RTE STORYLAND POLL and results?

Okay... here are the results of the completely unscientific and multiple vote poll on this site, with the huge sample of 42 votes

1 Hardy Bucks 17 (40%)
2 Rental Boys 14 (33%)
3 Running Low 13 (30%)
3 Psych Ward 12 (28%)
4 Happy Slapper 12 (28%)
6 Pubworld 12 (28%)
7 Jenny Was A Friend Of Mine 8 (19%)
8 Chez Spuds 7 (16%)
9 This Is Not A Conspiracy Theory 6 (14%)


Seems the REAL results are out -- shared with the world in COMMENTS below??!?!
(And hearing rumours of twists we weren't expecting??? - tell us more in COMMENTS below!)

The Fine Bros on How To Make a Streamy Nominated Web Series

From Larry Kless's Weblog:-

Video The Fine Brothers made for the Streamy Awards


How To Make a Streamy Nominated Web Series



THE FINE BROS YOUTUBE CHANNEL HERE:
http://www.youtube.com/TheFineBros

THE FINE BROS on TWITTER
http://twitter.com/thefinebros

STREAMY AWARD SITE HERE:-
http://www.streamys.org

STREAMY AWARD WINNERS LIST HERE:-
http://storygas.blogspot.com/2009/03/streamy-award-winners-list.html

Online Show - Hailey Hacks

From story2oh.com:-

Story2.OH and giraffesoft introduce Hailey Hacks, a series of web videos starring Toronto grade 6 student, Marlee Maslove. Hailey is the Hermione Grainger of web wizardry showing 8-13 year olds all kinds of cool things they can do with their computers.

“Kids have these very powerful machines at their fingertips,” says series creator Jill Golick, “but no one’s teaching them the incredible scope of what they can do with them.” The mandate of the series is to broaden tweens’ use of the computer beyond games, Google and YouTube to include the wider world of blogs, widgets, RSS feeds, social bookmarks and the amazing tools that exist on the web for creating, collaborating and communicating.

MORE HERE:-
http://story2oh.com/2009/3/27/hailey-hacks-press-release

"HAILEY HACKS" SHOW HOME SITE HERE:-
http://www.haileyhacks.com

"HAILEY HACKS" ON TWITTER:-
http://twitter.com/HaileyHacks

"HAILEY HACKS" YOUTUBE CHANNEL:-
http://www.youtube.com/HaileyHacks


Hailey Hacks April Fools

LUNCHTIME WATCHALONG - The Guild - S1Ep3

Tuesday, and the LUNCHTIME WATCHALONGS rumble on with Season One of The Guild.

Explainer here.


The Guild - Episode 3: The Macro Problem

Codex's problem with Zaboo gets sidetracked by a crisis in The Guild.

"THE GUILD" HOME SITE HERE:-
http://www.watchtheguild.com

Online Comedy - The Legend Of Neil

I will always be indebted to Emmet O'Neill for putting me on to this, and for doing a rendition of the opening titles to explain it.
(Not as previously credited Neil Leyden of Calico.ie who put me onto Charlie the Unicorn and Salad Fingers.)
(it must be a first name, last name thing).



Linking you to this show is a bit... diffuse, so bear with me.

I first came to it via YouTube,
LEGENDOFNEIL YouTube Channel here
...but they've moved and put pointer videos to elsewhere.

The LEGEND OF NEIL HOME SITE is here:-
http://www.legendofneil.com

But the videos wouldn't play. (Because I'm outside the US? Or my PC? Either way, high five?)

So the best place to see them, for me, is here:-

Legend of Neil, Episode 1

Legend of Neil, Episode 1

Atom.com: Funny Videos | Atom Originals | Legend of Neil

In the first episode of this delightful homage to everyone's favorite action–adventure fantasy game, Neil learns the hard way that you shouldn't masturbate while playing Nintendo. Or maybe you should... you'll just have to keep watching.

"THE LEGEND OF NEIL" SHOW HOME SITE HERE:-
http://www.legendofneil.com

"LEGEND OF NEIL" on TWITTER
http://twitter.com/legendofneil

(By the way, this is what the pointer videos look like on YouTube - this one with web goddess, Felicia Day)
The Legend of Neil Episode 3 UPDATE

All is explained on the opening board.


Behind the scenes blog post here (from the excellent "Knights Of The Guild")
knightsoftheguild.podbean.com/category/legend-of-neil/


*****STORYGAS INTERACTIVE RATING*****
THE LEGEND OF NEIL
Can you embed? YES
Can you comment? YES
Also on youtube? NO - sort of... but NO
Forums? YES
Blog? NOT FOUND
************************************

What do you think?
Sum it up in 3 words, or scores out of 10...
See COMMENTS below

Twitter Whore - the web series?

See... Is this a sketch entering at the velocity of web series?


TWITTER WHORE part 2




http://twitter.com/Lisa_Nova


LISA NOVA'S HOME SITE HERE:-
http://www.lisanovalive.com/

RTE STORYLAND - last 3 hours of voting... or 2, or 4...

It's the final countdown for RTE STORYLAND first episode voting.

Just under 3 hours to go. Just realised the home page doesn't state which time zone.
Which is probably as it should be.

My poll on the other hand is way off thanks to blogger assuming we're all in the US on Pacific Time.
Which is probably as it should be.

So, that's an extra 8 hours to vote on the poll in the sidebar (and I didn't take European Summer Time into account, so there's an extra hour there, and even then I was out by an hour).

Man, this democracy thing is... like... hard.

The real voting place is here:
http://www.rte.ie/storyland


My links to the shows are here:
Chez Spuds
Happy Slapper
Hardy Bucks
Jenny Was A Friend Of Mine
Psych Ward
Pubworld
Rental Boys
Running Low
This Is Not A Conspiracy Theory

LUNCHTIME WATCHALONG - The Guild S1Ep2

New week, and the LUNCHTIME WATCHALONGS rumble on with episode 2 of The Guild.

Explainer here.


The Guild - Episode 2: Zaboo'd

Cyd Sherman's imaginary world becomes all too real when a gnome warlock shows up on her doorstep.

"THE GUILD" HOME SITE HERE:-
http://www.watchtheguild.com

HOW TO MAKE A HIT INTERNET SHOW (or web series)-#2 It's just one big beta test...

Here's an addendum to the original post which is now a work-in-progress.
(okay... I just wanted to say the word addendum).

Full 'post' here:-
HOW TO MAKE A HIT INTERNET SHOW

2. Your (hit) show is just one big beta test.
Or "it's not about getting it brilliant first time, that's why it's brilliant".

When I was doing rounds of meetings with legacy media companies immediately after writing on Season 2 of KateModern, I found it very difficult to explain that the best online shows are not perfect when they start out. That's why they're perfect.

And I'd be met with blank stares -- "Why would you want to put out a show any less than perfect?" or, put a different way - "Why would you want your show to admit publicly that your show is flawed?"

But that's not how it works.
And Internet Hits are open and honest about the fact that they are looking for ways to be better.

If the audience can freely comment on the show (see "Comments should be unmoderated(ish)"), two things happen:
Fans feel they have invested a tiny bit of work in the show, so they are more likely to come back; and secondly... the show gets better as a result of that constant feedback.


"But why would you allow your audience to be able to tell you that your show sucks?"

Legacy media organisations are used to their content being as "perfect as it can be at time of release". Radio, Film, Television, Print - it's all about getting it 'right' before it goes out.
Even live tv and radio generally has a format or running order or slot to run within.

Online, good online, doesn't work that way.
So I found myself once again stumbling to explain that - "starting a show, it doesn't have to be good, but it does have to allow an audience to comment freely on it" - this time in a meeting with Dave Castell at Tough Cookie.

And for the first time, wasn't met with a blank stare.
He really got into the idea, but because of his web background managed to explain it with a phrase I now use for the process:-

DAVE: "Yeah, - you mean you're beta testing the show.
ME: Huh?
DAVE: It's something software developers do, isn't it. Because noone releases software in a finished state, do they. They beta test it - they release it as a beta, and say to the users 'we think this is good, but have a try and say if we can make it any better'.
ME: Oh yeah.

That's how Internet Hits work.

They evolve around the discussions in the community around the show. But the community also keeps coming back, because there is a place to discuss the show.
All comments are good comments.

As a writer... this is... What's the word. Terrifying.
The same people who can comment "I LOVED it when Charlie said 'xxxxxxx'", are also free to say something less kind.
But it really helps with the sense of shared journey.

We were convinced the 'fans' would hate the new character, Toe. It was based on a laugh with Sam Donovan, the actor who played Lee. There's no way we thought we could even shoot Sam playing his twin brother in episodes which rely on being played out in one shot, let alone anyone enjoying his arrival. But we gave it a try, and the fan reaction meant we even sent him off for the Paris episodes.


(The Family Phillips, written by Lawrence Tallis - storyline by Lawrence Tallis, Luke Hyams & Neil Mossey)

This leads to a couple more suggestions for Internet Hits - which should be new chapters:

- Make sure your show is unmoderated.
Generally on KateModern, anyone could say anything under the videos. The only comment moderation that took place was generally for legal, or 'taste and decency' reasons. This meant that whole new discussions would take place amongst the fans - the show then has life beyond the content we have produced.

- It's not about how many hits or views you get on release.
Again, difficult to explain to legacy media companies, used to judginig hits on overnight ratings, RAJAR figures, Saturday's circulation, or opening weekend box office receipts.

There's only one direction your hit counter will go, and that is up.

The only thing you can do as Producer, is work out how you can make that hit count go up more quickly over time, rather than measuring a show on what it's doing this week.


Sorry for the lack of pictures... will have to hunt some down to jazz this up.


Time to add this to the orginal
HOW TO MAKE A HIT INTERNET SHOW... and watch it grow.

Streamy Award winners list? List of streamys winners HERE

(Here is the complete list of Streamy Awards winners and how it came about:-)

Okay, - can't believe I'm writing this post...

And thanks to the commenter on the last post - you're right...
Couldn't find a list of Streamy winners anywhere too! Either I've lost my google mojo... or anyone who would post such a thing is rightly out getting drunk.


http://twitter.com/streamyawards
have tweets -- but no list, and the tweets dont seem exactly clear who the winners are or just link to videos... (and some categories seem to be missing...)

(((So I'm now going to post who I think are the winners from tweets. Sorry if anyone of these are wrong. I'll just link to a list. As soon as I can find one. So in weird order, I guess... (I'm grabbing the last tweets sort of chronologically...)))


UPDATE: THIS *IS* THE LIST OF WINNERS!


Best Female Actor in a Comedy Web Series
Felicia Day, The Guild

@Ladyurbain: RT @WebNewser: #streamys best female actor in a comedy web series winner felicia day for the guild
@ShempLabs: @feliciaday Best speech ever. #streamys


Best Comedy Web Series
The Guild


Best Dramatic Web Series
Battlestar Galactica: The Face Of The Enemy

@webnewser #streamys best dramatic series winner battlestar g. This is the last one right?


Best Hosted Web Series
EPIC FU

@salimdao: @Zadi @stevewoolf @epicfu srsly awesome. congrats on the win for best hosted web series. #streamy
@michaelpilla: @Zadi gets a #Streamy for Best Hosted Series. Great to see true pioneer get recognized. @stevewoolf too :)


Best Reality Web Series
The Shatner Project


Best News or Politics Web Series
Alive In Baghdad

@michaelpilla: Best News or Political Web Series #Streamy goes to Alive In Baghdad. Well deserved. They've done amazing work for 2+ yers now.


Audience Choice Award
Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog

@webnewser #streamys final award lisa kudrow presenting audience choice dr horrible.


Best Directing for a Comedy Web Series
Joss Whedon, Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog


Best Directing for a Dramatic Web Series
Blake Calhoun, Pink


Best Writing for a Comedy Web Series
Maurissa Tancharoen, Jed Whedon, Joss Whedon, Zack Whedon, Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog


Best Writing for a Dramatic Web Series
Jane Espenson, Seamus Kevin Fahey, Ronald D. Moore, Battlestar Galactica: The Face of the Enemy


Best Male Actor in a Comedy Web Series
Neil Patrick Harris, Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog


Best Male Actor in a Dramatic Web Series
Alessandro Juliani, Battlestar Galactica: The Face of the Enemy


Best Female Actor in a Dramatic Web Series
Rosario Dawson, Gemini Division

@webnewser #streamys Best Female in a dramatic web series winner rosario Dawson. A no show.


Best Ensemble Cast in a Web Series
The Guild


Best Guest Star in a Web Series
Paul Rudd, Wainy Days

@life_of_keri #streamys best guest star: Paul Rudd


Best Web Series Host
Alex Albrecht, Project Lore

@michaelpilla Alex Albrecht takes home #Streamy for Best Web Series Host. But not for Diggnation.


Best Editing in a Web Series
Lisa Lassek, Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog

@CandyMaize: More wins (not that I am surprised) for Dr Horrible's at the Streamy Awards - Cinematography, Editing, Original Music! Yay!


Best Cinematography in a Web Series
Ryan Green, Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog

@CandyMaize: More wins (not that I am surprised) for Dr Horrible's at the Streamy Awards - Cinematography, Editing, Original Music! Yay!


Best Art Direction in a Web Series
Kim Bailey, Tiki Bar TV

@georgeruiz: Streamy Craft Awards Winners: Editing - Dr. Horrible; Art Direction-TikiBar TV; Visual Fx-BackyardVFX; Artistic Concept-YouSuck@Photoshop.


Best Visual Effects in a Web Series
Erik Beck, Backyard FX

@georgeruiz: Streamy Craft Awards Winners: Editing - Dr. Horrible; Art Direction-TikiBar TV; Visual Fx-BackyardVFX; Artistic Concept-YouSuck@Photoshop.


Best Animation in a Web Series
The Meth Minute 39

@EMcCutchan: Woot to Dan Meth for winning the Best Animation #Streamy for his Meth Minute 39 podcast this year!
@life_of_keri #streamys best animation: the meth minute 39...not who I wanted to win...


Best Original Music in a Web Series
Jed Whedon, Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog

@drhorrible This is Jed. I just won a Streamy.


Best Ad Integration in a Web Series
Back on Topps — (Skype)

@calaggie: Hey, Back on Topps won the Streamy for Best Ad Integration (for Skype)! Good job, Sklar brothers!

@michaelpilla: SKlar Brothers finally get rewarded in Hollywood, winning #Streamy for Best Ad Integration. They thank Michael Eisner for no apparent reason


Best Artistic Concept in a Web Series
You Suck at Photoshop

@georgeruiz: Streamy Craft Awards Winners: Editing - Dr. Horrible; Art Direction-TikiBar TV; Visual Fx-BackyardVFX; Artistic Concept-YouSuck@Photoshop.



Random Other tweets:-
@catlowmusic: Get that man a belt! ;) RT @cpreksta my belt broke so i have to hold up my pants all night #streamys #belt #help

@curlycue: #streamys okay, but bad banter & trophy girls=traditional/boring/clone-y. Move past the establishment & let new media be NEW media.

@flickerbat: #Streamys so, Lisa Kudrow gave away who won the Audience Choice Award prior to showing the nominees...this show was like clockwork!

@iamandywarhol: These #streamy people are definitely not #famous. Right, @iamdiddy?

@webnewser #streamys take breaks or pauses in the ceremony. I call them -wait for it - buffering


Thanks also to awesome blog here
http://ibv2.blogspot.com/


UPDATE:
LIST *AND PICTURES / SCREENGRABS* HERE
http://lg15today.blogspot.com/2009/03/twitter-from-streamy-awards.html

(Pic at top from @espreedevora)

Streamy Awards (for web shows) "The Streamys"-LIVE tonight

The Streamys will be webcast tonight live at 3.30am UK time (I mean, Sunday morning)
http://www.streamys.org

Nominations in 24 categories are reviewed by members of the International Academy of Web Television, an independent organization whose membership is comprised of leaders in the field of web television, web video and the digital entertainment industry.

Every year the Academy also selects one recipient the for Web Television Visionary Award. Each spring, the nominees, the press, industry luminaries, celebrity guests, and members of the academy, come together at the Streamy Awards in Los Angeles to celebrate and honor outstanding achievement in the space.

Nominees include:-
Childrens' Hospital
Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog
The Guild
Sorority Forever
The Hayley Project
The Legend Of Neil
After Judgment
With The Angels
Web Therapy
KateModern
Wainy Days
Kirill
Red vs. Blue

Nominees here:-
http://www.streamys.org/nominees.shtml

UPDATE:
WATCH THE LIVE STREAMY AWARDS "RED CARPET" ARRIVALS COVERAGE HERE!
http://www.kyte.tv/ch/44666/390449




P.S.
GOOD LUCK TO TARA RUSHTON - who played Charlie in KateModern.
Charlie was an absolute dream to write for on Season 2, purely thanks to Tara (pictured below!).




UPDATE:
FULL LIST OF STREAMY AWARD WINNERS HERE
http://storygas.blogspot.com/2009/03/streamy-award-winners-list.html

StoryGas posts direct by email...

Okay, minute's silence for the email digest - which seems to have died for the last 3 days. No idea why, but everyone on feedburner seems to be experiencing the same.

Looks like it's up and running now, so if you want to receive these posts direct to your inbox, just bung your email address into the box below!

(you won't receive anything else, and can click on unsubscribe at any time.)

Get the blog articles sent to you directly - just enter your email address in the box below:

More info on how this works why it's safe, and why I'm offering it.
(subscribed with my email and it's great!)

Chris Anderson and Freeconomics

Been meaning to link to this for ages - under the
Recommended Reading
label.



From wired.com:-

Once a marketing gimmick, free has emerged as a full-fledged economy. Offering free music proved successful for Radiohead, Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails, and a swarm of other bands on MySpace that grasped the audience-building merits of zero. The fastest-growing parts of the gaming industry are ad-supported casual games online and free-to-try massively multiplayer online games. Virtually everything Google does is free to consumers, from Gmail to Picasa to GOOG-411.

The rise of "freeconomics" is being driven by the underlying technologies that power the Web. Just as Moore's law dictates that a unit of processing power halves in price every 18 months, the price of bandwidth and storage is dropping even faster. Which is to say, the trend lines that determine the cost of doing business online all point the same way: to zero.

MORE HERE:-
http://www.wired.com/techbiz/it/magazine/16-03/ff_free


Free! Why $0.00 is the Future of Business

LUNCHTIME WATCHALONG - The Guild - Season One - S1Ep1

I love THE GUILD.

The first episode got me. It's below.

But I also love the inspiration for it

(the creator/lead actress was spending too long on World of Warcraft and neglecting her career, so wrote a 'thing' based on that),

the production of it

(a bunch of like-minded souls donating their time, and sharing the rewards),

the funding of it

(off their own backs at first, then donations from fans for subsequent episodes)





Anyway -- it's been a while since I've seen it, and I've missed some eps from season 1, so lets press on with the LUNCHTIME WATCHALONGS with season 1 of The Guild.


The Guild - Episode 1: Wake-Up Call

Cyd Sherman's online gaming addiction brings more than she bargains for...

"THE GUILD" HOME SITE HERE:-
http://www.watchtheguild.com


Felicia Day Interview here:-
http://www.buzzine.com/2009/02/felicia-day-interview

RTE Storyland Voting - what's your top nine?

Sarah makes a suggestion on her blog for a way to make the voting on Storyland more engaging...

From critical junk:-

I think it might be an Idea in the future to allow tiered voting, you know, your top 6 choices in order of preference.

There are some really good arguments for this.
-- It encourages people who are simply visiting the Storyland site to vote for a particular show because of a good online campaign, to take a moment to watch a few more.
-- Because you can only vote for one if your choice gets knocked out in the first round why would you go back? The system as it is is getting people to invest in shows but not in Storyland overall.

MORE HERE:-
http://criticaljunk.blogspot.com/2009/03/some-thoughts-on-rte-storyland-voting.html


So... if you were to list the shows in order of preference...
the order you'd want them to go through...
how would YOUR list look????

See COMMENTS BELOW!

(or click on the POLL on the right hand side)

.

Storyland poll...

For a laugh.

On the right hand side. In the sidebar.

You can vote as many times.

For as many shows.



CLICK ON THIS LINK FOR ALL POSTS LABELLED RTÉ STORYLAND

http://storygas.blogspot.com/search/label/RTE%20Storyland

LUNCHTIME WATCHALONG - This Is Not A Conspiracy Theory (RTE Storyland)

The final RTE STORYLAND lunchtime watchalong.



This Is Not A Conspiracy Theory

Joe is a twenty-something male webcasting his personal experiences of UFOs and ‘abduction phenomena’. For reasons of security he prefers to remain anonymous.

This Is Not A Conspiracy Theory Episode 1 - First Webcast

I hope you will not be quick to judge, but I must risk your skepticism. This is the start of the evidence of what is happening to me, and the rest of the world. I intend to systematically prove the reality of alien abduction phenomenon. Tell me how I can convince you? And I will. www.thisisnotaconspiracytheory.com

"THIS IS NOT A CONSPIRACY THEORY" RTE STORYLAND PAGE AND VOTING HERE


FULL LIST OF "THIS IS NOT A CONSPIRACY THEORY" LINKS HERE:-
http://storygas.blogspot.com/2009/03/rte-storyland-contender-this-is-not.html


What do you think?
Sum it up in 3 words, or scores out of 10...
See COMMENTS below

LUNCHTIME WATCHALONG - Running Low (RTE Storyland)

Final day of the RTE STORYLAND lunchtime watchalongs where voting closes (this) Monday 30th March at 5pm.



RUNNING LOW

Of course the oil ran out in the end, and civilisation duly crumbled in its absence. But Tom and Bala Weldon, two Tipperary slackers manning the last petrol station in Ireland, have no intention of going anywhere. Their plan, to lay low and sit out mankind’s return to the Dark Ages, is utterly foiled by the very last thing they ever expected to see... a motorist.

UPDATE: Here's Episode 1 - thanks to the Running Low team





"RUNNING LOW" RTE STORYLAND PAGE AND VOTING HERE


FULL LIST OF "RUNNING LOW" LINKS HERE:-
http://storygas.blogspot.com/2009/03/rte-storyland-contender-running-low.html


What do you think?
Sum it up in 3 words, or scores out of 10...
See COMMENTS below

Project Funding x15 - Film London Artists' Moving Image Network - FLAMIN Productions

Film London and Arts Council England have teamed up to present FLAMIN Productions. Part of the Film London Artists' Moving Image Network, FLAMIN Productions will provide production finance, development and support for to up to 15 projects. Commissioning awards vary between £20,000 to £50,000 each.
Deadline for applications: 5pm Thursday 21 May 2009.

From Filmlondon.org.uk:-

Film London and Arts Council England present FLAMIN Productions, a major new opportunity for London's artist film-makers. Part of the already well established and successful Film London Artists' Moving Image Network, FLAMIN Productions will not only provide production finance but also a professional development programme and bespoke mentoring.

The scheme is for work that is ambitious in premise and duration (20 minutes+) with an emphasis on projects that have strong potential to reach audiences via galleries, broadcast, cinema or digital platforms. FLAMIN Productions is about more than simply producing work; it supports artists to reach the next stage in their career.

This year up to 15 projects will be selected for a substantial development programme, which also includes a separate development budget of £1,000 per project. Following this, 2 to 5 works will be commissioned for production with awards between £20,000 to £50,000 each. Projects selected for production need to be completed by October 2010.

MORE HERE:-
http://flamin.filmlondon.org.uk/content.asp?CategoryID=1182

I am the Long Tail

Small publishers from across the web share their stories about how interactive advertising is helping them achieve the American Dream. If you are a small online publisher and would like to be part of the I Am the Long Tail project, contact chris@iab.net

I Am the Long Tail

TV Interactivity FAIL? - Case example - In The Motherhood

Interesting article here -- via @mrjonmacqueen


It's an illustration of the strength of online shows to create content from and amongst the communities around them... and the inability of broadcast TV to do the same.

The skew of the article seems to be that it is difficult to achieve legally.

My sense is that it's difficult to achieve editorially.

The depth of an online community IS the show - rather than something a TV series would graft to itself.

Here's a thought: Was Television seen as a "way to develop shows" for radio... back in 1950?
So are we right to apply that logic to online shows today?


From The New York Times:-

This tale of three moms, which has its debut on ABC on Thursday, was created by a marketing company as a Web video series. After drawing millions of views online in the past two years, it was transformed into a traditional network sitcom, making it the first Web show to be remade for network television. But what made the Web series unique — an interactive style of storytelling — was quashed by the legal engine of Hollywood.

On the MSN.com edition of “Motherhood” (since discontinued), short segments about funny, frazzled mothers were inspired by the real-life stories that viewers submitted via an Internet forum. ABC, similarly, asked for story submissions on its Web site (itm.abc.go.com) and said that they “might just become inspiration for a story by the writers.”

But ABC’s call for ideas from moms drew the attention of the Writers Guild of America, which said this type of request for submissions was “not permissible” under its contract with the network. This week ABC abruptly removed the language about “inspiration” from its Web site, effectively saying that the writers may not be listening to viewers’ ideas, after all.

MORE HERE:-
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/25/arts/television/25moth.html


"IN THE MOTHERHOOD" STORYGAS ENTRY and LINKS HERE:-
http://storygas.blogspot.com/2009/01/online-comedy-in-motherhood.html


CLICK HERE for more RECOMMENDED READING on web series production and issues

LUNCHTIME WATCHALONG - Rental Boys (RTE Storyland)

The second of the penultimate RTE STORYLAND lunchtime watchalongs.



RENTAL BOYS

Rental Boys follows the lives of the staff of two competing DVD rental chain stores in the Dublin suburb of Finglas. Main character Brian, a DIT drop out, is an aspiring sci-fi scriptwriter and the lethargic assistant manager of “Movie-visions”, the rental store that also specialises in most electronics. His average working days generally include run-ins with; his long-suffering manager Pawel, an array of crazy customers and his arch nemesis, Darren, a struggling actor with a great tan who’s the senior staff member at “Filmbusters” - the store where you can avail of sunbeds and diet pills with every new movie release.

This is the only Storyland entry where I couldn't find an embeddable version of Episode 1.


So here's a video from the Rental Boys Vimeo channel instead.


Why people should rent form filmbusters. from rental boys


"RENTAL BOYS" RTE STORYLAND PAGE AND VOTING HERE


FULL LIST OF "RENTAL BOYS" LINKS HERE:-
http://storygas.blogspot.com/2009/03/rte-storyland-contender-rental-boys.html


What do you think?
Sum it up in 3 words, or scores out of 10...
See COMMENTS below

LUNCHTIME WATCHALONG - PUBWORLD (RTE Storyland)

First of the penultimate RTE STORYLAND lunchtime watchalongs today.




PUBWORLD

What is reality? What are its limits, its possibilities, its meaning? A young man called Darryl has been wrenched, against his will, from our reality and deposited in some other existence – an existence that on the surface appears similar – yet which openly defies the long established norms of physics and logic. He has been deposited in a place called Pub World, and closing time is near...

PUBWORLD EPISODE 1:-

A young man is wrenched, against his will, from our reality and deposited in some other existence. An existence that openly defies the long established norms of physics and logic.

"PUBWORLD" RTE STORYLAND PAGE AND VOTING HERE


"PUBWORLD" HOME SITE HERE:-
http://www.pubworld.org

"PUBWORLD" ON BEBO:-
http://www.bebo.com/PUBWORLD

"PUBWORLD" YOUTUBE CHANNEL HERE:-
http://www.youtube.com/pubworld09


FULL LIST OF "PUBWORLD" LINKS HERE:-
http://storygas.blogspot.com/2009/03/rte-storyland-contender-pubworld.html


What do you think?
Sum it up in 3 words, or scores out of 10...
See COMMENTS below

Global One Music Video Competition

Not web series, I know, - but it might be of interest...



From raindance.tv:-

MESSAGE TO ALL FILMMAKERS: WE'VE EXTENDED THE COMPETITION DEADLINE TO 2ND APRIL

Global One and Raindance have teamed up to create this ground breaking opportunity for film makers around the world.

The film and music industry is constantly on the lookout for fresh, new talent, and the Global One competition can give you the opportunity to have your work viewed by some of the biggest names in the business and by millions around the world! To compete in the competition you must create a 2:56 minute video and submit it to the Global One Competition.

Global One is a revolutionary and unique worldwide music project, uniting the talents of platinum selling artists covering 20 countries over 5 continents. The featured artists each sing their interpretation of the specially written Global One hit song in their own language and genre, for a simultaneous release around the world in Spring 2009.

The competition is asking film makers to create and submit a video of their interpretation of the music and lyrics to accompany the hit song sung by all 20 of the platinum selling artists. The winning video will be aired around the world to promote the launch of the feature song.

MORE HERE:-
http://raindance.tv/globalone


You could... maybe... shoot the video as an episode of your show?
Promote your series to a new audience?

(Okay, I haven't actually read the rules...)


More posts labelled 'funding' here.
http://storygas.blogspot.com/search/label/funding


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HOW TO MAKE A HIT INTERNET SHOW

Pixel Generation

Picked up the term "Pixel Generation" from Meghan Stuyvenberg's Youth Marketing Insights blog here:-

http://blogs.hillandknowlton.com/meghanstuyvenberg

Chairlift’s music video “Evident Utensil” uses an editing effect known as “datamoshing” to create this throw-back, psychedelic feel. According to Wikipedia this is “visual style is produced by an exploit of the different ways video codecs process motion and color information”….whatever that means….

MORE HERE:-
http://blogs.hillandknowlton.com/meghanstuyvenberg/2009/03/02/the-pixel-generations-music-video-chairlifts-evident-utensil/

On Twitter here: @mstuyvenberg
http://twitter.com/mstuyvenberg

LUNCHTIME WATCHALONG - Psych Ward (RTE Storyland)

The second RTE STORYLAND lunchtime watchalong today.



PSYCH WARD

Danny O'Hagan works as an emergency Psychiatrist on the night shift in a busy city centre hospital. One night Danny is forced to make an impossible decision. The consequences prove worse than he could have imagined. Pressure is building, and Danny soon finds himself in the biggest battle of his life.

Psych Ward Episode 1




"PSYCH WARD" RTE STORYLAND PAGE AND VOTING HERE


FULL LIST OF "PSYCH WARD" LINKS HERE:-
http://storygas.blogspot.com/2009/03/rte-storyland-contender-psych-ward.html


What do you think?
Sum it up in 3 words, or scores out of 10...
See COMMENTS below

LUNCHTIME WATCHALONG - Jenny Was A Friend Of Mine (RTE Storyland)

Another lunchtime, another couple of RTE STORYLAND lunchtime watchalong.




JENNY WAS A FRIEND OF MINE

From the moment you go online, they're watching you. Recording your every move, collecting data, building your profile. They know your secrets. They've mapped your very soul. Now, they mean to do you harm. But who are they? Surely all you have to do to be safe is turn the computer off... right? If you’re no longer online then the danger is no longer real... right? But what is reality, your life online, or your so called life in the physical world? Are you alone?

Episode 1 - Jenny Was A Friend Of Mine
by screenworksireland

"JENNY WAS A FRIEND OF MINE" RTE STORYLAND PAGE AND VOTING HERE


FULL LIST OF "JENNY WAS A FRIEND OF MINE" LINKS HERE:-
http://storygas.blogspot.com/2009/03/rte-storyland-contender-jenny-was.html


What do you think?
Sum it up in 3 words, or scores out of 10...
See COMMENTS below

LUNCHTIME WATCHALONG - Hardy Bucks (RTE Storyland)

Another lunchtime watchalong RTE STORYLAND show.



HARDY BUCKS

Hardy Bucks follows the lives of four lazy but likable lads from Castletown, Co Mayo as they try and make enough money to make a fresh start in the 'big shmoke'- Galway. The bucks try their luck at the Mitzi Turbo Cup - an underground boy-racer event - which has come to Castletown. With the chance of netting €250 "in the claw", the boys may finally have the means of moving to Galway.

HARDY BUCKS EPISODE 1: The Mitzi Turbo Cup




"HARDY BUCKS" RTE STORYLAND PAGE AND VOTING HERE


FULL LIST OF "HARDY BUCKS" LINKS HERE:-
http://storygas.blogspot.com/2009/03/rte-storyland-contender-hardy-bucks.html


What do you think?
Sum it up in 3 words, or scores out of 10...
See COMMENTS below

LUNCHTIME WATCHALONG - HappySlapper (RTE Storyland)

Just realised... there aren't that many days left till voting ends on RTE STORYLAND -- so here's a double lunchtime watchalong to catch up.




HAPPY SLAPPER

"Your school years are the best years of your life."
Whoever said that must have been hit a few too many times on the head. With a hammer... Set in a North Dublin secondary school, during a final year that is filled with betrayal, manipulation, desperation & violence, HAPPYSLAPPER is a mystery thriller that centres on the disappearance of popular girl MADDY, and the dark secrets that are revealed when two of her friends start investigating what has happened to her and why... In episode 1 shy outsider Emily has no idea what she's getting herself involved in when she's invited to a 'secret party' held by tough girl Rachel in the school, after dark...

EPISODE 1 - DIRECTOR'S CUT




"HAPPYSLAPPER" RTE STORYLAND PAGE AND VOTING HERE

FULL LIST OF "HAPPYSLAPPER" LINKS HERE:-
http://storygas.blogspot.com/2009/03/rte-storyland-contender-happyslapper.html


What do you think?
Sum it up in 3 words, or scores out of 10...
See COMMENTS below

LUNCHTIME WATCHALONG - Chez Spuds (RTE Storyland)

The lunchtime watchalong is BACK!

There's a flurry of activity online as the RTE Storyland shows beef up their online presence. All the links I could find to the contenders are in the bar down the right hand side of this page -- but some of them are already out of date.

So, going through the shows one at a time to see if the episodes are online and adding the extra links.

First up -- CHEZ SPUDS

A surreal comedy set around an Irish kitchen inhabited by Mrs Spuds and her son Shay. In each episode a well known figure will turn up through a strange portal into which step the likes of Jimi Hendrix, Gengis Khan and the 1966 English world cup squad!

"CHEZ SPUDS" RTE STORYLAND PAGE AND VOTING HERE

CHEZ SPUDS Episode 1



"CHEZ SPUDS" HOME SITE HERE:-
http://chezspuds.com

"CHEZ SPUDS" SHOW BLOG HERE:=
http://chezspuds.com/blog

"CHEZ SPUDS" ON TWITTER:-
http://twitter.com/ShaySpuds

"CHEZ SPUDS" YOUTUBE CHANNEL:-
http://www.youtube.com/chezspuds


What do you think?
Sum it up in 3 words, or scores out of 10...
See COMMENTS below

Bebo cuts back drama budgets and brand deals

From broadcastnow.co.uk:-

Bebo is to focus on short, low-budget drama series rather than the marathon runs of daily dramas such as KateModern because of the "exhausting" workload involved.

The social network is also keen to move away from signing multiple brand-integration deals with commercial partners in favour of a single sponsor per series.

Speaking at Broadcast's TV Drama Forum, Bebo European managing director Kate Burns said non-scripted formats such as The Gap Year were easier to sell to advertisers and cheaper to make.

MORE HERE:-
http://www.broadcastnow.co.uk/news/2009/03/bebo_cuts_back_drama_budgets_and_brand_deals.html

Uploading Audio Files, Podcasts, MP3s, whatever... like youtube

After one final frustrating grapple with odeo.com, had a little hunt around for places where you can upload audio files, podcasts, mp3s, sound effects... whatever... so long as it felt a bit like youtube.

Came across this great blog post. From Geshan's Blog:-

I was in search for websites that let me upload audio files mainly MP3 and embed them to where ever I want with the provided embed code. Similar to the massively popular youtube for video, I was trying to find youtube like sites for audio.

MORE HERE:-
http://geshan.blogspot.com/2008/11/4-youtube-for-audio-clips-site-to-check.html

The sites listed in Geshan's post and comments include:-

audioo.com

entertonement.com

yourlisten.com

podbean.com



Went with entertonment.com in the end -- it took about 12 seconds to sign up, and about the same time to upload. And good to see them active in the comments on the original blog post too -
http://entertonement.uservoice.com

HOW TO MAKE A HIT INTERNET SHOW

This is a work-in-progress. It might never be finished. But when I post on a topic around lessons learned from web series which are hits... I'll write them under this heading, and add to the post here.

It'll be messy.

But hopefully it will grow.




1. "Make sure your series can be seen everywhere".

There seem to be two schools of thought on how to put your show out on the Net.

One is to put the show in one place. On one site. And to make this the only outlet for your show, forcing the audience to come to your outlet on a regular basis to get more of your show.

The other approach is to get it out in as many places as possible.
To still have a single primary 'home' for the show -- the official place new content will appear. But to upload the show and present it in a way to be seen wherever, by whomever, on as many sites as possible.

I have yet to see a true Internet hit which...
- is geo-blocked
- does not provide or allow embedding
- needs special software to be downloaded to see the show.

If I'm wrong, feel free to put me right on comments below.

The evidence seems to be that if the show is as freely available, and 'pass-on-able' in many places, you're more likely to raise the profile of the 'home site' - the primary content stream.

If this were the 1930's and you made a radio show that you want to be heard by as many people as possible - the equivalent of broadcasting on a low powered transmitter would surely work against the ubiquity which would increase your audience, which in turn might earn you more money?

The broadcasting analogy is poor though -- See chapter: "It should provide a two-way transaction with the audience".

---------



Here's an addendum to the original post which is now a work-in-progress.
(okay... I just wanted to say the word addendum).

Full 'post' here:-
HOW TO MAKE A HIT INTERNET SHOW

2. Your (hit) show is just one big beta test.
Or "it's not about getting it brilliant first time, that's why it's brilliant".

When I was doing rounds of meetings with legacy media companies immediately after writing on Season 2 of KateModern, I found it very difficult to explain that the best online shows are not perfect when they start out. That's why they're perfect.

And I'd be met with blank stares -- "Why would you want to put out a show any less than perfect?" or, put a different way - "Why would you want your show to admit publicly that your show is flawed?"

But that's not how it works.
And Internet Hits are open and honest about the fact that they are looking for ways to be better.

If the audience can freely comment on the show (see "Comments should be unmoderated(ish)"), two things happen:
Fans feel they have invested a tiny bit of work in the show, so they are more likely to come back; and secondly... the show gets better as a result of that constant feedback.


"But why would you allow your audience to be able to tell you that your show sucks?"

Legacy media organisations are used to their content being as "perfect as it can be at time of release". Radio, Film, Television, Print - it's all about getting it 'right' before it goes out.
Even live tv and radio generally has a format or running order or slot to run within.

Online, good online, doesn't work that way.

So I found myself once again stumbling to explain that - "starting a show, it doesn't have to be good, but it does have to allow an audience to comment freely on it" - this time in a meeting with Dave Castell at Tough Cookie.

And for the first time, wasn't met with a blank stare.
He really got into the idea, but because of his web background managed to explain it with a phrase I now use for the process:-

DAVE: "Yeah, - you mean you're beta testing the show.

ME: Huh?

DAVE: It's something software developers do, isn't it. Because noone releases software in a finished state, do they. They beta test it - they release it as a beta, and say to the users 'we think this is good, but have a try and say if we can make it any better'.

ME: Oh yeah.

That's how Internet Hits work.

They evolve around the discussions in the community around the show. But the community also keeps coming back, because there is a place to discuss the show.
All comments are good comments.

As a writer... this is... What's the word. Terrifying.
The same people who can comment "I LOVED it when Charlie said 'xxxxxxx'", are also free to say something less kind.
But it really helps with the sense of shared journey.

We were convinced the 'fans' would hate the new character, Toe. It was based on a laugh with Sam Donovan, the actor who played Lee. There's no way we thought we could even shoot Sam playing his twin brother in episodes which rely on being played out in one shot, let alone anyone enjoying his arrival. But we gave it a try, and the fan reaction meant we even sent him off for the Paris episodes.


(The Family Phillips, written by Lawrence Tallis - storyline by Lawrence Tallis, Luke Hyams & Neil Mossey)

This leads to a couple more suggestions for Internet Hits - which should be new chapters:

- Make sure your show is unmoderated.
Generally on KateModern, anyone could say anything under the videos. The only comment moderation that took place was generally for legal, or 'taste and decency' reasons. This meant that whole new discussions would take place amongst the fans - the show then has life beyond the content we have produced.

- It's not about how many hits or views you get on release.
Again, difficult to explain to legacy media companies, used to judginig hits on overnight ratings, RAJAR figures, Saturday's circulation, or opening weekend box office receipts.

There's only one direction your hit counter will go, and that is up.

The only thing you can do as Producer, is work out how you can make that hit count go up more quickly over time, rather than measuring a show on what it's doing this week.


Sorry for the lack of pictures... will have to hunt some down to jazz this up.

---------


Don't know where exactly, but this would fall somewhere in the ever-growing "How To Make A Hit Internet Show".

It's a response to an excellent article written by Bill Thompson on bbc.co.uk about online regulation.

There are often moments during the widespread adoption of transformative technologies where an old way of thinking or doing business is so threatened by the new possibilities that its adherents call on those with political power to "Do Something!"
It never works.

If the music industry had spent more time thinking of ways to deliver great music to its customers over the internet and less lobbying politicians and suing potential customers it would probably be thriving by now.

Book publishers, less certain of their own importance, are taking notice of the exciting experiments at Faber & Faber and Penguin instead of looking for protectionist legislation to keep the new media world at bay.

The full article is here:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/7644849.stm

And these are extracts from an email I sent.
###
Since December last year, I was on the writing team for an online drama called katemodern.

You may have heard of it -- it was, apparently, the first online drama made in the UK, and one of the first in the world (certainly in the UK) to embed itself on a social networking website (bebo)
www.bebo.com/katemodern
and was the UK spinoff of the American online phenomenon lonelygirl15.

katemodern got 61 million video hits, and 6 million profile views on bebo.
The show ended this summer as scheduled - sorry, bear with me, there is a point to this email! - and I now give talks to and consult for [large and small] media organisations.

It feels as if I was hurled on an exponential learning curve, and am now try to bring others up to speed on what I glimpsed writing 70 odd episodes, (storylining 140 odd episodes), as to the potential of interactive drama - while you're making it along with your audience interacting with and commenting on it.

The way I try to explain it is that it feels like working in television drama in 1950.

"Everyone is trying to think of it, and critique it, and work in it, as if they are radio drama producers.
But it's not radio, it's television. But we dont know what the medium can yet fully achieve! We just know it's not radio, theatre, or cinema."

Anyway - wanted to share this story with you.
This is a blog devoted to the show lonelygirl15, it's called lg15today
http://lg15today.blogspot.com

It's written and maintained by fans of the show.

Have a look at this article from a couple of weeks ago.
http://lg15today.blogspot.com/2008/09/note-about-removal-of-video.html

Note About Removal of Video
Due to it's use of nudity and adult themes, a video was removed from the blog by myself after a lengthy discussion with community members and a consensus that this was the proper action to take. The author of the post has been contacted and informed of the removal and why it occurred. Anyone wishing to discuss the matter further can contact me at xxxxxxxx@xxxxxx or can PM me in IRC.
Thank you!

-- I read some of the comments, and apparently, the post didn't have a harmful intention behind it. That's not what's interesting.

What's interesting, for me, is the *the community* decided it wasn't right for lg15today.

lg15today's *audience* decided it wasn't appropriate.

Not the makers of lonelygirl15,
Not the authors of lg15today.blogspot.com
Not the company that hosts the blog,
Nor even the ISP.

*The Audience*, *The Community* decided it would be best to take it down.
For the first time, we have a medium which allows *the audience* to moderate content.

To flag up and vote down the inappropriate.
To decide amongst ourselves (as an audience) what is safe and appropriate and what we would like to be associated with.

As an audience, we're not quite ready for what exactly that means.
But we're all learning. And becoming more 'literate' and experienced audiences.

It's a fascinating time out there, as content adapts to the technology.
And even more fascinating as we, the audience, adapt the content to fit what we as a society feel is best.

---------


4. The phrase "WEB TV" sucks.



Here's a thought - just putting it out there.

(DEEP BREATH)
There seems to be no general consensus on an accepted term for the genre of content that's being described as online show, web show, web series, online series, online drama, online comedy, online (insert genre here), digi novel or diginovel, webisodes, social shows, Internet narratives, social media series and many many more...
- you can probably suggest some more terms floating out there in COMMENTS below.

But there's one term that is really bugging me. And I find it very difficult to use it on this site.


WEB TV.

Web TV.

webtv.

The problem is, - it does actually instantly convey what a show is.

It's the most understandable of all the terms, and yet there's something about it that doesn't feel right.




In the 1950's, we didn't instantly backdate the new medium of television by calling it VisionRadio. Though that is pretty much what TV is, technically.

But the content, - the CONTENT - of TV managed to develop beyond "recording a radio series in a television studio". Genres evolved in ways that can only exist on television.


So what to do with WEB TV.

There are shows which properly describe themselves as Web TV.

They are TV shows "broadcast" on the web.
Or short films, broken up and uploaded to the web.


But if you have a stream of content (even if it is mostly video, and episodic), and are trying to build a community, and a 2-way relationship with the audience...

...Do you really want to hobble your show with the phrase "Web TV"?

Aren't you attempting to create something beyond TV?


-------------


5. What choices do you make when creating an online series?



Attended a forum held at BAFTA organised by NyAC in October 2009, where Producer Phil Parker chaired with a very simple question...


With which key issues do you struggle when creating online interactive narratives?


It's a good question for any web show creators.

Here's my response -- feel free to add your own in COMMENTS below!


DYNAMIC UNIVERSES - the choices made when writing an Online Show?

TALE OF TWO NARRATIVES
- HOLDING THE FAN'S HAND?
Linear roll-out of story/narrative developments, in easily understandable guided sequences
or
- JOY OF DISCOVERY (MYSTERY, BROKEN NARRATIVE)?
Do you put content out there, for fan to engage by pieceing together aspects of story from what they find -- fans help each other out in comments, forums, wikis etc. alongside the creator's stream of content?


TIME, SPACE & DIMENSION
- single closed, completed narrative - using the internet as a TV transmission mast
(e.g. Clark & Michael, We Tell Stories)
or
- "live show" = open,ongoing narrative played out in real time
(e.g. lonelygirl15, katemodern)
or
- Mini closed narratives, with "live" ongoing communities around the writer, or performers
(e.g. The Guild, Dr. Horrible's Sing-A-Long Blog)


FANS AS AUDIENCE,
or EVERYONE AS FANS?
Technology allows Everyone to comment on Everything.
Is that conversation encouraged by 'the show', or even acknowledged by the characters?


COMMUNITIES
- Controlled mothership ("Protect the brand!", geoblocking),
or
free-for-all?
i.e. 'Do you try to drive everyone to your home site, or do you put everything everywhere'


'HONESTY'
The two extremes:
- Having a backstage area which isn't on view to the public
or
- Putting *everything* out there - storyboards on youtube, works in progress scripts, behind the scenes blogs
= Hugh McLeod wrote his book 'How To Be Creative' on his blog, and it has been freely available for years. It hasn't had a negative impact on sales, if anything, is acting as years and years of pre-publicity.


FUNDING AFFECTING THE CREATOR'S CONTENT
- Sense of Community - paypal tip jar to pay for the next series
- or Micropayments, Advertising/Sponsorship,
- or selling 'containers' - DVD's, Live shows, Live screenings, Music tracks, Books
- or all these options


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