The 12 Step Process To Web Series
Hi, my name is Ralph and I make webseries.
Sound like the introduction at a twelve step meeting? Yes. Is the compulsion to spend all of your time and often much of your own money creating content that may or may not ever gain you recognition or monetary gain something that requires attending a support group? Absolutely! But the group you should join is not one that strives to get you over your addiction to creating, but one that helps make your efforts worthwhile. Do such groups exist? Most definitely! In fact, by reading this on Spidvid.com, you’ve already found one of them.
Let’s back up a bit. Not too long ago, if you put all your time and resources into making a short film, or harder still, a feature, you didn’t have many options for getting viewers and recognition. If you spent lots of money on film festival entry fees and happened to find some that decided your project was something they wanted to show, you might develop a following. Best case scenario, a distributor would pay you for your work and promote it to a larger audience. In some ways it was a simpler time, because it was easy to know which path you wanted to take. There weren’t really any other ways to do it. As with anything, there were pros and cons to this very linear system, but if you ask me, I’ll take the world of New Media that has emerged since the advent of widespread broadband internet access and the public shift to viewing more content online.
Now, if you create something you’d like people to see, there are dozens (maybe hundreds?) of sites where you can post it. Some will get you more views than others, and most don’t lead to financial gain, but your work can be seen, which is one of the points of making it, right? But what if you are more serious about taking your need to create to the next level, so it’s more of a career than a hobby? In keeping with the “Twelve Step” metaphor I started with, I made a list of twelve concepts and resources that can help with projects you have high hopes for. I’m following them as I work towards completing Season 1 of “Causality”, the sci-fi webseries I’m currently producing and directing (www.watchcausality.com), and they will help you as you develop and build projects you’re working on.
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. Check out UK filmmaker A. D. Lane (@indywoodFILMS on Twitter) for a real primer on how to do this.
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, 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 Seattle, where we are lucky to have several places to look to, including the Office of Film and Music (http://www.seattle.gov/filmandmusic) and private organizations such as Northwest Film Forum (http://www.nwfilmforum.org) and 911 Media (http://www.911media.org) 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 http://www.indiegogo.com and http://www.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.
That’s a lot to think about, right? Just like any “program”, some steps will be harder than others, and it may take you awhile to get through them all. I for one am glad to have sites like Spidvid to serve as a “Sponsor” to help keep me from falling off the wagon. Here (and other places) I see the community of people who take themselves as Producers, Directors, Writers, etc. seriously, and know that I belong with them. I salute all of their efforts, and cheer on anyone who has a sincere desire to create quality work. I hope this helps you do the same.
Ralph Fontaine is a Director/Producer/Actor who has lived and worked in Los Angeles, New York, and Seattle. His current project is “Causality”, a Science Fiction webseries about time travelers who come from the future to the early 21st Century. Check it out at www.watchcausality.com, and/or email him at Rfontaine@watchcausality.com
