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 do you convert a DVD file to a youtube video file? My favourite free video conversion software - Freemake

I was going to write a post about the fact that I archive stuff onto my DVD recorder. I was finding it hard looking for free converters that bounce them straight into files you can then upload to youtube...

I've put the initial trawl of free DVD conversion software below... but then I came across
http://www.freemake.com




The others listed below are good - the conversions work, but man, freemake is a dream.


The biggest problem I had was that my videos are in 16:9 widescreen FHA (Full Height Anamorphic).

This means the video files are regular TV aspect ratio 4:3, which means the video files were being kept and ripped as 4:3 files.

Freemake has an option to stretch to any size.
So I just take my "DVD quality 720x576" file, and convert it to 1024x576, making sure to check the "adjustment" setting to "Stretch".

It also allows you to edit your video into chunks, so you can cut off VT countdown clocks, or edit out segments before saving. And you can save at the same resolution, or convert to another size.

All the free conversion software seems to do this to greater or lesser degrees -- this one was just really easy to use.

Freemake Video Converter 2.1 from Freemake

And because I just wanted to know how to rip DVD to youtube videos, I've not even touched the other input and output formats it converts to...
(Output to AVI, WMV, MP4, MKV, FLV, SWF, 3GP, MP3 Rip DVD movie to AVI, WMV, MP4, MPEG, MKV, FLV, SWF, 3GP. Convert video to Flash and embed it directly to your web page. Convert video and audio files to MP3. Convert Free to iPod, iPhone, iPad, PSP, PS3, Android)


---

Here are the other converters I downloaded and tried...



MPEG streamclip
http://www.squared5.com/




Handbrake
http://handbrake.fr/




Quick Media Converter
http://www.cocoonsoftware.com


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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/

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http://www.gapingvoid.com/

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Favourite posts: Dr. Horrible's Sing-A-Long-Blog - Joss Whedon's Online Comedy Musical...

Spending August revisiting some of my favourite posts and web series.

This one isn't a webseries - it was a one-off web event - which, in itself is an interesting take on how to use online release to create a buzz and possibly a community around your project?

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(Original post here)



From wikipedia:-

Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog is a 43-minute musical film, initially produced exclusively for Internet distribution. It tells the story of Dr. Horrible, the aspiring supervillain alter ego of Billy; Captain Hammer, his nemesis; and Penny, their mutual love interest.

The movie was written by writer/director Joss Whedon, his brothers Zack Whedon (a television writer) and Jed Whedon (a composer), and Jed's fiancée, actress Maurissa Tancharoen. The writing team penned the musical during the WGA writers' strike. The idea was to create something small and inexpensive, yet professionally done, in a way that would circumvent the issues that were being protested during the strike. On October 31, 2008, Time Magazine named it #15 in Time's Top 50 Inventions of 2008.

MORE HERE:-
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doctor_Horrible%27s_Sing-Along_Blog




So... What's it about, and why is it special?

From NewTeeVee:-

Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog, Joss Whedon’s web series, is a bold experiment in online distribution — the series will be available for free for just one week before becoming available on DVD and possibly download — but it’s also damn entertaining.

The tale of an aspiring supervillain told mostly in song, this WGA strike-spurred project treads an odd line between the professional and the amateur, making full use of Whedon’s considerable resources while still carrying a whiff of we-don’t-need-no-stinking-permits filmmaking. The end result is kinetic and inspired, while still bearing the trademark wit and pathos of a Whedon project.

MORE HERE:-
http://station.newteevee.com/2008/07/11/dr-horrible-preview-whedon-rocks-the-blog/

MORE ARTICLES HERE:-
http://www.drhorrible.com/press.html

SHOW HOME PAGE HERE:-
http://www.drhorrible.com/

OFFICIAL FAN SITE HERE:-
http://doctorhorrible.net/

From doctorhorrible youtube channel:

The story of a low-rent super-villain, the hero who keeps beating him up, and the cute girl from the laundromat he's too shy to talk to.

Starring Neil Patrick Harris as Dr. Horrible, Nathan Fillion as Captain Hammer, Felicia Day as Penny, and a cast of dozens!

AND HERE'S A SONG:-




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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.

###



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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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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Augmented Reality - AR at the Sheffield Childrens Media Conference 2011 #tcmc

AUGMENTED REALITY
Combining live video feeds (eg webcam) with computer code to generate the AR.

Got some great links to examples of Augmented Reality at the Sheffield Children's Media Conference 2011 #tcmc...

AUGMENTED PLANET BLOG
http://www.augmentedplanet.com


@scottboxx on Augmented Reality: "Dont bother doing an AR app without including a save, send or share option"- Here are some links he put us on to:



Zooburst - 3D books you hold and turn
(StoryGas blogpost here)
http://www.zooburst.com



GI Joe Dojo - video yourself fighting
www.gijoedojo.com




Word Lens - LIVE text translation through your cameraphone
www.questvisual.com

Introducing Word Lens




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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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MUVIZU - Free 3D animation program for non artists/animators

Came across this at the Sheffield Children's Media Conference 2011 #tcmc...



FREE download software that allows anyone(!) to make their own 3D CG cartoon.

http://www.muvizu.com

Can't animate? Won't animate? No problem
- Make animated clips in minutes, or maybe hours, but definitely not months
- Post directly to YouTube from within the app
- Make characters lip-sync to your dialogue tracks

We set out to create software, free for non-commercial use, that would allow anyone with decent hardware to create 3D animated videos. They wouldn't need expensive software and they wouldn't have to spend a few years in college learning animation - and then take further courses in modelling and rigging.

Direct, don't animate
Upload dialogue and direct your actors' performances. Just tell them: "Give me anger", "Give me joy", "Give me fear". With Muvizu 3D, you're in the chair.

Muvizu 3D has thousands of blocks and props to scale and customise. Upload your images and video to incorporate into the scene.

Muvizu Trailer




Tutorial 02: Muvizu basics




Tutorial 06: Creating characters




GHOST HOUSE (made with Muvizu)

Ghost House Ep1: The Phantom Premise (Muvizu/Unreal Engine 3 Machinima)




Ghost House EP 7: Red Ring of Death




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Sheffield Childrens Media Conference 2011 #tcmc - Great links for Apps

Here are some useful links that came up at the Sheffield Children's Media Conference 2011 #tcmc...

CHILDREN'S APPS - INNOVATION SHOWCASE: A Tale of Three Apps
3 examples of small companies doing it for themselves, and getting their apps/content out there directly rather than via broadcaster. Or being commissioned by the broadcaster to build the app.



Charles Kriel on Twitter
A Bear Ate All The Brussels Sprouts, Handmade Mother Goose, Pigment's Play Pen



NOSYCROW on twitter

Nosy Crow: The 3-D Three Little Pigs iPad app






TAG GAMES
Doctor Who App

Doctor Who - The Mazes of Time





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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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YouTube NextUp scheme to back UK digital talent #webseries

YouTube is to invest €500,000 (£441,000) in a scheme to support UK digital talent.

The YouTube NextUp fund will allow up to 25 people to win a €20,000 grant to develop their content on the video-sharing website, as well as a place at a "creator camp" that will give training in production techniques.

To apply, creators must be YouTube partners – content producers who earn revenue through their accounts. YouTube said they could include singers, dancers, actors, producers, musicians or makeup artists who create their own video content.

This was via Guardian
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2011/apr/14/youtube-nextup-scheme-uk-digital-talent


But... in all the news articles about this launch, am I being dim?

I can't find the official link to sign up or find out more...

The only youtube nextup links I've found are for the program in the states?

http://www.youtube.com/creators


Anyway, here's what it seems to be about.

Becoming YouTube Stars Event - London 2011




Learn how to become a YouTube star




NextUp for European Youtube Partners (ENGLISH)




BECOMING YOUTUBE STARS ROADSHOW!! (YTO 118/365) 04/08/11



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PIXTON - How To Write Your Own Comics When You Cant Even Draw

Taking a look at a bunch of Online Comic Creators and Generators for turning web series scripts into your own comic strips and panels if you can't even draw...

...maybe it's a way of trying out or dramatising your webseries episodes if you don't have access to crew, actors, video or sound...

Today, it's PIXTON:

"Pixton introduces the world to Click-n-Drag Comics™, a revolutionary new patent-pending technology that gives anyone the power to create amazing comics on the web.

From fully posable characters to dynamic panels, props, and speech bubbles, every aspect of a comic can be controlled in an intuitive click-n-drag motion."

MORE HERE:- http://www.pixton.com/


Pixton Comics Teaser




Pixton Comic Maker - How It Works




Have you come across any other good free online comic strip generator sites?

LEAVE A COMMENT ON COMMENTS BELOW!
Thanks!

CLICK HERE for all posts labelled PRODUCTION

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-- Next scheduled online comic generator suggestion is SUPERLAME, no really it's called SUPERLAME

STRIPGENERATOR - How To Write Your Own Comics When You Cant Even Draw

Taking a look this week at a bunch of Online Comic Creators and Generators for turning web series scripts into your own comic strips and panels if you can't even draw...

...maybe it's a way of storyboarding or producing your web story without crew, actors, video or sound...

Today, it's STRIPGENERATOR:

"Create and enjoy comic strips with fantastic ease. Join the friendly community, making comics has never been this fun."

MORE HERE:- http://www.stripgenerator.com/

Create comics with Stripgenerator (tutorial)




Intermediate Stripgenerator Tutorial: Arms and Legs




Have you come across any other good free online comic strip generator sites?

LEAVE A COMMENT ON COMMENTS BELOW!
Thanks!

CLICK HERE for all posts labelled PRODUCTION

CLICK HERE for all posts labelled ONLINE COMEDY

CLICK HERE for all posts labelled RESOURCES

CLICK HERE for all posts labelled TIPS


-- Next online comic generator suggestion, PIXTON