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 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 find names for your webseries characters - RANDOM NAME GENERATORS

Another re-post of a favourite, as I trawl through the storygas archives through August - How can you quickly trawl as many surnames as possible, or just generate character names for free?


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(Original "Random Name Generator" post here)



This is more of a writing resource for myself.

You'll either find the next four columns extremely useful, or a complete waste of screen space.

Either way, they will be permanently linked with all the other WRITING RESOURCES in the sidebar down the right hand side. Suppose they could also work as first names, Christian names, or company names too. Over 1300 below.

Or, for another 300 names, try the 'last name generator' here:
http://www.geocities.com/simthingd2/surnames.html

Lister Hawkins Warren Matthews Hogarth Knight Atkins Celliee Muller Ahmad Dukes Gerard Fuller Bradley Smeeton Boatman Cripps Mathias Pearce Galloway Townshend Harry Jones Mills Mapes Moore Fraser Delamarre MacIntyre More Lawall Oxley Ferris Warn O'Donoghue Charnock Salisbury Nisbet Kinder Barden Cobley Miles Moorcroft McMaster Mayor Hankins Hosey Bushnell Sky Coker Ducon Duvall Cortes Pigott Pett Bosher Cunneen Rodden Gilfillan Casson Malton Gledhill Leahy Palfrey Tedd Guilbert Foston Balderstone Moult Layden Thornhill Glacken Allkins Sommerton Corran Blinman Ludick Heighway Ellam Trennery Noach Reid Springer Blondel Gartside Wiglet Paddock Powney Radnor Keighley Donagher Garraghan Beacon Elling Cockayne Nettleton Lingham Ferwinckle Candlin Ainslie O'Gorman Braidwood Filbey Bass Meryick Hammond Lotaris Collier Deadman Champion Breaknell Muxworthy Hayes Dodkin Gascoine McMiven Farre Poultney Murkin Hardin Cramman Liston Meehan Stitchener Crafter Kettlewell Wearing Logg Huntly Deny McDwing West Chang Emmons McManus Trail Whatford Broadbent Cherriman Cole Hopkin Morrison Metson Christie Chadwick Joseph Bailey Goodman Clegg Nichols Brann Beaumont Sopocko Lockley Pillay Utton Hardacre Petticrew Rand Deehan Eddison Kanane Kilroy Templeton Keynes Darwin Elliot Rutherford Seekings Tolmay Street Burns Mapp Hartfield Wenham Chatters Moreton Bridge Jewell McWilliam Pidgeon Renwick Mollard Hamblett Oram McCormack Snelson Swales Lanaway Whitehall Drohan Hare Haydon Layland Gorham Chudley Ross Darby Gallagher Schleeter Gordon Pointon Jason Burke Stockham Whitby Smale Saylan Jeffs Fitzgerald Kerry Mayer Clohesy Magraw Costello Pyatt Hields Betchworth Sergeant Dumont Heath Hayman Meltham Seenan Bibby Johnstone Chirchfield Martin Burnand Sami Cooley Simmons Murray Huckle Laver Dale WHetton Cherry Wardleworth Paige Lowman Hawcroft Kirkby Chin Bubbles Pledger Brannon Baines Craigen Dermott Campion Lee Thom Thorman Denton Linn Dodds Bellars Courtney-Evans Parslow O’Connor Michel Kacy Ewin Collyer Bellis Goodyear Dearman Godden Kellie Tonge Barker Jerome Amstead Wagstaff Jowitt Witchell Binfield Hoff Barrass Treanor Duff Tytler Hallsworth Hindle Churne Cromwell Oates Bank Henderson Cavanagh Haylett Lancashire Buckenham Braddick Lumsden MacKlam Travill BcGonagall Stafford Stockton Warde Rosenbloom Jury Samuel Caddick Turnell Sugden Blunden Seager Falsh MacKey Stead Duffin Soukal Marriott Chalcroft Malas Staniland Reay Ashley Humprey Trotman Mynott McCook McLoughlin Portrey Hazelton Rands Gillen Lack Clapham Dyball Hastings Dewey

Crossthwaite Arnall Emberey Mabe Sweeney Kouma Glend Thirwall Hargreaves Ashdown Abrams Shearer Jacques Wakeham Ferraby Lockyer Cliff Burfitt Ewart Shelling Sharma Silverstein Norbury Hunter Bobinson Sproston Gibbond Wynne Holgate Harby English Cragg Molloy Grayson Wallcraft Hiddleston Hamblin Cuellar Goldenfield Ellison Darlington Hadiman Stroud Ulyatt Mopp Taggart Lightfoot Doleman Fennelly Carsley Anness Lyth Faber Stennett Bentley Bunston Keal McCord Ruddin Leeson Elliman Gowers Medforth Hollins Pitcher Sargent Holroyd Dent Bosson Corry Svenson Alldridge Bruce Barlow Elliott Holyland Ganivet Rosey Feehan Rodd Cotterell Albutt Neill Michagan Shaye Bourne Probert Messan Burtle Kilnan Trent Keery D’Arcy Cann Corthorn Willey Modgill Cadwallader Cottingham Elstone McCade Huetson Heffernan Goode Wain Munro Hillyard Goble Tompson Traynor Marras Cormack Barwell Selway Picot Bolden Topley Smaith Sefton Airey Harken Armsden McGreger Kingdon Kore McKelvie Clack Paines Sellwood Banks Knowler Elwood Howes Margitson Eales Wheatley Rattigan Flower Lynskey Fenton Mennell Upfield Fogg Corbishley Waite Whiting Hambleton Garton Knighton McBean McGoff McAree Britnell Full Shea McGuffie Studd Perrott Hailwood Welham Bannigan Furlong Blackburn Fielder Lippeatt Skillin Houston Tweddle Barth McGinley Cordel Ring Dyer Mussellwhite Varndell Stolliday Fothergill Will Dornan Razey Stinson Sulley Tyler Mundy Benham Conroy Lahert Sopp Monson Kennedy Carleton Lace Swan Mulholland Abey Southam Trafford Bullers McDade Pym Chong Dibble Pyle Conlan Littlejohns Bowles Coop Everitt Toal Malley Sharrocks Shiston Busby Waddell Vale Fitchett Berry Aleman Hook Aucott Pilkington Collard Staron Haney Bebbington O’Driscoll Harris Catlow Dakin Henville Hussain Hewson Breen Costigan Adler Innes Acock Frazier Connelly Brackstone Penter Tennant Gardson Seller Kanber Smullen Cork Downton Band Fulker Haughey Rogers Pendleton Castleton Wallbridge Bowden Tang Crook Tobin Nayler Nicoll Skerritt Pinfield Todd Fordham Catterall Dummett Bole Underwood Hallam Healy Heathcote Dewy Higham Pandey McBennett Hinds Forde Dancer MacRae Hainey Beggs Curt Myall McCormack Cotter Stoker Silva Overfield Reid Twist Sturney Beeby Whale Burr Ainsworth Seemley Loomes Wares Buttall Crozier Toomey Bridden Oaks Asom Guest Axell Apsey Bayy Howitt Redin Pankhurst Pearson May Buttle Luckett Gilbertson Hastilow Balke Brune Bonham Alcroft Bloom Couldwell Prince Yapp Dopson Bolster Goldsmith Willcox Gooding Pringle Murrell Manton MacLaren Maddocks Ryan Chalmers Wharram Cottle Brushette

Corris Ebbs Malyan Abaraham Dollard Herd McCairns Laybourn Smith Wayman Mogg Bollard Hoods Denney Alsop Morgan Barrass Sells Naysmith Greensmith Fosse MacDonnell Bartholomew Kapoor Vaughan Lavery Corne Bradford Stainton Saxton Weller Cawley Jaffray Gallon Wilkinson Sills Passingham Hynds Bergeron Stockley Kanes Clements Armitage Orrell Said Topp Roddam Harl Copeland Schofield Stott Bestwick Marwood Sedgley Trollope Pleece Lohan Rook Beedle Doolin Stewart Bryant McCready Keith Tipping Hertey Allcock Carling Horsefield Descol Keeling Hove Griffith Meal Shears Jukes Hunts Aser McCaw Leal Wiley Khan Stanway Kearsley Kearney Watkin Luxford Handforth Binks Haunch Renna McNeill Abrahams Saville Dunkley Bellman Hassani Holledge Delamere Rollinson Luft Hayre Handford Buntain Purdey lipp Berkely Tufnall Manher Gover Myddleton Wales McGlasson Rosslington Dawe Purcell Muhammad Andrews Cravey Crisp Sween Leonard Shedden Britton Inglefield Gondal Halley Carey Landing Tolhurst Short Giles Markey Shalaby Fryer Griams Burridge Nevis Tate Ashurst Hanger Torin Britt Auberton Grange Timmer Predergast Kershaw Peet Emberson Bosman Wilmore Banyard Senior Howard Bowie Faherty Froy Ritson Brett Wears Coyle Crabb Render Brattle Redfern Cusworth Hedley Woodhams Durrant Napier Duke Burdett Millet Lewin Mardall Brook Lange Driver Tant Hatherall Griffin Symmons Banton Hilbourne Blakey Ronflard Mess Casselden Burgess Wainwright Storror Blackmore Robotham Banning Hobbs Farrant Bingham Royle Danes Gillbanks Gaffin Robin Ottley Thelwell Freebody Tarbuck Doyle Hester Mawson Sears Tosh Hodgkins Sillars Dwyer Lunness Bicker Burtin Banford Schirru Russer Scannell Venables Haynes Jobson Loxton Martel Cristy Hennessey Belmont Michael Waters Cambell Nood Goatley Salou Broom Kelk Whittall Merchant Paine Aylward Harbour Pridmore Scud Dermody Steed Nutt Procter Werner Cadge Moss McNaught Maudsley Coulthard Brace Ansell Bristowe Bridgman Carter Coburn Leslie Greeman Heward Smalley Coen Oldfield Coupland Eastaway Holcroft Dallas Graley Briden Knights Loughran Seer Daley Spruce Davids Matts Illing Lambert Roach Lass Stoppard McGillivray Swingler Pollock Orman Gardener Stanfield O’Boyle Blakeley McAllan Barber Wishart Evrard Reisser Geeson Holloway Ledwith Gruffudd Sharratt Mustang Seago Parkins Ellingham Hinman Altham McClory Hustwith Enright Salthouse Kyle Corcoran Bedlington Macfarlane Peat Alam Vickers Spinks Whiles Barfield Gidley Picken Bretherton Garwood Worth Rafferty Bartlett Mennie Rathmell Crompton Deane Bostridge Bean

Worburton Peel Solliss Wakes Paisley Turke Winlow Deighton Wiseman Heritage Gonzalez Georgeson Ottey Rampton Ashe Tatnell Gresham Fenwick Pollett Cogman Hiscocks Blagg Jennison Challoner Endroe Gard Westen Brown Reed Cubitt Crosthwaite Lynham Leese Pendell Suggur Pomphrey Hinch Capper Pole Bains Anley Boatman Goss Dolman Herron McElroy Bruwin Bathard Bellamey Hemin Thompson Ellis Gott Falconer Flintstone Horricks Lowe Mansell Horridge Elliston Vine Woodhall Wynn Chisholm Bunker MacPhee Ashwell Jerry Akingson Beeman Rothwell Chowdrey Lazenbury Millsom Cribb Geoffroy Salmond Chappell Killeen Kinsey Drewry Whitley Crowbar Millar Burg Baskin Towler Mathieson Miller Meacock Hundleby Randall Clelland Tullett Rutter Devine Eglin Crutchley Crampton Woodrow Kydd Edon Storer Bryen Cornell Willetts Garland Le Tissier Tinklin Downier Hasson Crockford Etherington Wall Yeoman Elphick Toseland Wicks Coughlan Caswell Carlsson Sellars Poulton Gladwin Maginnis McMenemy Giblin Arter Floss Bowditch Parratt Cerveaux Torrol Malcolmson Millward Ingles Pallister Johns Witts Marlin Syverson Fallis Ricard Aspey Wolfe McIlwrath Sapsworth Roberton Griggs Plumpton Hayles Blaxley Whomsley Everson Benton Epton Wilkshire Calkin Gaskell Milns Lapham Peigne Brandon Tunks Dempster Hopton Conyers Matheson Travis Bowen Devery Sanders Garbutt Gallagher Prentice Cullingworth Terrell Bramald Charlwood Norwood Tonner Medlam Cothier Borill Conte Nevins Halliday Fiederling Hart Surgenor Weeks Grubb Churchley Althoff Vardy Keeley Rodham Bradman Ware McGlone Bickle Dorman Emerick Leaves Scullion Richer Bannon Kaur Statter Lonton Sala Reynolds Beddows Plumb Bonnet Danett Keelan Kumar Colegrave McGinn Hepden Mallender Caulfield Cunnington Glassey James Borel Yule Merrett Aikman Handrie Barry Galert Kipling Leishman Poulsen Crane Boardman Swann French Sheldon Asher Pincombe Skeggs Jems Binney Foran McGrevey Steedman Gresswell Nickolls Doone Clifford Devonport Furnell Best Sladdin Stokell Lewington Haycock Aves Proser Stockwell Rudd McMillen Garratty Maynard Applegate Summerfield Bellingham Whalley Redding Finbow Foden Capel Pooke Budd Tushingham Collier Billingsley Clover Nicolson Holloran Metcalfe Lale Cumpson Sturman Dingwall Constantine Lincoln Stutton Wardman McGurran Cockram McCabe Fagon MacKereth Durant Avery Walkden Emmerson Shurmer Banwell Downs Spratt Russ Loftus Lowen Wythe Martin Olley Hellewell Truswell Tyne Cuffe Curry Bloggs Nelms Thonon Shariff McGlary Knowles Allardyce Durber Mortimer Rolinson Riley Smiths Edley

(HTML code for splitting this blogger post into 4 columns found here)
- don't know why that big gap appears above the lists though...

Technogeekboy said...
Generator Land also has a lot of tools for writers inluding name and character generators, town name generators, plot generators, etc.

http://www.generatorland.com

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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/

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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:-




CLICK HERE for all my favourite links to web series

CLICK HERE for all my webseries MUSIC links

CLICK HERE if you need to see some more webseries 'you must see'

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.


If you'd like me to send these links for webseries creators to you directly, why not sign up here so I can send them via email?!

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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.

###



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

----

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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LIQUID LUNCH - UK comedy webseries

New UK based and shot comedy web series from DANNY STACK (-father of the awesome Screenwriting In The UK blog) - LIQUID LUNCH

"It’s about two guys who regularly meet in the pub to break up the monotony of their working day but when they realise life is passing them by, they decide to do something about it."
New eps every Friday

Liquid Lunch, ep1

'Jenny': Alex shares the news that he's been dumped by his girlfriend but he doesn't quite get the response he was expecting from Ollie.




Liquid Lunch, ep2

The Riddle': Alex confronts Ollie when he finds out the truth about Jenny.




Liquid Lunch, Ep3 Trailer




LIQUID LUNCH HOME SITE HERE:-
http://liquidlunch.co.uk


Danny also hosts the UK scriptwriters podcast... latest ep embedded below (or click here!)




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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?

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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?

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-- Next online comic generator suggestion, PIXTON