3 Key Steps to Developing a Web Series

 

3 Key Steps to Developing a Web Series

 

With the growing success of the web series platform, what are helpful starting points that screenwriters can use while developing a web series?

Welcome to our ongoing Learning from the Masters and Industry Insiders series where we seek out and feature excellent videos, interviews, and discussions of the art, craft, and business of screenwriting and pull the best words of wisdom, writing tips, and screenwriting advice.

Here we feature a Film Courage video interview with industry insider Kathie Fong Yoneda as she discusses key steps that screenwriters can take when developing a web series.

The lines between a web series and television series have been blurred in the last decade, with streaming sites such as Netflix, Amazon, and Hulu producing even more shows than television networks. And the platforms have now melded with television in the form of streaming device apps that allow the audience to view the content through their television, as opposed to computers, laptops, smartphones, and other devices.

However, indie web series are still on the rise. Anyone can create a web series of their own, whether they want them to be self-produced or used as a selling device for possible pickup by a major streaming channel or television network.

Here are key steps to developing a web series.

1. Develop a Relatable Character

“He or she has to be involved with something that is relatable.”

Audiences are attracted to characters that touch upon relatable character traits, conflicts, and emotions. Yoneda refers to a web series called Pairings that tells the story of a talented chef that has no luck with women. On the one hand, he’s very good at something. On the other hand, he has no experience with women. People can relate to being good at one thing and miserable at another. Especially in the ways of love.

This is a relatable character.

2. Start with a World You Know

The creator of Pairings was a chef. He developed the web series as a way to tell a story that he was very familiar with. That personal connection only adds to the validity of the series and the character. And the exciting element is that he brilliantly used the series to market his cooking by sharing his own recipes with anyone that subscribed to his web series.

Audiences are attracted to specific worlds. And those worlds can be anything. You can share your story about being a stay-at-home dad, stay-at-home mother, florist, mailperson, fitness trainer, mall cop, or any other unique and original world that audiences may be curious about.

And because you’re familiar with that world, you can better explore the funny anecdotes and interesting idiosyncrasies that make for great episodes.

Building a world is one thing. Knowing a world makes your job as a writer that much easier.

3. Make That World Relatable

You know that creating a relatable character is essential. But how do you accomplish that when you’re dealing with a world (and character) that many in the audience don’t or can’t relate to.

Yoneda points out that the key to accomplishing this is finding those universal elements that everyone can relate with.

A character that is a lesbian may not be a character that is instantly relatable to everyone in the audience. However, we’re all equal and alike, no matter our sexual orientation, the color of our skill, and what “sides of the tracks” we grew up on. We all know what it’s like to be late for work, lose a loved one, have your heart broken, etc.

You can make these characters you create relatable by finding universal themes and exploring them in your episodes. And you achieve uniqueness and originality by showcasing how your seemingly unrelatable world or character reacts to the very triumphs and tribulations that everyone experiences in life

 

3 Key Steps to Developing a Web Series

 

With the growing success of the web series platform, what are helpful starting points that screenwriters can use while developing a web series?

Welcome to our ongoing Learning from the Masters and Industry Insiders series where we seek out and feature excellent videos, interviews, and discussions of the art, craft, and business of screenwriting and pull the best words of wisdom, writing tips, and screenwriting advice.

Here we feature a Film Courage video interview with industry insider Kathie Fong Yoneda as she discusses key steps that screenwriters can take when developing a web series.

The lines between a web series and television series have been blurred in the last decade, with streaming sites such as Netflix, Amazon, and Hulu producing even more shows than television networks. And the platforms have now melded with television in the form of streaming device apps that allow the audience to view the content through their television, as opposed to computers, laptops, smartphones, and other devices.

However, indie web series are still on the rise. Anyone can create a web series of their own, whether they want them to be self-produced or used as a selling device for possible pickup by a major streaming channel or television network.

Here are key steps to developing a web series.

1. Develop a Relatable Character

“He or she has to be involved with something that is relatable.”

Audiences are attracted to characters that touch upon relatable character traits, conflicts, and emotions. Yoneda refers to a web series called Pairings that tells the story of a talented chef that has no luck with women. On the one hand, he’s very good at something. On the other hand, he has no experience with women. People can relate to being good at one thing and miserable at another. Especially in the ways of love.

This is a relatable character.

2. Start with a World You Know

The creator of Pairings was a chef. He developed the web series as a way to tell a story that he was very familiar with. That personal connection only adds to the validity of the series and the character. And the exciting element is that he brilliantly used the series to market his cooking by sharing his own recipes with anyone that subscribed to his web series.

Audiences are attracted to specific worlds. And those worlds can be anything. You can share your story about being a stay-at-home dad, stay-at-home mother, florist, mailperson, fitness trainer, mall cop, or any other unique and original world that audiences may be curious about.

And because you’re familiar with that world, you can better explore the funny anecdotes and interesting idiosyncrasies that make for great episodes.

Building a world is one thing. Knowing a world makes your job as a writer that much easier.

3. Make That World Relatable

You know that creating a relatable character is essential. But how do you accomplish that when you’re dealing with a world (and character) that many in the audience don’t or can’t relate to.

Yoneda points out that the key to accomplishing this is finding those universal elements that everyone can relate with.

A character that is a lesbian may not be a character that is instantly relatable to everyone in the audience. However, we’re all equal and alike, no matter our sexual orientation, the color of our skill, and what “sides of the tracks” we grew up on. We all know what it’s like to be late for work, lose a loved one, have your heart broken, etc.

You can make these characters you create relatable by finding universal themes and exploring them in your episodes. And you achieve uniqueness and originality by showcasing how your seemingly unrelatable world or character reacts to the very triumphs and tribulations that everyone experiences in life.

 

Currently writing a webseries in a very similar vein -- twelve twenty-minute episodes, heavily serialised. I usually work with features, so I used layers of the three act structure:

·         Entire season follows three acts: three episodes for first; six for second; three for third.

·         To keep the first and third acts from dragging, they also follow it: one episode for first; one for second; one for third.

·         Each episode also follows its own three act structure too.

To cater more strongly towards the web platform, each episode also contains a unique self-contained setpieces, to allow people to easily watch a single odd episode while still maintaining the serial structure. If you want an example of this, watch volume three of Rooster Teeth's RWBY: Almost every episode contains a tournament fight as a key setpiece, while still telling a strong overarching story. Another great example is episode four of Rooster Teeth's Day 5, which is definitely worth checking out if you happen to be subscribed to their FIRST platform.

 

 It doesn't matter if your series is ten minutes an episode or thirty minutes--basic story structure will still be there. A beginning, middle, and end. Take care of those in each episode and you should be golden. You can, of course, go into the weeds with all the other story structures out there, but story telling really is simple. Don't make it harder on yourself.

I'm assuming that since you're doing a series format you'll probably want a cold open that's anywhere from 30 seconds to a couple of minutes that grabs people's attention and an ending that ensures people will come back for episode two.