The challenge for filmmakers in the new social web
Posted by Nick | Filed under Blog
The emergence of professional produced, internet-designed shows such as Pink the Series which has received 2.8 million views and Spinning Jenny, signify the need for filmmakers to step up and recognize the internet as a medium for professional content not just amateur video. Internet video will no longer be seen as a stepping stone for television “mainstream” success, but rather the holy grail itself. It is going to be young filmmakers with an intricate understanding of the social web, web 2.0 that are going to make it big.
As a filmmaker myself, I can understand the challenge of letting go of everything you have been taught and to embrace a new style of storytelling. Passive entertainment is gone. It’s history. Seriously. Audiences want to be able to interact with characters and influence stories. Does this mean that cinema will disappear one day? Probably not anytime soon – but it is important to think of this as the next evolution in storytelling. As filmmakers, we are still in the storytelling business – but the medium has simply changed. Just as stories were once told by word of mouth, then by playwrights, then by radio, and then by film. Embrace Web 2.0, the Social Web.
If your video content is not integrated with Facebook, Twitter, MySpace and YouTube – it isn’t truly web video. Consider “Quarter Life” produced by NBC and created by Edward Zwick, the show was pre-filmed in its entirety and simply “aired” on the internet. That is not social. That’s still television networks ramming down your throat what they think you want to see. As people’s lives get more and more public, they expect a level of interactivity from their entertainment.
People are going to be turning to the internet for their entertainment, and advertisers are going to want in. When creating a show, consider how you might integrate product placement. Know your market and think like an advertiser. If you get between 100, 000 to 2 million viewers an episode, companies are going to be knocking on your door giving you money.