Web Series/Tv Series - Where to start?

Hey guys!!

I'm from the UK.

So I'm in the process of writing a story, one that will eventually become a script of 7 to 10 30-40 minute episodes.

I was wondering if anyone could tell me HOW it would be possible to make a Web/TV series popular/successful? What process would need to be done, and basically, where do I go following the completion of a script?

The cast/crewe etc will obviously have to be sorted.

Say 3 years down the line, I have a completed series (filmed, edited, done) What happens then? Does anyone have experience in this area?

Is it worth starting with a Pilot and finding interest?
 
Begin with the target audience.

Who is it?

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What web products are they currently being served?

Does the entertainment product you intend to provide satisfy an unserved audience?
(Is there a sensible reason why no one else is satisfying it? IOW, maybe it's not a "good" audience at all.)

Are you an active member of forums that serve interested market audiences?

How do you plan on driving viewing traffic to your YT/Vimeo account?

How much revenue do you anticipate making from this series?
How much in expenses are you willing to sink into this series?
Are you good with making this series just for art's sake; ie no real profit motive at all, just money thrown out the door for personal fun and entertainment?

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Does anyone have experience in this area?

Yep, though I'm far from an expert.

What are your goals of the project? Everything stems from the answer to this question.

Example of goals: To make a business card for yourself and your team, To earn money from the series, to get discovered, to gain experience, to meet famous people, to build an audience, to showcase for a possible tv series, showcase for a possible movie, to build a crowd funding campaign/investor network. They all have different methods and different requirements and different costs associated. While you can have multiple goals from the list, if you do, it'll add complexity and increase your chance for failure, and some goals already require other goals to already be completed from other projects.

So I'm in the process of writing a story, one that will eventually become a script of 7 to 10 30-40 minute episodes.

Ambitious. I'd suggest cutting those episodes down to 10 minute range, if not less. Web viewers tend to have a short attention span. There are benefits to longer episodes though. It will increase your costs considerably.

One thing that'll happen is you'll get the shits that random internet girl with cleavage/cute pet will get millions of views from going viral where you have to work hard for each and every subscriber you attach and pay for high production values.

I was wondering if anyone could tell me HOW it would be possible to make a Web/TV series popular/successful? What process would need to be done, and basically

Make something that goes viral. Something that people just have to share with their friends. Either that or have a huge (7 to 8 figure) marketing budget.

The best way to make it successful is to make a high quality product that has a large target audience.

Where do I go following the completion of a script?

To the rest of development and then into pre-production. Attaching the appropriate required elements to increase the chance of success and mitigate the downsides of failure. Once all that is in place, then move into production, then post production and then into marketing and distribution. Simple right? Aren't you glad you're involved?

Say 3 years down the line, I have a completed series (filmed, edited, done) What happens then?

You'd probably shelve the project and move on to something more current. 3 years is too long a production cycle, especially for a web series. It would be tough to get any sponsors on board for the next season as the pay off would be another 3 years away and the hotness factor would have dispersed.

Is it worth starting with a Pilot and finding interest?

In my opinion, no. Web series aren't like TV Pilot season.

What Rayw said is also very important and relevant. Marketing is a huge component. Ignore marketing at your own peril.
 
Not to trample anyone else, becuase you all have good points. I am new so listen to the pros, this is just my two cents worth. One thing is I personaly would not change what it is about just so you can get more views. What I am saying is if you are making a film about alien abductions, but more people would like westerns, you don't need to change it. Secondly think ahead. Leave a mystery that is revealed later on. Or do some twists. Example: you could have a sketchy character that is a good guy and ends up being a bad guy. Granted lots of people do this it is still interesting. Another example would be a bad guy that ends up being a relative of the main character. Just some ideas.
 
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Ahh thanks for all the information.

My point about the TV Pilot, is that what I'm writing isn't anything other than a story, at the moment, which means it could (essentially) become anything. (A web series, a feature film, a pilot for TV) Currently it's NOT a web series. A web series is just an option I feel could be doable.

As far as my goals for the project - I would want to be discovered as a writer/film maker/director. As well wanting the series/(whatever it becomes) to take off and become successful.

I also used '3 years' so to avoid people ranting about it not being completable in less than a few years. I would hope to start filming in 2014, and finish up and have final edits before the end of the year. Depending on when it starts, I'd have to bare in mind a LOT of planning - which could mean it would go into the next year. This is not taking into consideration a large cast / crew and their availability.

Right now, I'm focusing on the script - with a questionable future of just HOW I am going to go about making it work.
 
Leave a mystery that is revealed later on. Or do some twists. Example: you could have a sketchy character that is a good guy and ends up being a bad guy. Granted lots of people do this it is still interesting. Another example would be a bad guy that ends up being a relative of the main character. Just some ideas.

It's interesting that you've said this. A lot of what you have said has already been incorporated. I'm all about keeping viewers/readers HOOKED. :P And you're right, that twists/turns within narrative AND the characters, is a create way to do this.
 
I'm all about keeping viewers/readers HOOKED.

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That is how you keep viewers hooked. Sounds crazy, right?

A show, like a film, should grab your attention immediately. BAM! Hit them with something they don't see coming. You looked at those gifs thinking "what the hell....?". That's what a show should do. Make you put down what you're doing, and look over. From that point on you have to hit them with drama, tension, or twists about every 5 minutes. Drama is another key element here. Ever seen The Walking Dead? There's always some drama and tension between not only the zombies and the humans, but the humans and the humans. And of course, get really controversial and kill people off :D. And leave every episode hanging...
 
A show, like a film, should grab your attention immediately. BAM! Hit them with something they don't see coming. You looked at those gifs thinking "what the hell....?". That's what a show should do. Make you put down what you're doing, and look over. From that point on you have to hit them with drama, tension, or twists about every 5 minutes. Drama is another key element here. Ever seen The Walking Dead? There's always some drama and tension between not only the zombies and the humans, but the humans and the humans. And of course, get really controversial and kill people off :D. And leave every episode hanging...

Yeh, that's what it's all about. Thanks for the feedback, and I LOVE The Walking Dead. Brilliant show!! :D

However, I started this thread hoping to get more advice with the post script writing stages. Rather than actual story telling advice, like I said, the story is already there.
 
where do I go following the completion of a script?

If you are doing a series you need more than a script, you need a series BIBLE. This delineates everything the producers, directors, cast and crew need to know about the characters and the basic story arc; it literally and figuratively keeps everyone on the same page as the series develops.


I will second keeping the "episodes" short, five to eight minutes. People have short attention spans, and/or have very full/busy lives. If you make something they can watch while they wait for the train/bus/whatever it is not a huge time commitment, and it can become a part of their day.

The biggest issue with the product itself - and let's face it, this is a product you are selling - is that you have to fully grab the attention of your audience in under 60 seconds and completely kick their ass by the end so they will want to see more; and you will have to do it with every episode.


You need to be able to preproduce, shoot and post one episode every week, and you will need full commitment from your cast and crew or the whole thing will fall on it's ass. One nice thing about series is that after a while it becomes an assembly line like any other product; everyone involved in the "manufacturing" process knows exactly what's going on and their place in how the product is put together. You'll have a number of regular locations (so lighting, etc. will not be an experiment every time you shoot), your actors know their characters, etc.

Make sure you have six to eight episodes in the can before you "air" the first one, so if you lose a week or two you don't get off of your "delivery" schedule.
 
However, I started this thread hoping to get more advice with the post script writing stages. Rather than actual story telling advice, like I said, the story is already there.

Edit out all of the filler. Edit out scenes that do not have an impact on the film. Cut it down if it is too long.

Make sure the script is formatted correctly. Look at some of your favorite television scripts, and if you want, post your screenplay here or on a screenwriting site. Check the script 100 times. You also may want to get someone to look over it with a pair of fresh eyes.

SimplyScripts.com is good. You can get feedback and read television scripts.
 
another thing is make sure the viewers absolutely love the main character or at least think she/he is cool, secondly, make sure they hate the bad guy. if these things are in place, it will seem like real life for them. Or if you have problems in the series that your viewers can relate to this also helps. Example: Love, Bullies these kind of things.
 
My point about the TV Pilot, is that what I'm writing isn't anything other than a story, at the moment, which means it could (essentially) become anything. (A web series, a feature film, a pilot for TV) Currently it's NOT a web series. A web series is just an option I feel could be doable.

As far as my goals for the project - I would want to be discovered as a writer/film maker/director. As well wanting the series/(whatever it becomes) to take off and become successful.

I also used '3 years' so to avoid people ranting about it not being completable in less than a few years. I would hope to start filming in 2014, and finish up and have final edits before the end of the year. Depending on when it starts, I'd have to bare in mind a LOT of planning - which could mean it would go into the next year. This is not taking into consideration a large cast / crew and their availability.

Right now, I'm focusing on the script - with a questionable future of just HOW I am going to go about making it work.

Your first step really needs to be to decide on what you're going to make.

A Web series, a feature film and a TV Show all need approaches that are different. Marketing a feature is different from a web series and it different to doing a TV Pilot. They all have different goals and different ways to achieve those goals depending on the genre you're in. On top of that. the key crew sometimes have different responsibilities and different bosses. For instance, in TV, a Showrunner is essential and the First AD is responsible to the Producer, not the director. On a feature set, the director is in charge of the vision and direction of the film.

Also, if you're choosing a web series over a feature, you'll need mini-cliffhangers all over the place in well timed spots. Your marketing requirements and production values also change. Where you go for finance, what finance you will need and so on will also change.

Make your first decision first. Everything I mentioned earlier was about web series. It could get you in trouble if you use elsewhere.

Next, seeing you want it to be your business card to establish you as a writer, director, make sure it's within your budget that you can afford to pull out of your bank account. A calling card is often different from crafting a marketable product. Don't expect investors to finance your discovery. It rarely happens unless you work out how to put together (or luck upon) enough marketable elements.

Good luck!
 
Thanks for all the information. Really helps - this website is brilliant! Only discovered it earlier this year.

Having spent a night watching LOADS of existing web series, I'm thinking that my idea might not be suited for the web. Only in the sense that I don't think I could condense everything I wanted to show down to just 10 minutes (at max) per episode. Let alone trying to make 5 minute episodes.

So now I'm considering looking at just how easy it would be to get into the Television industry, with a script...

I thought I'd give it a shot and ask a few questions on here, in case anyone has had experience in this area.



Is it common for a script writer to simply have their script bought off them, and then have no creative input into the actual production process?

If a pilot was created and met with positive reviews, and an interest was shown, would the same cast/crew be responsible for completing the series, or would it all be re-done to a more industry professional standard? I'm saying this because some of the web series I have watched, I can't imagine being good enough (in regards to the quality of the production) to simply just be aired on television.

So is there a generic process that happens in regards to making something for television? Or does it differ depending on the quality and professionalism of production?

Obviously, at the moment - this is all just a dreamlike idea of what the BEST possible out come would be. (my series being shown on television :P)

Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!
 
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TV is outside my area of expertise and TV is not an area that I've spent much time paying attention to (well except from watching TV Shows). I could be squarely wrong in some or all aspects so take this with a grain of salt.

Is it common for a script writer to simply have their script bought off them, and then have no creative input into the actual production process?

It can happen. What's common is the lead writer can become the show runner, though since this would by my guess be your first rodeo, it's unlikely to happen. A Showrunner is like a Lead Writer and Producer all rolled into one. The thing you have to be aware of, the Producers have more say in a show than Directors. It depends on budget and a lot of other factors. Another option is you could be the "Creator" and receive royalty payments, though these aren't usually large.

If a pilot was created and met with positive reviews, and an interest was shown, would the same cast/crew be responsible for completing the series, or would it all be re-done to a more industry professional standard?

It depends. Both are possibilities. Too many factors. I've heard stories with both happening, though I suspect if they're going to bring the show on, most elements are likely to be kept. That also assumes that they like more than just the concept, though if they just like the concept and nothing else, they're more than likely to ditch you and start their own show. An idea cannot be protected.

So is there a generic process that happens in regards to making something for television? Or does it differ depending on the quality and professionalism of production?

There probably is. From what I understand it usually revolves around a Production Company that has to be approved by a studio. This assumes you're getting a studio to pay for the production. The studio wants assurances that the show will be delivered to a particular standard before they hand over the cash, hence the reason they force you to work through an approved Producer or Production Company, usually the later.

One thing a lot of people don't realize is the pace of a TV Show. They produce them really fast. A 30 minute show will typically be shot in 3 days, with a 60 minute show being given a little more, like in the range of 7 to 10 days. The lead in time for writing isn't much better. I remember hearing a story about lost needing to have their pilot written within 7 days, perhaps even less. There's a video of it on youtube. If memory serves me right, it's about his "JJ Abrams The Mystery Box". It's also a good segment regarding Suspense, which someone mentioned before.

What's more likely to happen is the studio takes your idea, adapts it into their own and leaves you for dead. There was a link on this forum about pitching and protecting your ideas to studio and how the path of Reality TV show production and the likely earnings you could make if the show is picked up, though it was slanted for Reality TV. It'd be well worth your time watching if you are going down the TV Show path.

Sounds great right? Welcome to show business.
 
I'm finishing a pilot right now. That doesn't mean it will succeed, but I'm hopeful.

Where do you get a 40 min time slot? Add in commercials and you have 50 min. That's 10 min of dead air? Your scripts need to fit the timeslot of 30 min or 60 min, which means 24 to 27 min of content depending on the station. So they also need to be able to be edited to fit it.

You could do 13 min episodes, and combine two for a 30 min block. The end of one will have to be a "commercial break" and lead into the next one appropriately. That is what we were initially going to do.
 
Standard broadcast television standard for a 30 minute show is 22 minutes (44 minutes for an hour). I have a show that we are trying to get done. The process sucks hairy monkey balls. This has been going on for over a year for me. When I first presented the idea, the reaction was "that's awesome, do a treatment and we'll run it up the flagpole." That deal fell apart and another one came forward. That one didn't happen because the money people at NBC were afraid because nobody has ever made a show exactly like mine, hence they did not know how to sell it to advertisers. Plus, my show really does not fit into NBC's programming style. Now, my producer is working on getting an investor to fund the first season so that we can shop it around as a completed product. All of the aggravation from trying to get the TV show made has me making a totally unrelated web series that I do almost by myself. Will my web series go viral and make me tons of money? Not likely. It just gives me something to do while I wait.
 
22 minutes per half hour and 44 minutes per hour is standard, with, I think, 6 commercial intervals per hour. But a web series would not be bound by that standard, and I'm wondering if a webisode should be limited to 22 and 44 minutes.
 
I would (and am) making mine MUCH shorter. If you are making a web series to broadcast standard, you could break it up into 11 minute episodes using the midpoint break as a stopping point. I would still write/edit the show to have logical commercial break opportunities at the 2, and 7 minute marks (at the 5 minute mark if you are only going to have the one).
 
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