LG15: The Resistance
September 29, 2008
Chapter 2 was released over the weekend:
Chapter 1 the week before:
I will have a review in the future.
At this stage, what is your opinion? Are you merely watching the videos or are you partaking in the whole experience?
How To Measure Success
September 29, 2008
How do we measure success for web series?
The easy answer is viewership.
But as many of us know, viewership is not as simple as other mediums. It is also not the best indicator of quality. A well marketed and positioned web series is destined to get more views than one with a smaller marketing budget and less connections. Being attached to a company like Myspace or NBC is a great way to get tons of viewers, while being independently operated is far more difficult (ie Captain Blasto).
Therefore, I think there are many factors that determine success: Viewership, Longevity, Reviews, Media Attention, Awards, Innovation, and Income. (this is by no means a finalized or certifiable list of factors)
However, one web series seems to be gaining a lot of momentum and attention is Pink. Originally independently created and funded, Pink has had many great successes. The show was picked up by Generate, giving them a much larger fanbase and set of resources, which is already paying off. Season 2 recently debuted and is gaining lots of attention. Not only is the show seen on the main site, it can also be seen on Hulu, which only two other series can claim. Pink was also picked up by the WB for their new online distribution site, sure to bring them even more views and success. The figures of their signing are not available, but I would imagine negotiations of some form occurred. The show’s most recent accomplishment, an advertisement in Times Square on one of their digital billboards. (read the official blog).
I am interested to see what all these accomplishments bring for the show. If nothing else, it will increase their visibility and hopefully their audience. After that is anyone’s guess.
Sn4tchbuckl3r’s PSA
September 28, 2008
Not quite how I expected to start this blog, but due to the time sensitive nature of this topic, I feel it is best to discuss sooner as opposed to later.
What My Damn Channel has done here is actually quite innovative. This spin-off series, originally from You Suck at Photoshop, has taken the concept of interactivity in a very unique direction. The viewers are asked to participate in the furthering of the series by purchasing the “sensitive materials” with the hopes that the winner will share it with the community of viewers. My Damn Channel has done this on a lesser scale with YSAP and the Ronnie pictures, providing images for viewers to download and then share their creations in an album. This type of interactive viewer is what many web series attempt to find, but few are successful. The use of other websites, as well as micro-sites is a technique that is gaining lots of momentum, a strong part of the Dark Knight’s Viral Campaign.
The other side of Sn4tchbuckl3r’s ebay auction is that it represents a means of generating income. Granted, at the time of this posting the auction is at $100, it will be interesting to see where it closes. By no means does this represent a legitimate way of funding a web series, but it does demonstrate the ability for the medium to engage viewers and generate income. I am very interested to see the results of the auction, and what the winner actually receives.
