Top 5 Tools For Webseries Creators by John Gardiner

I’ve been in the trenches of production and development of web-series for a few years now. I’ve learned a lot about what it takes to get things going and more importantly keep things moving when it seems like everything is against you. Here’s a quick list of the five things I think are essential to starting and  maintaining a series.

5. Use What You Have:

This seems obvious and is usually the first rule of Independent film making. You’re used to the world you live in, but someone on the other side of the country may find it unique and compelling. If you can take what you have and create an interesting story around it, that will be your first lesson in creativity. This doesn’t mean create a gimmick around an object, but take a look around your life and see what makes it interesting and unique. Though if you create a web-series about two guys sitting in an apartment on a couch talking, I will be severely disappointed in you. Get creative! Maybe they’re imprisoned on the couch by a maniac, or maybe they’re keeping the couch from floating away?

4. Like Minded Group:

This might seem like an obvious one. If you’re going at this alone, you likely don’t have the money to pay everyone you’d want to. So you need to surround people who are, for lack of a better word, like-minded. Example: If you’re making a scifi webseries, it wouldn’t hurt to hit up some scifi blogs and try to get some hardcore geeks on your team. These are the people who are going to believe in the project, even when you don’t. Besides, you don’t want to find yourself in a pickle and have someone like Paul Reiser’s character in Aliens. He bails as soon as the going gets tough! Lucky for us an alien eats him. Lesson Learned: Don’t have Paul Reiser on your team.

3. Passion:

If you live in LA I’m sure you’ve seen the Gustavo Dudamel posters including those that say “Pasion!” If you’ve seen Gustavo conduct then, you’ve seen true passion in human form. He conducts with his entire body and he’s just putting energy into the atomosphere. I bet he drives a Gustavo powered car, that runs off of his superhuman “Pasion!” He obviously loves what he’s doing and everyone around him wants to be a part of it. It’s the X-factor that can make or break a project. Regardless of your content; zombies, puppets or fake celebrities, you must have passion for your project and your content. Every creative endeavor I’ve embarked upon has spit in my face and made me miserable. The only thing that will keep you going when you’re staring defeat in the face is passion for what you’re doing.

2. Multi-Hyphenate:

Be the guy that knows how to do a little of everything. Few people understand the amount of work that goes into an online show. Most think it’s just a case of getting a video camera and pointing it in the direction of your actors. Unfortunately in some cases this is true and the quality reflects. The truth is, what most of us are trying to do is make something so amazing and compelling that a TV exec sees it and says, “This is amazing and it’s a crime it’s not on television. . .here’s a billion dollars!” So have at least a basic understanding on how to use a camera, how to light a scene and brush up on the post production process. Can’t afford film school, there are many organizations online and all over that specialize in this sort of training, or if you’re in LA throw a rock and you’ll likely hit a filmmaker who’ll teach you a thing or two. (Don’t really throw rocks, check out groups like this)

1. Confidant:

It might sound silly, but having a partner is absolutely essential. Much like the group of like minded people, this person is the one you can confess all your fears too. This person may not provide a specific task on set or in the creative process, but everyone needs someone to vent to. I’m not saying you have to find a priest, just someone who will be honest with you. You can find a confidant in many forms: girl/boyfriend, coworker, parent, friend, etc. Don’t confuse this person with a “Yes Man.” George Lucas surrounded himself with these guys and we ended up with “The Phantom Menice.” You should really have a confidant who can tell you when you’ve stumbled upon the worst idea since Jar-Jar Binks. The important part is that they care about you and your sanity.

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Top 5 Tools For Webseries Creators is written by John Gardiner creator of Absolution webseries.