How to Create a Web Series Tip # 1 – The Story is Everything

That’s right. It’s not the pretty actors, cool special effects or your brother’s awesome, original music that’s most important for your web series. The story you choose to tell is the foundation that can make or break your production’s success.

Your amazing story will decide what cast, crew and even the distribution channels that will be attracted to your web series. Are they interested because of your story? Or are they only showing up for a paycheck?

Story is the future of advertising also. If you can craft a powerful motivating story, you have a web series to captivate audiences, rather than annoy them with a commercial.

http://www.hulu.com/watch/ad/229532

The elements that help shape your story are:

1. Genre
2. Script
3. Locations

What genre will your story be set in?

I remember, back when I was a first round script reader for the HBO Green Light Project, the final script chosen for production was originally shot as a “coming of age drama.” In editing it became a “coming of age comedy.”

I never got the full story on how that happened, but you can skip last minute editing room category decisions by getting real clear on what your genre personality is up front.

Is your personality:

• Drama
• Science Fiction
• Reality TV
• Action
• Comedy

Now, you may think you are all about comedy, when really you are scifi.

Or visa versa.

Or even something you never fully realized about yourself.

Note, the ad/web series above is utilizing the Reality TV story format to engage their audience.

Take my genre personality test and get a better perspective. Passion makes the story. For instance, if you’re trying to do a documentary in a drama mode, ‘cause that’s what you’ve been told documentaries should be, but what you really are is an action/adventure personality, your project will be tedious at best and at worst fall flat.

Methos TV and I are sponsoring a free summer webinar How to Create a Web Series with industry leaders being interviewed Live. Preregister here to get your Genre Personality Test and free series pass.

All for now and remember to Tell a Vision!

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How Can I Do Video marketing when I Look the Way I do?

Seriously?

I’m sad to say I actually hear this all the time. People truly feel they can’t be in their video marketing because of the way they think they look.

I get it. I was one of those who never wanted their picture taken because inside I thought I looked ugly outside. So, I really understand. The result of living out that feeling is that I don’t have many early pictures of myself. How productive was that? The good thing is when I started producing on video sets, I couldn’t get away from the cameras. Someone was always shoving a lens in my face for behind the scenes shots, when an emergency extra was needed, promos or whatever reason. Even though I was never the Talent (an actor), I got used to being filmed and learned very quickly to get over myself.

Recently, Dove soap caught a lot of grief over the internet for their Real Beauty video and I got a lot of flack on Facebook over my interpretation of the video (Hint: not negative). In reality,  I do hear, “I can’t do video because of how I look” 99 percent of the time from women. Yes, I’m going to get on you women out there, so listen.

 Think about it. Back in the day did the villagers gather to see the Crone for her physical beauty? Or did they plop their butts on her doorstep because they were quite invested in learning how to avert personal disaster, be procreative, heal the plague and have an abundant harvest? The villagers knew the Crone was the expert and did not care how she looked or smelled.

Good for all of us, smell does not translate in video yet.

  Authenticity is the new buzz word flying around the net. All it really means is being real. Never mind that it’s completely crazy that being real is now in vogue (duh), but what can be more real than your unique face in a video showing who you are? Who you are is going to attract the specific and correct people to you and your business (now “they” call this a Tribe).

 According to Discovery.com, your brain scans and interprets facial information like a barcode. People are identified as someone you know or as a stranger. This natural bar coding only works with humans.  Faces of other animals aren’t viewed in the same way. Our brain’s inability to recognize other species as easily as we recognize our own has helped us to survive predators for thousands of years (later on my theory of when the off world aliens land it will cure racism. Hint: we will all recognize fellow humans).

This being said, when your potential clients see your video, you have no idea what beauty they will see in you. Unconsciously, they will see you as part of their tribe. Whatever it is in your unique face and personality, your audience will connect to and over time build trust in you. Trust in you and your expertise (can you cure the plague?). This process is entirely personal and natural. The result is an audience that is totally into you. No matter what you look like. Or think you look like.

Women, please take a tip from the men.

 We are all here for a purpose. There are so many people waiting for what you have to offer and they won’t recognize you until they see you. Hiding because you are not the next super model cheats people from the God given gifts you have to give and they need. Get your face and personality out there in your video marketing so they can find you, get to know you and learn to believe in you. Oh, and a wee bit make up and good lighting never hurts. More on that later…

 
Peace out and remember to Tell a Vision!

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