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Any tips on making a web series?

I would like to make a mini web series, because I think it would be better practice for making a feature than sketch comedy to work on a longer project, with a story arc and characters that actually deserve development. So far I've fleshed out a simple concept and structure (like a modern day sitcom, no laugh track or shit like that)


Has anybody that has made a web series (or even just a series in general) have any tips for me? Preferably in the "newbie screw ups" Department?


(Also, if you have made one, please send me a link, I'll watch it.)
 
Webseries are like TV series, so think about hooks to bring the audience back. Writing episodes requires a great deal of structure, so it's good practice for features. Even in a webseries you NEED story and character development. 'Webseries' doesn't mean 'slipshod filmmaking'. If the audience doesn't understand your story line or find your characters interesting, you better have a good hook/cliffhanger to get them to see episode two. That's not easy to do with comedy, so you need to focus on making the characters and premise unique and appealing.

In terms of production, be thorough in preparing as if you were doing a film.

1. Think about locations & permissions. While sometimes you can get away with guerrilla filmmaking, it can cause problems if you need a location for multiple shots on multiple days.

2. Be sure you budget for set construction, food/water, and basic supplies. If you are doing special effects, be sure to plan in advance for makeup etc. Expect that you will spend a minimum of $300, though it will likely be more. There is NO such thing as a no-budget project if you want some level of quality.

3. Write the script before casting but be willing to alter the characters. Lots of people pull in their friends. It works if your friends are all talented actors. Sometimes friends need to be extras or crew. It's best to be director/videographer OR actor but not both. Be sure to sign agreements with your principals that outline commitments.

4. Before you shoot, make a shot list and call list and be sure that you can schedule your principal actors for a scene. Especially if you intended to do VFX, make sure to get your background and establishing shots.

5. You may need to shoot scenes out of sequence to take advantage of a location. Be sure you have all the props needed. And make sure the actors bring multiple wardrobe options as appropriate.

6. Have an assistant director (AD) or someone document props, clothing, blocking for continuity and shots at multiple angles. Even simple things like which hand or pocket an object is held in. Quick photos between shots.

7. While you don't have to be a Spielberg, do vary the shots to give some interest to the scene. Especially during long dialogues. Think about the 180 degree rule and the Rule of Thirds. This will give it a more professional look.

8. Plan out your sound and lighting! These are the biggest tools in getting a good look and feel.

9. Expect that the unexpected will occur and require some last minute changes. Be flexible and willing to adapt. A key actor may need to leave the series rather abruptly, so the script/storyline may need some tinkering. Locations, props, or effects may need to be swapped out. Sometimes scripts are re-written on the fly. Document changes to preserve continuity.

PLANNING is the most important feature. Work out the details before you head to the set. It's also good to do a reading with the actors to develop the dynamics and catch problems with the script before getting to the set. It's not so much the blocking per se, but to help them get a feel for the characters, the dynamics and timing.
 
Watch 'Danger 5' and enjoy it. :P

I think that's a pretty awesome webseries: hilarious (did someone say live-action-Thunderbirds?), insane (murder by phone, bulletproof girls), funny (Nazi's stealing the Eiffeltower) all packed in a recognizable theme (World War 2).

My tip:
make it cool to watch and cool to share.
 
webseries shouldn't try to be anything like tv. When they do they're really bad and no one watches them.

If I were making a webseries, it would be observational documentary series. And have a thread that runs through all of them.

Like a main character, a tagger, or a drug addict, or ... a cleaner, or something that resonates underground, which then has the ability to capture the medium,.

Use the medium.

No, EXPLOIT the medium.
 
I am actually doing exactly that, making a web series that is in format and content very much like a traditional TV series. Will it work, I dunno, probably not, odds are certainly against it.

The largest issue is budget. The longer the episodes (my pilot is 22 minutes) the higher the production values have to be. People will watch a 5 minute video with low production values, but for a 15 or 20 or 30 minute episode they expect very close to the quality of television. Even WITH getting a lot of stuff for free, getting some free crew as interns from a local film school, etc... my pilot cost north of $5K. So there is no way you can produce episodes at that cost with getting a major sponsorship.
 
should i do a recap after each webisode?

Not necessarily. If it's a continuation, a quick flash may help. Generally webisodes are short so you don't want to spend too much time recapping. The beauty of webisodes is that if they pique a viewer's interest, the viewer will check other episodes on their own. Even with a running storyline, it's not really necessary.
Unlike TV, the viewer can check out the previous episode pretty quickly.
 
I am writing a web series that is intended to have each episode roughly be 2-3 minutes. Each episode will have a different character facing the entity of the web series, in a different scenario but there are a couple of episodes so far where a character is connected in some way to a character from a previous episode.

I guess one other thing to consider which I am for mine is to make sure the episodes have something about them that sets them apart from one another. By all means give them the same feel and tone but not have every episode a carbon copy of the previous ones.
 
Generally webisodes are short so you don't want to spend too much time recapping.


That's what I'm worried about. I wanna keep them all short, but the first episode I want enough time to introduce all the main characters and still have this moment at the end that'll keep people watching till the next episode, but I'm worried that all of that will take too long.
 
That's what I'm worried about. I wanna keep them all short, but the first episode I want enough time to introduce all the main characters and still have this moment at the end that'll keep people watching till the next episode, but I'm worried that all of that will take too long.

Don't put the cart before the horse. Write the episode first. Then you can work through how to make it meet your needs. Trying to anticipate everything before writing tends to inhibit being creative. You can
always break it up as needed later. If the main characters are interesting, the audience will usually give you the benefit of watching the second episode. My suggestion is to write a good episode. Then, if you have to, split it into two parts at a nice tantalizing juncture.

As a guide (not a rule!), action happens every five pages with major action on the 10s. Please don't take that as an exact page count. Typically one page is roughly one minute. For television, that generally means on the television breaks. Every ten minutes is roughly each "act transition". Since most webisodes are 10-15 minutes long, you will have 2 to 3 action sequences. Usually the final sequence is the cliffhanger.

Write your 10-20 page script. Then go back and check that every 5 pages or so, there is a major action. Then if you're longer than 18 pages, look for a good place to split around page 10 or so with a cliffhanger.
Most characters should have been introduced by then anyway. You have time to develop them more fully, just highlight and accentuate their foibles (for a comedy) that makes them likeable and worth watching again.

This will sound rather simplistic, but watch some cartoons. Writing for cartoons is HARD because of the pacing. Old Saturday morning cartoons, modern adult cartoons. Watch how they pace action. If you had never seen Bugs Bunny before, how does the writer pull you in? Most older cartoons are only 5-8 minutes long. Even Family Guy or Simpsons tell a lot of story in a half hour.

Remember that your characters become known to the audience not only by what they say, but what we see around them, how they dress and how they act. One page of script is just the outline. As director, you can amplify and convey a lot of information visually.

Code:
EXT.  WEBSTER BUILDING PARKING LOT - DAY

A mazzerati pulls up next to a porshe.  The door open and a long shapely leg steps out.

A man in a tuxedo and sunglasses sits in the porsche, glances over feigning disinterest
as his eyes trace upward from her ankle.

                                         MARGARET
            Oh, Robert, you're such a bore!

She takes her purse and slams the door.

She starts towards the condo elevator, her hips shifting with each step.

He starts and revs the car, pulling back.  He glances and sees her in the
rearview mirror tipping down his sunglasses.

                                         ROBERT
                            (under his breath)
                Right, baby.  You want me.

The porsche races off.

A smirk creeps across her lips.  

The bell rings as the elevator opens.  She nods to the operator.  

She starts to enter and totters on her high heel before toppling to the side.

                                      MARGARET
                  Damn!

The door closes.

Less than half a page but there is a sense of these two characters, their lifestyles, something of their relationship. The reader/viewer has enough to make guesses but not enough to know anything yet. But importantly, I don't have to explain that Margaret and Robert are both rich. That they know each other socially. In the next five pages, I can build the links by showing them in action in their surroundings. Then boom, I introduce the conflict around page 6 that set up the rest of the story. In shorts, it is especially important to show more than you tell.

But write the episode ignoring everything else. That needs to be your first step. Then go back and do the fine tuning. Good luck!
 
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Don't put the cart before the horse. Write the episode first. Then you can work through how to make it meet your needs. Trying to anticipate everything before writing tends to inhibit being creative. You can
always break it up as needed later. If the main characters are interesting, the audience will usually give you the benefit of watching the second episode. My suggestion is to write a good episode. Then, if you have to, split it into two parts at a nice tantalizing juncture.

As a guide (not a rule!), action happens every five pages with major action on the 10s. Please don't take that as an exact page count. Typically one page is roughly one minute. For television, that generally means on the television breaks. Every ten minutes is roughly each "act transition". Since most webisodes are 10-15 minutes long, you will have 2 to 3 action sequences. Usually the final sequence is the cliffhanger.

Write your 10-20 page script. Then go back and check that every 5 pages or so, there is a major action. Then if you're longer than 18 pages, look for a good place to split around page 10 or so with a cliffhanger.
Most characters should have been introduced by then anyway. You have time to develop them more fully, just highlight and accentuate their foibles (for a comedy) that makes them likeable and worth watching again.

This will sound rather simplistic, but watch some cartoons. Writing for cartoons is HARD because of the pacing. Old Saturday morning cartoons, modern adult cartoons. Watch how they pace action. If you had never seen Bugs Bunny before, how does the writer pull you in? Most older cartoons are only 5-8 minutes long. Even Family Guy or Simpsons tell a lot of story in a half hour.

Remember that your characters become known to the audience not only by what they say, but what we see around them, how they dress and how they act. One page of script is just the outline. As director, you can amplify and convey a lot of information visually.

Code:
EXT.  WEBSTER BUILDING PARKING LOT - DAY

A mazzerati pulls up next to a porshe.  The door open and a long shapely leg steps out.

A man in a tuxedo and sunglasses sits in the porsche, glances over feigning disinterest
as his eyes trace upward from her ankle.

                                         MARGARET
            Oh, Robert, you're such a bore!

She takes her purse and slams the door.

She starts towards the condo elevator, her hips shifting with each step.

He starts and revs the car, pulling back.  He glances and sees her in the
rearview mirror tipping down his sunglasses.

                                         ROBERT
                            (under his breath)
                Right, baby.  You want me.

The porsche races off.

A smirk creeps across her lips.  

The bell rings as the elevator opens.  She nods to the operator.  

She starts to enter and totters on her high heel before toppling to the side.

                                      MARGARET
                  Damn!

The door closes.

Less than half a page but there is a sense of these two characters, their lifestyles, something of their relationship. The reader/viewer has enough to make guesses but not enough to know anything yet. But importantly, I don't have to explain that Margaret and Robert are both rich. That they know each other socially. In the next five pages, I can build the links by showing them in action in their surroundings. Then boom, I introduce the conflict around page 6 that set up the rest of the story. In shorts, it is especially important to show more than you tell.

But write the episode ignoring everything else. That needs to be your first step. Then go back and do the fine tuning. Good luck!




Thank you, that was quite helpful.
 
I completed a 6 episode web series just over a year ago. Here is a link: http://blip.tv/adjustingfocus

Making a web series can be extremely beneficial, especially if you are just starting out. I was basically 1 of 2 people who actually did all the work for the show. I wanted to make a sit com that also had elements of drama that would carry on from episode to episode. (LOST meets Arrested Development, only the drama elements are meant to be funny).

I could write a 20 page paper on advice to give you... there are so many things I would do differently. But here are some highlights:

1. Making each episode shorter than 10 minutes. Any longer and that's asking too much of your audience (which is all Internet based)

2. Don't cast your friends. I don't know how old you are or what your level of education is, but try to find outside actors if you can.

3. Don't work with your friends if they aren't committed. Seriously, if you find yourself in a position where your dedicating all your time to this show, and nobody else seems to be nearly as committed, don't work with them. Conflicts will arrise, and when they do, the fighting starts.

4. If you are writing a comedy make sure you have an equal balance between dialogue humor, situational humor, and action-based humor. (these aren't professional terms). But watch out for making a comedy to dialogue based. I made a huge mistake by making most of the humor dialogue based and it was boring.

5. Don't get too obsessed with your show. I went through a phase (pretty much an entire year of college) where all I ever thought about was my show. My friends would have normal conversations and then I would interrupt them and bring up something about the show, which was very annoying. Just be careful. You can get too attached to your show and then you start to lose yourself.


haha okay, I'm done. I make it sound like it's a really serious thing, but just have fun with it. Try new things. Hopefully it turns out good.
 
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