January 21st, 2011 - www.encoremagazine.com.au
Online is no longer a detour for television content; it is now a destination in its own right. Georgina Pearson reports.
Barely five years ago, to suggest that a series created purely for an online platform could outperform a top rating US TV show would be almost laughable. Now, with the internet swiftly becoming a primary source of video content, video is not just being replayed online – it is being produced specifically for it. And as online audiences grow faster than anyone can keep up, a gap of opportunity has opened for the taking.
Globally, web series such lonelygirl15, The Guild and Legion of Extraordinary Dancers (LXD) have drawn a fan-base to rival any primetime TV drama. Raking in millions of views, they have not only helped kickstart a niche industry, but have highlighted the huge potential other such shows could possibly have. It’s such serious business that an International Academy of Web Television was founded in Los Angeles to reflect the importance of these new productions and establish web series as legitimate content– launching the Streamy Awards in 2009 to recognise this kind of work.
FINDING A BUSINESS MODEL
Australia has been quick to jump on the bandwagon, producing its own home-grown projects – OzGirl, Mordy Koots, Forlorn Gaze and The Future Machine, among others. For content creators, digital media offers a muchneeded level playing field. “With feature films, it’s much more difficult to compete with a $100m production. But with digital media we can compete effectively with Hollywood or anywhere else in the world, and succeed,” said Mordy Koots producer Jim Shomos. “Digital media can provide for Australia the same kind of opportunity that BBC Radio has traditionally provided in the UK, where many successful TV shows started off as radio shows.”
But how does such a project come into fruition?
Funding is not widely available in this industry, so budgets are tight and must be considered carefully.David Barker, director of sci-fi comedy The Future Machine, kept costs as low as possible, but even online a generous amount must be spent on promoting the show. “The Future Machine, being our first web-based drama production, was self-financed and specifically written as a low budget project we knew we could pull off on our own. We’ve kept costs under $20,000, but we will need to spend another $10,000 on marketing to keep the show growing into next year,” he explained. “I don’t think Australian companies have caught onto the possible branding opportunities of being involved with web series. We’re still very much a government supported industry; we have applied to Screen NSW for assistance with the ongoing marketing costs.”
There is local support for online content; Australia’s funding bodies offer support for innovative crossplatform content, with Screen Australia proposing a $2-5m All Media fund for “content driven or triggered by any transmission platform but that must have a multi-platform component”. SPAA is lobbying for an ‘enhanced’ Producer Offset for cross-platform projects, as an incentive for big online players such as Telstra BigPond to commission original Australian content. Finally, pay TV company The Movie Network launched its Movie Extra Webfest competition, giving filmmakers the chance to win a $50,000 production budget for a seven-part web series set to premiere online, and later broadcast on the Movie Extra channel in 2011.
But even with all these initiatives, demand surpasses supply, and initial funds from brands, distributors or Government are rare; most web series start out self-funded in the hope that success will attract bigger fish: “A successful web series like the American show The Guild (created by Felicia Day), started out self-financed then ran out of money quickly. But donations on PayPal helped them along, and they are now sponsored by Microsoft and distributed through X-Box, MSNVideo and more,” said Barker.
With financial backing so hard to come by, a crucial aspect pertaining to the success of any web series is a solid business plan – as well the support of promotional partners. Kelly Chapman founder of KCDC and producer of Forlorn Gaze (alongside creators Sarah-Jane Woulahan and Jud Campbell) said that in order for a project to be maintained, a business plan is vital: “It must be in place as you need to garner an audience.” Chapman suggests five business models for an online series: streamed on ad supported networks such as YouTube; branded entertainment such as www.easytoassemble.tv; reverse content windowing – starting on the web and ending up on television; international format sales; and subscription/‘freemium’ content, such as that available on Hulu Premium. Barker agrees and adds that having an airtight marketing plan is essential: “A business plan is a must, both short term and long term. We believe it’s important to set goals and continually assess and re-assess, to ascertain if your project is actually on the right track. Also, a marketing plan for online content is as important as the shoot itself.”
THE POWER OF INTERACTIVITY
Despite the obvious material similarities, a series produced for the web is vastly different to a series produced for television – because it is not just video content. It is an interactive cross-platform production designed to engage an audience even after they have finished watching. Therefore, to find a format that ticks all the boxes several elements must be taken into consideration – the key element being a balance between online demand and production feasibility.
For The Future Machine, that balance reached by creating a small-format production, aimed at a young audience wanting quick, immediate and sharp entertainment online: “Before we started we did a matrix of similar programs and decided on 8 x 4 minute episodes. This format both appeared to fit with what the digital community were engaging, and also what we were capable of creating. Research shows that the average twenty-something attention span is somewhat similar to how long you can walk the dog with a yo-yo. Our aim was to keep it short, sharp and fresh with a narrative end to each episode that leaves you wanting a bit more,” explained Barker.
And it is the huge scope for audience interaction that propels a web series much further than traditional television. With viewers not only able to leave comments on a specific video, but also on Twitter, Facebook and MySpace – the act of viewing a show in a few minutes becomes a rich media experience. Chapman believes it is this very effect that defines the two mediums. “Audience participation and interactivity are the primary difference between web series and TV. Just check out the big players on YouTube; they all update their channels several times a week and respond to their audience in the comments.” Barker agrees: “YouTube offers a number of simple sharing and commenting tools, putting the power directly in the hands of your viewers – and that is the cornerstone of success in this new online world.” The ability to share content is exactly the way a web series can reach a large audience, once it goes ‘viral’. OzGirl creator Nicholas Carlton says all you need is one person, and hope that they’ll pass it on to their friends: “It will grow from there.”
FINDING YOUR PLATFORM
When it comes to online video platforms, YouTube is possibly the best known, but there are many others including catch up services such as ABC’s iView, Ninemsn, BigPond and Joost – each with their own distribution models. Mordy Koots premiered on Ninemsn in late 2009, but failed to produce the numbers expected of a project starring popular actor Shane Jacobson. Producer Jim Shomos admits “it’s still a tough road”. “Ninemsn are probably alongside YouTube the biggest video portal in this country, and Mordy Koots was one of the first content deals they’ve had with an independent producer. While they supported us in their own portal, it’s been difficult to build an audience. It’s still hard to find brand support… but the beauty of this content is it’s got time to find its legs and other opportunities. There are so many portals to monetise your project, and companies like Yahoo have started to do first look production deals with independent producers for online series and content,” said Shomos.
Penny Wright, internet broadcast manager for ABC iView, told Encore that the ABC actively looks for unconventional content, exclusively for its online service. “iView has made a point of looking for new content outside the traditional TV model. There are some really interesting producers working in online at the moment, creating their own content and bypassing the traditional broadcaster commissioning process by using their own distribution network on the internet,” said Wright. The ABC does not ask for exclusive rights: “We pay a licence fee but in general do not ask for exclusive rights for content on iView. We understand that for madefor- web producers in particular it is important to create awareness for their content by having it in multiple places online, as the publicity generated by a TV broadcast does not occur.”
According to Chapman, negotiating a distribution deal for cross-platform content comes with a particular set of challenges. The most important is defining which rights should be kept, and which should be sold. “And in terms of distribution partners, a central point that must be discussed early in the process is whether the distributor will have a marketing strategy, or if that responsibility will fall on the producer,” she said. However, for Barker’s The Future Machine the answer was straightforward. “We spent a significant amount of time researching distribution channels, trying to find a suitable home for the show. Following our review, it was quite clear that we have to go where the audience is. Each distribution channel offers certain advantages over the others, but for now you can’t go past the size of the audience on YouTube.”
THE CHALLENGE OF MONETISING
Essentially, a web series is driven by its consumers – so in order to survive it must continue to engage its audience, as well as build up a following via crossplatform screening. The aim is to be everywhere, and to be memorable – all at the same time. Barker sees the importance of such a global audience. “The web offers up a lot of opportunity to find an audience, but there’s a universe of competition, so getting the word out there is paramount.” With such an immense medium how can success be measured? Barker believes there is no easy way.
“Measuring success is an ongoing process. We just had our launch – we measured the success by the 130 people who turned up and laughed a lot. Online, we’ll do similar – what everyone does – we’ll look at numbers. But it takes time to build an audience. Appreciation on the net evolves on a daily relationship. There’s no TV rating system, or box office; it’s a relatively new system that deals with viewer response in a different way, so measuring success is an ongoing exponential.” Barker added that it also depends on whether you are measuring the web series as a whole, or judging each aspect individually. “You have to take into consideration whether your marketing campaign was a success, or your press campaign, or is the type of digital work you’re actually producing a success creatively? And that’s a continual assessment based on viewer comments, social feedback, numbers, and tracking online influencers.
Ultimately, the lifeline of your work is the real measure. Will we make more? Will we still be here in three years time making The Future Machine? I guess that’s the real measure.” Possibly the hardest part of producing a web series is the moment when it has reached that critical point of success, and the time comes to monetise. No one wants to start paying for something that was previously free – and with a whole cyber world of free content it becomes harder to hold on to a fan base.
OzGirl’s Carlton believes once an audience is engaged and interacting – paying for the content isn’t a problem: “Online content, like any other, must connect with an audience. Once that connection is established it can be used to monetise the project. You don’t approach the audience from day one and ask for money. You want to get them hooked an, engage them, and then unroll your plan.” Barker agrees. The Future Machine is not quite at that stage – but Barker is optimistic. “It’s difficult for us to monetise it now as we are self-financed and we put it out there for free. But in the long term, we’re trying to build a show with a certain brand of funny. If it’s good enough, if viewers like the story, it has to be worth something. Microsoft saw that in The Guild.”
This new brand of accessible content has taken the web by storm – and as more and more people start engaging it will soon be the norm to watch ‘TV’ online. Nevertheless, for Barker what matters most is putting out quality content for the world to enjoy. “What’s most important is the story, the characters. For us it’s making people laugh. We rehearsed. We filmed the rehearsals. We edited the rehearsal. It had to feel equal with TV before we started on set. And then, with a good cast and crew, it should only get better.”
