Audiovisual Series On The Web

Posted by on Nov 12, 2013 in Storytelling
Audiovisual Series On The Web

Web Television:

  • originally designed and produced for the web
  • can be single or continous Webisodes
  • distributional platforms: Youtube, Vimeo, Newsground, …

Examples:

Other Resources:

 

Funding of international TV formats via commercials, Public TV (GEZ) and/ or Pay TV. Whereas Webseries just have a small budget and therefore work due to a low cost policy.

Besides Webseries have to deal with the audiences’ SHORT ATTENTION SPAN. According to a TubeMogul study in 2008, the average video viewer spends less than one minute watching any clips on the internet.

TubeMogul Studies 2008 – Audience Attention Span

An explanation can be that people acustom themselves to different viewing habits such as watching videos from different surroundings (on the bus, train, at school, etc … ). Furthermore they’re not restricted to a computer anymore (e.g. Smartphones and Tablets )

 

How to deal with shorter attention spans?

  • different measuring of Hook, Hold & Payoff
  • ( quick and gripping ) emotional Hook
  • Payoff/ finish that keeps people interested

 

e.g. Web Therapy

  • it’s about a therapy holding sessions through web media
  • Hook is more of a Hold ( Self-referentiality )
  • using a web presentation being part of the web presentation

 

e.g. Netflix’s “House of Cards” and “Orange is the New Black” have narrative structures and production values similar to traditional TV series.


(House of Cards 2013)

http://youtu.be/nryWkAaWjKg
(Orange is the new black 2013)

 

Financing and its impact on storytelling

The more commercial breaks:

  • the  more cliffhangers are included
  • lead to a different story structure

 

Another commercial model is the Product Placement and its enhancement the Branded Entertainment:

  • PRODUCT PLACEMENT – way of financing a film/ series by visually including commercial products and in exchange getting paid by the brands
  • BRANDED ENTERTAINMENT – includes commercial brands directly into the world (e.g. in Easy to Assemble )

Braned Entertainment Overview(Storymooc 2013 University of Applied Sciences Potsdam)

 

Trend among brands to get involved in classic TV series by sponsoring WEB SPIN-OFFS ( cheaper than product placement). Besides they have more experimental freedom on the web.

Spin-Off examples: Angel, Fantastic Beast and where to find them

 

Web Series and beyond – most exciting developments?

 

TRANSMEDIA STORYTELLING

  • telling a story through several media platforms

TRANSMEDIA LIGHT according to Rebecca Ahlen:

  •  TV Series being accompanied by e.g. real Facebook Profiles ( for their fictional characters )

 

Possibilities to tell stories on the web