally be upon us! I think we will see a lot of new and innovative ways to fund production that we haven’t thought of yet. I think we’ll also see a lot more of the trend toward transmedia. For example, making whole ’story worlds’ that include gaming and social elements, ARG’s, etc. With the rise of hybrid DSLR style camcorders we’ll also see a shift toward better and better production values at less cost. The number of new web series will be off the charts!

My only hope is that the 3D fad disappears until such a time when technology can deliver true gobsmacking 3D without the need for ridiculous glasses! And yes, I know there are already 3D TV’s that don’t require glasses, but they are still awful.

I thank Johnny for the interview, for his insights, time, and kindness. If you aren’t already, be sure to have our future interviews and posts delivered to your email inbox, or get them through your favorite RSS reader.

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I recently tweeted out via Spidvid’s Twitter account that we were looking for talented web series creators and producers to do email interviews with. A few talented individuals fitting that description reached out and wanted to be part of the campaign.

My first interview was a collaboration with Abbi Jacobson and Ilana Glazer, the creators behind the web series “Broad City”. I took each of their answers, mixed them up, and turned them into content for you to learn from. Enjoy the interview below.

1. What are the biggest challenges in creating a web series?

Abbi – For one, it’s challenging to create a web series with no budget! I think the most difficult thing is figuring out the relationships between the characters, and how to maintain them in various situations. Being confident that you have a story worth telling is key to getting everyone on the same page.  Any collaboration can be difficult, and figuring out our process as a team has been both interesting and tricky over the last nine months. What roles do each of us have, and how do we brainstorm ideas and execute them to complete the end product.

Ilana – I think the biggest challenge was finding the right director and editor to round out our team. The series started as just the two of us, and so we decided to make the most of the situation by trying out as many directors and editors as we could, kind of like how Six Feet Under rotates directors. This was of course not optimal, but we learned a lot from that experience, and it led us to our third member, Rob Hugel. As much as we wanted to keep it purely us two and our own dynamic, we learned that shit is going to change. In fact, that’s still something we’re learning about, enabling us to focus on the core tasks we’re good at, and letting others do what we’re not quite as skilled at.

2. Was collaboration between team members integral to the success of your production projects?

Abbi and Ilana – Absolutely, collaboration is the project. This process started out as a conversation in a pizza shop by just bouncing ideas off of each other. Creating that dynamic between these two ‘characters’ was something we had figure out by spending a ridiculous amount of time together. About half way through, we changed the way the series is produced. We now meet about 2 times a week to go over ideas about future projects, and how we can reach more people with our story. We have worked with a bunch of different directors, cast and crew, and found those collaborations to be refreshing to the show by bringing in different perspectives. The last couple months have been very interesting, and our team is working better and better together to constantly improve the show with each episode.

3. Is finding talent which bodes well for web series hard to find?

Abbi and Ilana – I would assume that for the average web series creator it would be challenging to find the right talent to work with, but we are fortunate to be based in the middle of the most talented pool of actors and production crew in New York City. If anything, it has been hard for us to narrow down the list of who we want on our team, as we adore and admire lots of skilled people.

4. Is film school needed to become a star in the video or film industries?

Abbi and Ilana – Completely unnecessary, you don’t even need your own camera! However, film school may help with grooming students to understand the importance of telling interesting stories that viewers want to watch. The created content and delivery is most important, so not everyone involved necessarily has to go to film school. Every team needs some technical knowledge and experience though, so whether that comes from a formal education or not is up to the individual.

5. What will the web series landscape look like in 2015, and how will it evolve from its current state today?

Abbi -I think web series exposure will only grow from here, and more and more valuable platforms will become available for creators and producers to leverage. The challenging part is competing for viewer attention against the plethora of new web series released now and in the future. And with everyone’s attention spans increasingly diminishing, that’s another challenging element to take into consideration.

Ilana – I have NO IDEA. Actually, I think that mankind will be wiped out in 2012. If it isn’t though, then I think that 90% of all content on TV will have originally existed on the Internet first.

I thank Abbi and Ilana for the interview, for their insights, time, and kindness. If you aren’t already, be sure to have our future interviews and posts delivered to your email inbox, or get them through your favorite RSS reader.

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So you’ve went through the entire process to create an entertaining web series that runs for a few episodes, great! Now comes the fun and challenging part, promoting and marketing it effectively so it finds an engaged viewing audience.

We’ve been sponsoring, and working with a few video creators over the past few months and have learned a thing or two about getting attention for web series. Below are the top 5 places online to promote your web series, according to our many experiences.

1. Twitter – We’ve worked hard to build up our Twitter following, and it’s starting to pay off as our followers enjoy hearing about web series creators, their projects, and content. Plus viewers coming from Twitter are proving to be very engaged with videos, and encouraged to share the content with their friends and followers.

2. Facebook – Lots of people are clicking through to web series content via Facebook because they’re interested in watching entertainment, and seeing a picture to go along with a video link really helps. It also doesn’t hurt if there are a few “likes” and comments on the content to entice others to see what the buzz is all about.

3. TubeFilter – There are lots of passionate viewers into web series, and the top place to learn about new shows is TubeFilter. We’ve helped to get a couple web series featured on the site, and in turn it led to other entertainment bloggers picking up the story and writing about them too.

4.  YouTube – By putting teasers and trailers up on YouTube, you can drive web series interest from loads of potential future viewers. Just be sure that this short form content is highly entertaining, and nicely cut, otherwise most people won’t even be inspired to watch episode 1.

5. Web Series Network – The four above websites are fairly big ones that you likely know about, but have you heard about Web Series Network? WSN is a social network for web series creators and fans, so by connecting directly with these people you get a targeted group who wants to hear about new web series launches.

Hope you enjoyed these website recommendations for promoting your web series. And of course we always like helping out web series creators and producers with promotion, so reach out if you want some Spidvid love.

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What software do you use, or where do you go to write scripts for your videos and films? Today I want to share a useful web-based platform for all the writers and directors in our Spidvid community to help out with the pre-production process. Scripped provides the tools and framework needed so that individuals can collaboratively write together, share content, export into multiple file formats, keep projects safe and protected, and manage other integral elements of the overall workflow.

Scripped has a stellar management, and advisor group including Hollywood stars Edward Burns and Steven De Souza, and Break Media CEO Keith Richman. Over 65,000 writers from 100 plus countries use Scripped, so there’s a good community to learn and grow from. You can also follow Scripped on Twitter, and like them on Facebook.

Avoid sending messy emails back and forth, and make the script writing process easier and more effective by getting a Scripped account.

Learn about new resources and tools to help improve your video and film entertainment, get the Spidvid blog delivered to your email inbox, or read our blog in your favorite RSS reader.

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My team and I created Spidvid so that video and film entertainment could be created by teams made up of individuals regardless of their location, age, skill level, or experience in the industry. Our vision is to create an open video and film production platform, network, and community. We want individuals from across the planet to join in to help grow Spidvid into the world’s largest video and film creation ecosystem.

Spidvid’s platform and community is moving nicely through public beta, and lots of video creators and filmmakers have already benefited from its use in one way or another. But we want to do more to make every production project as successful as possible.

If you are working on a project right now, or have a future project in the works, we want to help. Whether it’s with funding, connecting you with talent for your team, offering some tips and advice, or promotion and marketing for your web series or short film. Email us, tweet out to us, or post your needs on our Facebook page and let us know how we can offer value to your projects, and content.

Every week we are helping to make video creators and filmmakers dreams come true. There is something very magical about seeing projects successfully getting completed, and then enjoyed and shared by thousands of viewers.

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