1-26-15 Brainstorming a New YouTube Comedy Web Series

A New Idea for a YouTube Comedy Web Series!

Thanks to encouragement from my girlfriend this past week, I was inspired and started thinking about directing a new youtube comedy web series! It’s still nascent (I dig that word) but the idea really started gaining velocity!

One of the things that helped me was that  I got really positive feedback when I screened “Crazy In Brooklyn” (above) at a filmmaker industry screening and they said they’d like to see more. That was a huge shot in the arm. However, I feel like “Crazy in Brooklyn” would be too big a production to do at this point. So I began thinking about easier ways to shoot an episodic youtube series.

Classes at Youtube Space New York!

It also helped that I had the opportunity to take some classes at Youtube’s Open Space back at the end of 2013. That was before they moved to their new multi-million dollar facility above Chelsea Market (wow, I’ve got to check out the new YouTube Space New York Events!) I got great advice about shooting web shows, such as the following:

• There’s no longer a “cutting room floor” anymore, people want to see outtakes and behind the scenes
• YouTube is hungry for as much video as you can throw at it
• Keep your videos 2-3 minutes in length
• Make sure you have eye-grabbing thumbnails
• Make a youtube channel that’s the same name as your new show
• Publish/Upload on a set schedule (consistency is key!)
• Shoot half or an entire season first, then publish it
• Make sure it’s easy to shoot but build simple sets if necessary
• Include “calls to action” when each clip is done
• Use cliffhangers at the end of each clip
• Make sure the story is well done

My Brainstorming Process

One of the first things I did was begin brainstorming a title for the show. I think that can be one of the hardest parts because, as with everything online, the name really has to stand out.

I’ve also started thinking up characters, their costumes and even some props.

The only way I can keep track of it all, is to keep writing the ideas down. So I have topics for four shows so far and I think I’ll need something like 16-20 episodes.

I’ll write again once I have it a little more developed.

Time to research and write!