Tag Archives: webseries

What have we been up to?

We have been creating an online documentary series, and I got stock in a job for a while. But here we are back and running.

If you want to learn more about our documentary, visit ThePerfectionOfGiving.com. It’s a documentary series that explores the theme of generosity and giving. I will be reporting here more about it. It started as a short documentary film and as it evolved, I decided that I was going to go all out and build an online series of several episodes of 25 to 30 minute episodes. Check out the trailer of our Chapter 1:

Another project that I will be talking about, of what I have learned and the process that we are going through, will be Scent:Velvet Mist (still working on that title). The project I am collaborating with my writer friend Jason Levy. It’s the story of a detective who falls in love Continue reading →

How To Protect Your Web Series Screenplay and Idea

When writing a web series the screenwriters are usually careful with who they share their script, until they have it protected. But when is it right to protect your idea? How to go about it?

The US Copyright Office only takes finished work, but we usually show our treatment, sinopsis and scripts for our web series way before the there is a final draft! There is a way to protect it.

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An alternative to Adobe Photoshop – 5% of the cost

When we make a web series, we also have also do a lot of graphic work to promote it. And we not always have access to designers, or to Adobe Photoshop or the possibility of investing $699 in software just to make a poster, some postcards and website elements.

To top that, I have been having problem with Photoshop lately, crashing and slowing down the computer more than it usually does. So decided to find a real alternative to photoshop, and I found it!

Let me introduce you to Pixelmator (sorry PC… for Mac only) A super powerful tool! It is easy to use, fun interfase and super awesome icon (hey that in important too!) It does everything I need done in photoshop, without sucking my computer power nor my pocket power. (screenshots in the article) Continue reading →

Web Series Production Team

Web Series Development Part 2 – Your Team

Web Series Production TeamThe idea, the spark that makes web series, TV and film so magical, usually starts in one single brain… maybe two in some cases. But also truth, film, video, visual storytelling in general, don’t become a reality without a team of people that work hard to make it happen. That is what this post is about. The team that you will need to bring together as soon as you have your web series screenplay ready.

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Blip.tv Another Move in Pro of Web Series Producers

Blip.tvI have said many times on twitter, in this blog, in Facebook, and over coffee and beer with my friend: Blip.tv is the most producer friendly distribution and advertisement partner for almost all web series producers (maybe not the exact words, but more or less).

Today (June 1st 2011), from their brand NY office, Blip.tv co-founder announced they have created a distribution partnership with The Collective (I didn’t know who they where either).

So the web series from The Collective (Fred, iJustine, The Annoying Orange, among others.) will be distributed and sold (to advertisers) by blip.tv, and this will include the youtube channels (if have not used blip.tv or are not familiar with it, blip.tv distribute to many other sites, including YT).

This is a great news for any web producer, and not just the once that work with The Collective, because it is starting to legitimize a medium that has been somewhat just observed from the outside by investors and advertisers to see what happens.

Here is the video of the announcement. What do you think? Does it make you happy?

 

Watch live streaming video from bliptv at livestream.com

How long are web series episodes?

There is a lot of debate about the length of a web series episodes. It ranges from people that have tried 1-minute episodes  to people that make shows that are 1 hour long! I guess it depends on who is making the web series.

The truth is most people agree that somewhere between 5 minutes and 10 minutes is a good mark. Certainly the most successful web series are close to that mark.

So how are you supposed to define how long your episode should be?

The argument for a short episode:

If your show is comedic, targeted to a younger audience, or meant to be watch on the run, then shorter episodes are very good for that. A bit size. If you are doing a show on tips to do something, short is also better. The key about short content is to design it for people and platforms where they are not going to invest much of their attention spam. So make a killer first 10-15 seconds, and make sure to keep people engage for your minute by keeping that energy and stimulation up!

The argument for the long format:

The only way that a long format can stick, other than coming from a big TV network and be available on Hulu, is to have a very well defined audience and for that audience to be willing to sit through an hour or 45 minutes of content. Interview and educational shows that are targeted to a very specific niche. Those web series episodes can hold up to 45 minutes, even an hour. The best way to go about it is to break your show in three of four segments that change the speed of the show. Will help keeps the viewers engaged.

The Real Length of a web series episode.

The truth is that it will depend on the story and your interest as a producer. Some things need 25 to 45 minutes to be said. And that is fine. Somethings can be said in 2 minutes. Start from your guts and follow what the audience asks from you.

Announcing the Web Series Marketing Checklist! – Get it FREE!!!

Looking for a quick reference guide to your web series marketing strategy? A little map that can help you navigate your promotion efforts for your web show? Should you just put it up in YouTube and wait for people to come?

NOO!!! you need to promote it, you need to market it, you need to announce to the world that it exist, that it is awesome, and that they have to watch it! But how to go about it? What do you need to do!?

The Checklist

Get my WEB SERIES MARKETING – THE CHECKLIST for FREE!!

I have created this Checklist with 15 actionable items that will move you forward to getting you web show in front of your audience. To get your free copy sign up for my awesome newsletter in the form on the side bar. Twice a month I will email you with important tips on web show and web series creation, production and distribution.

The Checklist mostly actionable elements for your “Online Marketing Priorities”, few more for your “Offline Marketing” and “Other Marketing Elements” that will be very helpful to have in place!

It also has a space where you can add your own elements, because I believe that not all web series are the same, so your show might have to add some other actions or not take ones that I have included. It will depend on your needs!

Remember, to use the sidebar form to get your FREE copy of WEB SERIES MARKETING – THE CHECKLIST.

Hope you find the information valuable. Would love to know what you think.
@perezkaram

 

Open Process #3: My outline for Scent

For those of you who have been following up the Open Process (here #1 and here #2) of me making a web series, I have been working a lot in two very important things:

1. I am developing the Characters.

2. I am developing the story for the first season and what are the open loops that will be addressed in the second and third season. Or maybe the second and the Online Movie? Depends on how this flies!

I wanted to share a little bit with you my writing process and I how I have been going about it. My goal is to set the rules of a universe (a very realistic universe in many ways) that will allow me to tell several stories with this characters, and build on that. So for these characters and this particular event:  Continue reading →

3 Ideas To Keep Your Web Series Alive

Keep you Web Series AliveVery few web shows get a large substantial following. Some of them get a great substantial following, and then reach a plato and can’t get more followers. One of my pilots (Carlitos is Pisssed) had 1400+ views in the first episode and around 400 in the second and 300 in the third. :( I made a clear mistake there, I launched all three episodes in one day, just a few hours apart.

So here are some ideas for not letting your web shows die to soon, or better yet, die at all.

1. Post new content all the time.

Now, new content is not a new episodes every day, because that might not be story of financially possible. Koldcast.tv shows a new episode everyday. That might keep the first kick going but it dries out the content in a week or two!

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Open Process #2: Developing Main Character for Web Series

Web Series CharacterLast week I announced I was creating a web series from scratch out in the public. Although, not really from scratch because I had already thought of the idea and visited it several times in several forms, I am really starting from scratch on the actual hands on creations.

In that post I told you that Scent is a crime noir with a super hero twist to it. I mentioned that we are telling the story through four different story-lines, base on 4 important character of this universe, each the main character of their own story, although the main story belongs to Danae, who is the main suspect of a murder she did not commit, and it is up to her to find the real killer.

So these last few days I have ben developing Danae, so here is a little of what I know about her.

She is close to 25, very ambitious young woman. Super beautiful, but with certain insecurity issues, the she compensates being very tough on men. She grew up close to Buffalo NY, i a little town called East Aurora, with an older brother. When she was in going to UPenn, her mother was killed, after suffering, she found some peace practicing aikido, a martial art based on relaxation and flow. Her sansei was a jamaican master name Devain, who had being practicing aikido in japan since he was very little.

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