How to make a webseries (or anything) happen - Quieten The Lizard Brain

the99percent.com

Seth Godin: Quieting the Lizard Brain

Bestselling author and entrepreneur Seth Godin outlines a common creative affliction: sabotaging our projects just before we show them to the world. Godin targets our "lizard brain" as the source of these primal doubts, and implores us to "thrash at the beginning" of projects so that we can ship on time and on budget.

These quotes leapt out:

SHIP ON TIME rather than being a wandering generality.

What you do for a living (even webseries creators) is SHIP. You are not creative for a living. Everyone is creative.

Why do human beings sabotage their work?
The lizard brain.
It's selfish, hungry, scared and horny.

The resistance (to finishing a project) gets worse the closer we get to shipping.

The genius part is to get the lizard brain to shut up.

"I am really careful at the start of a project... to thrash it".


FULL VIDEO AND WEBSITE HERE HERE:-



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REMIX ISN'T THEFT - hitRECord.org - But is it a webseries?

Came across this web phenomenon, only after a few of years of trying to describe how people can collaborate on a series. It also proposes an answer to the question:
"How do you share 'points' or profits with contributors on works that are still evolving?"

-- They seem to call it The hitRECord Accord.

What is hitRECord?

HITRECORD.ORG is a project (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) started almost five years ago now, and in 2010, we evolved into a professional open collaborative production company. We create and develop art and media collaboratively here on our site. Even this introductory video is the remixed result of a great many contributions. So rather than just exhibiting and admiring each other's work as isolated individuals, we gather here to collectively work on projects together. Videos, writing, photography, music, anything -- we call them all RECords.

Now and then, when I think something we've made has come out especially well, I approach the traditional entertainment industry to turn our work into money-making productions; and then we share any profits with the contributing artists.

Are you RECording?

MORE HERE:- http://www.hitrecord.org/reel


What is hitRECord?




"Tiny Stories" Announcement



I've found one of the best ways to explain what we do here is just to show some of the "RECords" we've made together. So I've curated this small selection, many of which were recently screened at Sundance and SxSW. Now, the larger purpose of this place isn't merely to post and play the work of isolated individuals, but to collaborate as a community. So if you like what you see, check out our recently Featured RECords and Collaborations to join in and contribute to the next project.


JOSEPH GORDON-LEVITT on twitter


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Now you can have twitter writing tips that draw viewers to your #webseries

Okay, I admit it. I'm British.

Which geographically means I am uncomfortable at selling.

Which means I hate writing bold, provocative statements to drive sales.

But what I have noticed is that using the formula tweet and blog post headers below does tend to increase page views and drive traffic to the links...


So, wanted to link to these tips from http://www.copyblogger.com/10-sure-fire-headline-formulas-that-work/, if only to have one place where I could click to have some ideas for wording those tweets and blog post headlines.


1. Who Else Wants [blank]?
Who Else Wants a Great WordPress Theme?

2. The Secret of [blank]
The Secret of Successful Podcasting

3. Here is a Method That is Helping [blank] to [blank]
Here is a Method That is Helping Homeowners Save Hundreds on Insurance

4. Little Known Ways to [blank]
Little Known Ways to Save on Your Heating Bill

5. Get Rid of [problem] Once and For All
Get Rid of Your Unproductive Work Habits Once and For All

6. Here’s a Quick Way to [solve a problem]
Here’s a Quick Way to Potty Train Junior

7. Now You Can Have [something desirable] [great circumstance]
Now You Can Own a Cool Mac and Still Run Windows

8. [Do something] like [world-class example]
Speak Spanish Like a Diplomat

9. Have a [or] Build a [blank] You Can Be Proud Of
Build a Body You Can Be Proud Of

10. What Everybody Ought to Know About [blank]
What Everybody Ought to Know About ASP


Here are some more from http://www.copyblogger.com/proven-headline-formulas

1. Say it simply and directly.
No cleverness. No jokes. No wordplay.
- The Ultimate Tax Shelter

2. State the big benefit.
Transforming your major benefit into a headline.
- Get a FREE vase when you buy a dozen roses.

3. Announce exciting news.
The product or service doesn’t necessarily have to be newly created to qualify as news.
- Now program your DVR by simply speaking to the revolutionary DVR VOICE programmer.

4. Appeal to the “how-to” instinct.
The how-to must highlight the benefit or final result, not the process itself. Look at this example:
- How to make money working from home with your PC.

5. Pose a provocative question.
It must relate directly and clearly to the major benefit of the product.
- How do I know which mutual funds may be right for me?

6. Bark a command.
It’s not conversational, it’s dictatorial.
- Stop wasting money on Web design. Use InstaSite to create your own Web site in minutes.

7. Offer useful information.
What people really want is a sense of order and predictability in their lives.
- Free brochure shows you how to end your money worries for good.

8. Relay an honest, enthusiastic testimonial.
It capitalizes on the fact that people like to know what other people say.
- “It’s the first book on personal finance that really made sense to me.”

9. Authenticate your proposition with a little something extra.
Add a little something extra to your headline that seems out of place, yet rings true.
- Small Company’s New Golf Ball Flies Too Far; Could Obsolete Many Golf Courses.


And even more from here http://www.copyblogger.com/headline-swipe-file-3

1. Warning: [blank].
- Warning: Do You Recognize These 7 Early Warning Signs of Blogger Burnout?

2. How [blank] Made Me [blank].
- How Moving to Iowa Improved My Sex Life

3. Are You [blank]?
- Are You Ready to Learn Chinese for Your Next Job?

4. [Blank] Ways to [blank].
- 21 Ways to Live a Better Life With Less

5. If You’re [blank], You Can [blank].
- If You Love Scuba, You Can Dive Belize This Week Only for a Song!




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How social media can make your webseries happen

Being the mayor of Whole Foods on Foursquare isn't going to make your
idea happen

Finding a new community, one filled with people who are already doing
what you want to be doing, will push you to accomplish it yourself.
But only if you jump in.

Think of your community as collaborators - not an audience.

Celebrate every person who celebrates you.

Don’t focus on the monetary aspect of a project too early - build your
brand and community because you love it, and success will find you.

MORE HERE:
It's Not About "Engagement": Using Social Media To Make Ideas Happen


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Why free webseries will be successful? - Favourite Posts: Chris Anderson and Freeconomics

This is the last of my reposting some of my favourite webseries posts this month...

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(Original "Chris Anderson: why free works" - post here)


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




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HOW TO ENGINEER MOVIE HITS - by Malcolm Gladwell - from my favourite posts

Reposting my favourite things through August - here's another - awesome video.

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(Original "So Predictable" How to engineer a movie hit - post here)




From The New Yorker:-

Malcolm Gladwell talks about success in the film industry and engineering hits. From the 2006 New Yorker Festival.

LINK HERE:-
http://www.newyorker.com/online/video/2006/10/09/predictable

Gladwell covers Dear Frankie, the Death of Diana, The Interpreter, and nobody knowing what constitutes the sublime.
And a great summary here from The Krieger Group:-

Several years ago, Malcolm Gladwell gave an interesting talk for The New Yorker Festival in which he reported on a group of researchers who had developed algorithms to predict whether a script could be developed into a hit movie. The researchers used a technique called neural networks to predict, based upon elements of the script, if the movie would be a box office smash. In fact, the researchers were able to predict the profitability of a movie accurately 6 out of 9 times, even before the director or cast was chosen. In several cases they were within several million dollars. Now 6 out of 9 may not seem great, but Hollywood’s record is poor; successfully predicting gross revenues on only 1/3 of their movies (after all, if they did not think it was going to be profitable they would make the film, unless its Woody Allen).

MORE HERE:-
http://thekriegergroup.com/blog/?p=18

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HOW TO BE CREATIVE by Hugh McLeod - My favourite posts

Sorry if you have seen these posts before, but I'm reposting my favourite storygas links through August - because these are the ones I like the most (Plus, they seem to have disappeared from search engines after I lost my www.storygas.com URL)

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(Original How To Be Creative post here)



An end of year gift.

My favourite page on the Internet.

HOW TO BE CREATIVE by Hugh MacLeod.

So you want to be more creative, in art, in business, whatever. Here are some tips that have worked for me over the years:

1. Ignore everybody.
2. The idea doesn't have to be big. It just has to be yours.
3. Put the hours in.
4. If your biz plan depends on you suddenly being "discovered" by some big shot, your plan will probably fail.
5. You are responsible for your own experience.

6. Everyone is born creative; everyone is given a box of crayons in kindergarten.
7. Keep your day job.
8. Companies that squelch creativity can no longer compete with companies that champion creativity.
9. Everybody has their own private Mount Everest they were put on this earth to climb.
10. The more talented somebody is, the less they need the props.

11. Don't try to stand out from the crowd; avoid crowds altogether.
12. If you accept the pain, it cannot hurt you.
13. Never compare your inside with somebody else's outside.
14. Dying young is overrated.
15. The most important thing a creative person can learn professionally is where to draw the red line that separates what you are willing to do, and what you are not.

16. The world is changing.
17. Merit can be bought. Passion can't.
18. Avoid the Watercooler Gang.
19. Sing in your own voice.
20. The choice of media is irrelevant.

21. Selling out is harder than it looks.
22. Nobody cares. Do it for yourself.
23. Worrying about "Commercial vs. Artistic" is a complete waste of time.
24. Don't worry about finding inspiration. It comes eventually.
25. You have to find your own schtick.

26. Write from the heart.
27. The best way to get approval is not to need it.
28. Power is never given. Power is taken.
29. Whatever choice you make, The Devil gets his due eventually.
30. The hardest part of being creative is getting used to it.

31. Remain frugal.
32. Allow your work to age with you.
33. Being Poor Sucks.
34. Beware of turning hobbies into jobs.
35. Savor obscurity while it lasts.

36. Start blogging.
37. Meaning Scales, People Don't.
38. When your dreams become reality, they are no longer your dreams.

MORE (A LOT MORE) HERE:-
http://gapingvoid.com/ie/

HUGH MACLEOD'S SITE HERE:-
http://www.gapingvoid.com/

HUGH MACLEOD ON TWITTER

HUGH MACLEOD ON FACEBOOK



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Favourite posts and webseries: Lonelygirl15 - the first social media online drama?

Reposting some of my favourite posts through August -- Here's lonelygirl15.

Trailblazer in the effects a 2-way transaction with your audience can have on your web series narrative...

If you've never seen or heard of this webseries, you might like to skip down to the "ABC Nightline Interview With The Creators" video below...

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(Original post here)



From wikipedia:-

"lonelygirl15 was an interactive web-based video series which began in June 2006, and ended on August 1, 2008.

The show focuses on the life of a fictional teenage girl named Bree, whose YouTube username is the eponymous "lonelygirl15", but the show does not reveal its fictional nature to its audience.

First Blog / Dorkiness Prevails


After the fictional status of the show was revealed in September 2006, the show gradually evolved into a multi-character show including both character videoblogs and action sequences, with a complex story universe involving "trait positive girls" who are sought by an evil organization called "The Order".

Lonelygirl15 first came to international attention ostensibly as a "real" video blogger who achieved massive popularity on YouTube. The show was eventually proved as a hoax by suspicious viewers as featuring a fictitious character played by American-New Zealand actress Jessica Rose.

The three creators of Lonelygirl15, first revealed by the The New York Times, were Ramesh Flinders, a screenwriter and filmmaker from Marin County, California, Miles Beckett, a surgical residency dropout turned filmmaker, and Greg Goodfried, a former attorney with Mitchell, Silberberg and Knupp, LLP.

The series began on June 16, 2006, and was slated to run through August 1, 2008. New videos appeared, at a clip of four to five a week, first on YouTube and lg15.com, also on MySpace. As of July 2008, the series has had more than 110 million combined views."

More here:-
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lonelygirl15

New York Times Article here

LONELYGIRL15 EPISODE ONE DETAILS

LONELYGIRL15 EPISODE 2 - Purple Monkey


LGPEDIA DETAILS


LONELYGIRL15 EPISODE 3 - School Work in Summer... BLECHH!!!


LGPEDIA DETAILS




"LONELYGIRL15" WEB SERIES HOME SITE HERE:
www.lg15.com

"LONELYGIRL15" SHOW FORUM HERE:
www.lg15.com/forum

"LONELYGIRL15" BEHIND THE SCENES BLOG HERE:
http://inside.lg15.com




"LONELYGIRL15" YOUTUBE CHANNEL HERE:
http://www.youtube.com/user/lonelygirl15


ABC NIGHTLINE INTERVIEW
with the creators of lonelygirl15 (From November 2006?)




Behind Lonelygirl15 (interview) - From January 2008


Rocketboom field correspondent Chuck Olsen interviews Miles Beckett and Greg Goodfried, the creators of lonelygirl15.


Lonelygirl15: The Resistance on Tilzy.TV


Miles Beckett and Greg Goodfried - creators of Lonelygirl15 and Kate Modern and founders of new media company EQAL - talk with Josh Cohen of Tilzy.TV about LG15: The Resistance, why the series is different, and how the LG15 world comes to life.


'Lonelygirl15' creators Beckett, Goodfried discuss new drama - from Sept 2008


"We call the shows that we produce 'social shows,' and they're very different from a TV show or a film,"

"The way that you actually construct the narrative, the way that the plot points flow over the course of the week, the way the site interplays with the video, the way the community works together and talks to the videos and talks to the characters, is all different,"




LONELYGIRL15 FAN NEWS SITE - LG15 TODAY


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Favourite webseries posts: UK Online Drama Series - KATEMODERN

Re-posting some of my favourite posts through August.

Partly to pick out anything useful, partly because some have gone missing from my blogger search box. This is so Google doesn't forget me.


The reason this is a favourite is because I wrote on Season 2. It's what got me into web series.

The Lonelygirl15 creators gave me a glimpse into a world where you can have a two-way interaction with the audience.

It's nuanaced. Somewhere between a focus group and being heckled on stage.

Everyone who works on the show are fans of the show - alongside the other fans of the series.


The mistake I made, and alot of people in the TV industry still make, is to compare webseries to TV Drama.

If you're disparaging about this show - the writing, the acting, the quality of production... then surely the traffic and number of video and profile views it gained in one year is all the more disproportionate and remarkable.


I think it, and Lonelygirl 15 shows the way for having good interactive storytelling technique. The production values are intentionally low - it was meant to look as if the characters were uploading themselves - but that aside, I think these shows are landmarks in showing how a community can be built around a show, rather than a one-time-viewing audience figure.

This whole blog is about finding examples of that kind of transaction with the audience.


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(Original 2008 Kate Modern post here)



From wikipedia:-

KateModern is the sister series of lonelygirl15. The series, which was announced on April 16, 2007, began filming on July 9 and the first video, Fight and Flight, was released on July 16. The show is produced by LG15 in partnership with Bebo. It ended on June 28, 2008, slightly less than a year following its original release.

KateModern is set in East London, England, and bears many similarities to its parent series. Both Kate and Bree are avid video bloggers and carry a dark secret. There is an alternate reality game component of the series as well.

KATEMODERN HOME SITE:
You could either watch the show here, on the KateModern bebo site

"KateModern ran from 16th July 2007 to 28th June 2008 and was produced by the creators of lonelygirl15 - EQAL. During it's highly successful year long run it was nominated for two TV Craft BAFTA awards, a Webby Award and won the Broadcast Press Guild Award for Innovation 2008."

www.bebo.com/katemodern

Or here on the lonelygirl15 katemodern show site:
www.lg15.com/katemodern

KATEMODERN WIKI, on the LGpedia:
http://www.lg15.com/lgpedia/index.php?title=Image:KM_Portal_Season_2.jpg

And the Production Team even have their own bebo profile:
http://www.bebo.com/KateModernProduction



KateModern Forums are here:
http://www.lg15.com/katemodern/forum/

GMTV Behind the Scenes item on KateModern here:






Here are some press articles on the show...

Kate Modern herself was killed off at the start of the second series; a bit of a bold move you might think, but the format of the show means it is constantly breaking new ground.“You can interact with the story, talk to the characters, comment on the plot – we get feedback all the time,” explains Rushton.

“What I find so interesting is the fact that people are coming together and discussing the show, but they’re also coming together to discuss things that lie outside of the show that affect them. People actually come to you on Bebo and share their experiences and they feel like they’ve got a place to do that. It’s the way that communication is going.”

The Independent
http://www.independent.co.uk/student/student-life/music-film/modern-miss-817538.html

We told you last month about the planned wrap-up of KateModern, the very successful Internet television show exclusive to the AOL-owned Bebo social network.

Well, today’s the day that all is put to pasture. KateModern is having its finale, and it’s going out with 12 episodes in 12 hours. The countdown to the series close began earlier this morning and will stretch to 7PM EST, with hourly videos releases complemented by live chats with and among the fanbase.

In fact, due to its viral achievements EQAL was able to secure both a $5 million Series A funding round and CBS partnership in the space of a single month.

Mashable.com
http://mashable.com/2008/06/28/katemodern-2

BEBO's Kate Modern has become an internet sensation since being launched a year ago.
More than 66 million people have logged on to view the interactive online drama's 'webisodes' since July 2007.

TV Biz has an exclusive preview of this week's season 2 finale for your pleasure. It features Ralf Little and man-of-the-moment Noel Clarke - who wrote, directed and starred in the Kidulthood and Adulthood films.

The Sun
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/showbiz/tv/article1345446.ece

Who killed KateModern? It's the question that has been occupying several million minds since the beginning of the year, when the heroine of the eponymously named online drama met her end. Kate, for those who have been living in a bunker since July 2007, is, or rather, was, a troubled teenage university art student living in London. She had a dark past that she was unable to remember and was somehow connected to a secret organisation called The Order.

The Guardian
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2008/mar/03/digitalmedia.web20

Social networking site Bebo is to shock fans of hit online drama Kate Modern by killing off its eponymous star in the first episode of its new series.

The series' first sponsors - which get to see their products placed within the video - will be Cadbury's Creme Egg and Toyota's youth-targeted car Aygo. Sponsors of the first series included Microsoft, Procter & Gamble, Warner Music, Paramount and Orange, which each paid up to £250,000 to appear within the show.

No figures have been revealed about what each company might pay to be involved with the second series.

However, each company stumps up cash based on the amount its brand is integrated into the storyline, which includes monitoring the number of times it appears in the video and is mentioned in the script.

The Guardian
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2008/jan/16/bebo.television

KateModern, the flagship online drama broadcast by social networking site Bebo, will wrap up for the last time at the end of June, it was announced today.

The last part of series two will air on June 28, with Bebo promising a "high octane" ending with multiple episodes.

Featuring Royle Family star Ralph Little, the interactive drama has run for more than 300 four-minute episodes since it launched in July last year, racking up more than 57 million views.

Bebo wanted the show to "encourage unprecedented interactivity" with its audience and has also tried to distinguish itself from rival social networking sites by building up original content.

Users are given interactive tools to "talk" to KateModern characters and producers from the series, suggest storylines and solve puzzles in the plot.

The Bebo president, Joanna Shields, said KateModern has "created a new genre and demonstrated the power of media on a social network with gripping storylines and peerless production values".

The Guardian
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2008/may/12/bebo.web20


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WEBISODE? Is webisode the right term for your webseries episodes? Or does it denigrate your work?

Reposting this because it has disappeared from my search blog box when I had to change my storygas URL...

(Original post HERE)

GREAT discussion on twitter over the term "WEBISODE" found via @richardhartley



From Eric Mortensen
Bio director of content development @ blip.tv. beginner thereminist. cookie thief.

Please stop using the word #webisode. Is that really the message you want to send? Wannabe TV episode? Don't denigrate your work.



Here's Eric Mortensen's side of the conversation... (most recent first)
(Apologies, but you have to read below in two halves, and backwards... How's that for handy. Some really interesting tweets in here though)...


@AnthonyDeLosa Perhaps we'll have this discussion in person someday.

@AnthonyDeLosa So, to bring us back a few steps..does #webisode mean interactive? Does it mean something broader than TV?

@AnthonyDeLosa The web is largely where it's watched for now.Absolutely.But things change fast and thinking only in terms of Web = mistake.

@AnthonyDeLosa There's still a lot of work to do. An INSANE amount of work. But if the next 5 move as quickly as the last 5? BLAMMO!

@AnthonyDeLosa We've been grappling with that for 5 years now. This industry has moved forward at an astonishing rate over that time.

@AnthonyDeLosa We've been delivering web series to Sony TVs for 3 years now. Roku,Tivo,AppleTV, too. Content comes from the web, not to it

@AnthonyDeLosa But "web series" isn't about where it's watched. It's where it comes from. Why would someone make something just for the web?

@AnthonyDeLosa I have issues with "web series" and "indie music", too. But I see the logic there. They serve a purpose for the time being.

@AnthonyDeLosa Web series tells you where content comes from. It's sorta like "indie music". Webisode suggests "not quite a real episode".

@AnthonyDeLosa But who is looking webisodes? Who is looking to be entertained, but *only* by "webisodes"? What viewer even uses that word?

@nicolespag I really don't understand the word's purpose. I wonder who was the first to use it.

Head over to @podictionary for more on the word "episode". http://podictionary.com/?p=170

"Episode" has been used in everything from Greek tragedies to Who Wants To Marry a Millioinaire. It's the right word for your show, too.

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And on the other side of the chat... @anthonydelosa
Anthony DeLosa
Creator: Neighborhood Watch @TheHollywood Web Series

(most recent comments first)

@ericmortensen Thanks for an interesting discussion. One thing I can absolutely agree on, without a doubt there is a lot of work to do.

@ericmortensen experiences and worlds unique to the web not inferior versions of TV shows. I think there will always be a place for that.

@ericmortensen Whenever I look at web shows I ask "why does this exist on the web and not on TV?" I'm interested in creating interactive

@ericmortensen But does the average person view that way? How long before they do? Have to meet the capability of the average user.

@ericmortensen I think web series is where it's watched. If there is interaction and requires use of the keyboard that's where it needs 2 B

@ericmortensen I feel as an industry "WebTV" fails to let the average person know it exists and where to find it.

@ericmortensen Either you go to the audience or you hope the audience somehow finds you. Not just on the show level but on the ind. level.

@ericmortensen I always go back to hulu. They have the most known IP in the world but took to TV to tell people where to find it online.

@ericmortensen I think there will always be content made just 4 the web. That viewers aren't looking 4 is because they don't know about it.

@ericmortensen I can see where using web series and webisiode would be redundant. Fair enough.

@ericmortensen I have no love for the term but "web series episode"-"webisode", "tomatoe"-"tomatoh" IMO

@ericmortensen You could never just use episode by itself. You'd have to preface it with web series anyway which is the same as webisode.

@ericmortensen Where discovery is enemy#1 webisode is necessary. It makes it clear that it is an episode of something made for the web.

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I hate the term 'webisode', but not as much as the term Web TV, which really does feel backward looking, and inaccurate (for failing to distinguish TV episodes merely uploaded from interactive storytelling)...

...but only because the word 'webisode' feels ugly and pretentious. But as Anthony says,

Where discovery is enemy#1 webisode is necessary. It makes it clear that it is an episode of something made for the web.

Someone out there must have a better term?
(we don't call TV programmes "films")
(for our friends in the US: we don't call TV programs "movies")

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Lost creator JJ Abrams on How To Write For Mystery Shows - #webseries

Reposting this because it has disappeared from my blog search in my great storygas URL loss of '11

Original post here

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Huge thanks to http://www.twitter.com/toodlepip of Chinwag.com for putting me on to this.

It's been up since January 2008, - but this isn't a news site, just a collection of useful cool stuff for web series writers, producers, and fans.

J.J. Abrams traces his love for the unseen mystery –- a passion that’s evident in his films and TV shows, including Cloverfield, Lost, Alias and the new Star Trek -- back to its magical beginnings.

From TED.com:-

So the amazing thing was, we were able to do this thing. And part of that was the amazing availability of technology, knowing we could do anything. I mean, we could never have done that. We might have been able to write it; we wouldn't have been able to depict it like we did. And so part of the amazing thing for me is in the creative process, technology is, like, mind-blowingly inspiring to me. I realize that that blank page is a magic box. You know? It needs to be filled with something fantastic.

MORE HERE:-
http://www.ted.com/talks/j_j_abrams_mystery_box.html

AUDIO AS MP3 TO DESKTOP:-
http://www.ted.com/talks/download/audio/125/talk/205

HERE'S ONE FINAL INSPIRING EXTRACT:-

The most incredible sort of mystery, I think, is now the question of what comes next. Because it is now democratized. So now, the creation of media is -- it's everywhere. The stuff that I was lucky and begging for to get when I was a kid is now ubiquitous.

And so, there's an amazing sense of opportunity out there. And when I think of the filmmakers who exist out there now who would have been silenced, you know -- who have been silenced in the past -- it's a very exciting thing.

I used to say in classes and, you know, lectures and stuff, that -- to someone who wants to write, "Go! Write! Do your thing." It's free, you know, you don't need permission to go write. But now I can say, "Go make your movie!"

There's nothing stopping you from going out there and getting the technology. You can lease, rent, buy stuff off the shelf that is either as good, or just as good, as the stuff that's being used by the, you know, quote unquote "legit people."

No community is best served when only the elite have control. And I feel like this is an amazing opportunity to see what else is out there.

And here's one of the videos J.J. Abrams plays in his presentation: car chased by a plane on the road.





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Webseries Storytelling - The Ludic Marker (Letting your fans know its a web series?)

Via the awesomeWebSeries Today
Great blog post on this very specific aspect of online storytelling, written by Tom Liljeholm

The uncanny valley of Transmedia Storytelling

The ludic marker was a way to inform participants that they were taking part of something fictional. There were three main ways to create a ludic marker;

•The popup disclaimer, leaving websites themselves intact and ‘unharmed’ by the not-so-seamless conducts.

•The constant marker, putting a symbol, logo or other common denominator on all pages and content, making sure that when participants understood that they were in fact playing a game, they would not have to doubt weather or not new content was a part of the experience or not.

•The spectacular setting, where the story was simply so unbelievable that it had to be obvious that it was not real.

I have seen a growing trend of making transmedia experiences ‘seamless’. A lot of people seem to think that immersion can only be achieved when people actually think that a story is real. I am here to tell you why you are wrong and why that is bad.

MORE HERE:- http://tea4twoentertainment.tumblr.com/post/6520633671/the-uncanny-valley-of-transmedia-storytelling

Tom Liljeholm on TWITTER @tomliljeholm

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comedysale​.com - Is this a UK based web comedy series? #webseries

While we're all wondering how to monetise web content... have a look at how Sanderson Jones is web-contenting his monetised live event.

Maybe we could technically look at this as a form of web series?

It's a blur between the brand and the content - the idea is the content.

FROM www.comedysale.com

Hello I’m Sanderson Jones, and this is the first step in my mission to personally sell all the tickets to a massive gig in October. The idea started at the Edinburgh Fringe festival last year, when I sold tickets to my own stand up show on the street. Having once been a door-to-door salesman in the South of France (considerably less like a porn film than you’d think), chatting to festival goers enjoying themselves in the sun was a cinch and, even better, was playing to a crowd of folk I’d met before.

Doing gigs where I’d personally begged/persuaded the vast majority of the audience to come, crossed some weird boundary of intimacy (not weird like that). Clearly mystical juju takes place when the balance of power is altered, like a million souls crying out at once. As the festival continued a few thoughts coalesced into this idea (creativity in action!): if I could sell that many tickets to 25 shows, wouldn’t it be even more ridiculous to sell all the tickets to one big show?

Yes. Yes it would.

MORE HERE:- www.comedysale.com

ComedySale.Com: An Introduction



This is me explaining ComedySale.Com. It's part-website, part-mission as I try to personally sell all 500 tickets to a one off stand up show (performed by me) at the Union Chapel. I have to personally sell all the tickets: no internet sales, no venue sales, no phone sales.

Sanderson Jones on TWITTER @comedysale

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On how to write a hit song... how does it apply to writing a hit web series?

Saw this article by Helienne Lindvall in the Guardian

http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/musicblog/2011/jul/14/how-to-write-a-hit-song

This might be wrong, but a few key sentences leapt out.

"Most people don't realise that, even for successful writers, the good-v-great ratio is low: Guy Chambers (songwriter behind Robbie Williams's best-loved anthems) has written more than 1,000 songs in the last 15 years..."

So that's 1000 songs in 15 years.

= 66 songs per year.

= 5.5 songs per month.

= about 4-6 minutes of polished material per week.


The music writing process is different, but not light years away from writing screenplay.

So maybe we should go a little easier on ourselves about the quantities we generate each week?

"...most writers would agree it's necessary to write non-hits to get to the nuggets. As with athletes, it's important to exercise the writing muscle."

You might also like this set of Ira Glass videos I linked to way back when.


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The Secret History of Social Networking - podcast - PART 1

Came across this great piece of radio - a documentary that covers pretty much the complete history of social media by Rory Cellan Jones - and it's available for download as a podcast here:


CLICK HERE TO PLAY PART ONE - HIPPIES AND HACKERS
(OR TO DOWNLOAD - Right click and "save target as" or "download linked file as")


Or, if you're on the storygas blog page now, just hit the play button on the player below:





(And Man, working out how to embed podcasts on blogger was HARD - found a clue and some code HERE)





CLICK HERE for the Secret History of Social Networking facebook page here for some behind the scenes photos

RORY CELLAN JONES on twitter


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Why FREE works? A Case Study - Sita Sings The Blues

I'm posting this again -- partly because its one of the most useful articles I've watched on the issue of making money from eyeballs vs. scarcity, and mostly because it is one of the articles that has disappeared from the 'search this blog' box at the top of this blog...
(My original post is here...)



Came across this awesome article by Michael Masnick on techdirt:-

"Earlier this year, we wrote about the ridiculous situation that Nina Paley faced in trying to release an amazing film, Sita Sings the Blues.

Basically, some copyright holders of the music used in the film put positively insane terms on the use of their music. This made no sense, considering that the music (from the 1920s) was mostly unlistened to these days -- and the only thing the movie would likely do is increase demand for people to get legitimate versions of the music.

Eventually, Paley worked out a plan to release the film under a Creative Commons license and put in place a business model like the ones we've talked about for years: give away the infinite, sell the scarce.

And apparently, it's working. Pistol points us to a talk that Nina Paley just gave revealing some of the results. You can see the video here (it's a bit over 20 minutes):"

MORE HERE:-
http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20090824/1723375986.shtml


DIY DAYS PHL NINA PALEY TALK VIDEO HERE



"SITA SINGS THE BLUES Distribution Project Report
If it's free, how do you make money?? 5 months after the Creative Commons Share Alike release of her animated musical feature Sita Sings the Blues, Nina Paley presents the first round of hard data from the project.

Contrary to MPAA propaganda, the more the audience freely shares the film, the more they purchase DVDs, theater admissions, and merchandise; witness the $$ numbers that prove it. Nina Paley is the creator of the animated musical feature film Sita Sings the Blues, which has screened in over 150 film festivals and won over 30 international awards including the Annecy Grand Crystal, The IFFLA Grand Jury Prize, and a Gotham Award.

Her adventures in our broken copyright system led her to Copyleft her film, and join QuestionCopyright.org as Artist-in-Residence."

"SITA SINGS THE BLUES" SHOW HOME SITE HERE:-
www.sitasingstheblues.com

"SITA SINGS THE BLUES" YOUTUBE CHANNEL HERE:
http://www.youtube.com/user/drakar7002


Sita Sings the Blues Part 1 / 10




I think Nina Paley's comments are fascinating.
The content is free.
"Containers are not free... And that's what we're selling."

So they earn money from... Donations, Merchandise, and Broadcasting.

Containers related to the content.
NOT from the content itself.

"The more people who get to see the film... the more they will want to buy the film-related stuff."


(Plus, I have never come across the term "Copyleft" before).


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Ira Glass on Storytelling

Via Sandeep on the POST-NUP WEB SHOW SERIES BLOG:-

If you’re an artist, consider yourself officially out of excuses.

The cost to produce your material, distribute it widely, and reach out to potential fans is no longer a real barrier.

But, that’s probably not what’s really stopping you (or me).

What stops us is fear: that our work will be rejected, that it won’t be as good as what we’ve done before, that we were never good enough to do it in the first place, etc., etc., blah blah blah.

1. Ira Glass on the Taste Gap
Ira Glass is the creator and host of the radio show This American Life.

In an interview with CurrentTV, he tells us that the only way to bridge the gap between the stuff you like (your taste) and what you are capable of (your skill) is to work really hard, for a really long time (inspired yet?).

I really appreciated the end of this segment, where he actually plays some of his earlier radio work, which as he says, is actually kinda crappy.

MORE HERE:-
http://www.postnupshow.com/diy-tv-four-pieces-of-inspiration/#


Ira Glass on Storytelling, part 3 of 4



To paraphrase:

First couple of years... what you're making isn't that great.
But your taste is still killer & your taste is good enough to tell that it's kinda crappy.

People tend not to go past that point.

Everyone I know went through that phase of years... they knew it fell short.
It didn't have that special thing.
You've gotta know it's totally normal.

And the most important thing you can do is do a lot of work.
Volume.
Give yourself a deadline. Best if someone is waiting for your work.

Its only by going through a volume of work that you'll catch up and close that gap - your work is as good as your ambitions.

Want more? Oh, alright then.

Ira Glass on Storytelling, part 1 of 4

Building blocks of storytelling:
Anecdote
(sequence of action, raising questions)
and Moment of Reflection
(here's why you're listening to this story, the bigger something)

Ira Glass on Storytelling, part 2 of 4

On Finding Great Stories.
Anything you put on tape tries to be crap.

You have to prop it up agressively at every stage of the way - cutting the boring parts, getting to the heart - you have to be ruthless.

Anything that's good is from people being tough.

Failure is part of success.

Ira Glass on Storytelling, part 4 of 4

On 2 common pitfalls.
Everything will be more compelling if you talk like a normal human being.
The more you are your own self, the better you are.

If someone's got a good personality, they let other people talk.

CLICK HERE for Ira Glass' show - THIS AMERICAN LIFE


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WEBISODE? Is webisode the right term for your episodes? Or does it denigrate your work?

GREAT discussion on twitter over the term "WEBISODE" found via @richardhartley



From Eric Mortensen
Bio director of content development @ blip.tv. beginner thereminist. cookie thief.

Please stop using the word #webisode. Is that really the message you want to send? Wannabe TV episode? Don't denigrate your work.



Here's his side of the conversation... (most recent first)


@AnthonyDeLosa Perhaps we'll have this discussion in person someday.

@AnthonyDeLosa So, to bring us back a few steps..does #webisode mean interactive? Does it mean something broader than TV?

@AnthonyDeLosa The web is largely where it's watched for now.Absolutely.But things change fast and thinking only in terms of Web = mistake.

@AnthonyDeLosa There's still a lot of work to do. An INSANE amount of work. But if the next 5 move as quickly as the last 5? BLAMMO!

@AnthonyDeLosa We've been grappling with that for 5 years now. This industry has moved forward at an astonishing rate over that time.

@AnthonyDeLosa We've been delivering web series to Sony TVs for 3 years now. Roku,Tivo,AppleTV, too. Content comes from the web, not to it

@AnthonyDeLosa But "web series" isn't about where it's watched. It's where it comes from. Why would someone make something just for the web?

@AnthonyDeLosa I have issues with "web series" and "indie music", too. But I see the logic there. They serve a purpose for the time being.

@AnthonyDeLosa Web series tells you where content comes from. It's sorta like "indie music". Webisode suggests "not quite a real episode".

@AnthonyDeLosa But who is looking webisodes? Who is looking to be entertained, but *only* by "webisodes"? What viewer even uses that word?

@nicolespag I really don't understand the word's purpose. I wonder who was the first to use it.

Head over to @podictionary for more on the word "episode". http://podictionary.com/?p=170

"Episode" has been used in everything from Greek tragedies to Who Wants To Marry a Millioinaire. It's the right word for your show, too.

###



And on the other side of the chat... @anthonydelosa
Anthony DeLosa
Creator: Neighborhood Watch @TheHollywood Web Series

(most recent comments first)

@ericmortensen Thanks for an interesting discussion. One thing I can absolutely agree on, without a doubt there is a lot of work to do.

@ericmortensen experiences and worlds unique to the web not inferior versions of TV shows. I think there will always be a place for that.

@ericmortensen Whenever I look at web shows I ask "why does this exist on the web and not on TV?" I'm interested in creating interactive

@ericmortensen But does the average person view that way? How long before they do? Have to meet the capability of the average user.

@ericmortensen I think web series is where it's watched. If there is interaction and requires use of the keyboard that's where it needs 2 B

@ericmortensen I feel as an industry "WebTV" fails to let the average person know it exists and where to find it.

@ericmortensen Either you go to the audience or you hope the audience somehow finds you. Not just on the show level but on the ind. level.

@ericmortensen I always go back to hulu. They have the most known IP in the world but took to TV to tell people where to find it online.

@ericmortensen I think there will always be content made just 4 the web. That viewers aren't looking 4 is because they don't know about it.

@ericmortensen I can see where using web series and webisiode would be redundant. Fair enough.

@ericmortensen I have no love for the term but "web series episode"-"webisode", "tomatoe"-"tomatoh" IMO

@ericmortensen You could never just use episode by itself. You'd have to preface it with web series anyway which is the same as webisode.

@ericmortensen Where discovery is enemy#1 webisode is necessary. It makes it clear that it is an episode of something made for the web.

###

I hate the term 'webisode', but not as much as the term Web TV, which really does feel backward looking, and inaccurate (for failing to distinguish TV episodes merely uploaded from interactive storytelling)...

...but only because the word 'webisode' feels ugly and pretentious. But as Anthony says,

Where discovery is enemy#1 webisode is necessary. It makes it clear that it is an episode of something made for the web.

Someone out there must have a better term?
(we don't call TV programmes "films")
(for our friends in the US: we don't call TV programs "movies")

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