Create Your Own TV Series for the Internet-2nd edition. Ross Brown

      

      Advance praise for

       Create Your Own TV Series for the Internet

      “Recently, I wrote and produced my first Internet series and, quite frankly, I wish I had read Ross Brown’s book before I started.”

      —Bill Rosenthal, creator of the web series Greetings From Home, writer Nurse Jackie

      “A must-read for anyone trying to break in on the Internet.”

      —Fred Rubin, Professor, UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television

      “Outstanding guidance, advice, and inspiration for anyone who wants to make a web series.”

      —Joel Surnow, Emmy winning co-creator and executive producer of 24

      “Ross Brown has taken his indelible knowledge and experience from the world of network TV and crammed it into the new and fast-paced industry of Internet content. Having studied how the web series has taken hold, gone viral, and continues to change the landscape of entertainment, Ross imparts his own wisdom in comedy writing, series structure, idea creation, and character building. This is a book for anyone who has ever wanted to make a web series—and for anyone who already has. I’m excited to learn how to correct my mistakes from the first time around.”

      —Christine Lakin, creator and star of the award-winning web series Lovin’ Lakin and co-host of Internet Icon

      “Ross Brown’s enormously informative and entertaining book is enriched by his insider chops as a network series showrunner, and by his years of inspiring students in university television courses. This book is clearly a must-read for anyone interested in creating a do-it-yourself web series. But in a larger sense, it also presents the tools for establishing the enduring concept, core characters, and story engines required of any television series, regardless of length, making it an invaluable resource for anyone aspiring to a small screen career.”

      —Brad Buckner, consulting producer, Supernatural

      “At a time when many in the entertainment industry still struggle to see the viability and inevitability of web-based entertainment as a major player, new media producers are blessed to have an advocate and teacher in the form of veteran producer, Ross Brown. Even though there are no hard and fast rules in this burgeoning medium, he offers sage advice to those needing guidance on the subject of how to create and produce a high-quality web series.”

      —Courtney Zito, CEO, Hollywood Girl Pictures

      “As a video creator looking to produce content for online audiences, I’ve found this book to be indispensable. Create Your Own TV Series for the Internet provides just the right amount of information to get you started and make you feel like you know what you’re doing in these uncharted waters. It’s the perfect book at the perfect time!”

      —Trevor Mayes, writer/director, My Demon Girlfriend

      “This is the best and most thorough resource for anyone who has an interest in creating a web TV series.… As an experienced screenwriter and filmmaker, I cannot think of an area not covered in this timely volume. Highest recommendation.”

      —Robin Simmons, filmmaker

      “Ross Brown knows creating stories from the bottom up. This book comes at a crucial time and shows you the way to create stories online for all audiences. All creators and storytellers should read this book now and for the future.”

      —Dave Watson, editor, Movies Matter

      “Whether you’re an emerging digital creator, a seasoned filmmaker looking to migrate to the web, or a media educator looking for new and innovative ways to engage your students, Create Your Own TV Series for the Internet is an essential read.”

      —Steinar Ellingsen, Director of Education, Melbourne Webfest

      “Know who should read this book? Directors, sure. But also every television writer in the world. As a TV writer, much of your job is standing on set helping a director bring your script to life. This book is the bring-your-script-to-life toolbox, complete with instruction manual, that many writers never get to have.”

      —Chad Gervich, TV writer (Dog With a Blog, After Lately, and Cupcake Wars) and author (How To Manage Your Agent and Small Screen, Big Picture)

      “With so much stuff out there, it’s all too easy to get lost in the noise. This book gives you the tools and techniques to lift your content out of the fighting pack and put it in front of viewers.… Ross Brown has written the indispensable guide to creating a successful web series.”

      —Robert Grant, screenwriter and author of Writing the Science Fiction Film

       Create Your Own

       TV SERIES

      for THE INTERNET

       ROSS BROWN

       SECOND EDITION

      MICHAEL WIESE PRODUCTIONS

      Copyright 2014 by Ross Brown

      All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without permission in writing from the author, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in a review.

Published by Michael Wiese Productions12400 Ventura Blvd. #1111Studio City, CA 91604(818) 379-8799, [phone] (FAX)[email protected] www.mwp.com

      Cover design by MWP

      Interior design by Concord Editorial

      Printed by McNaughton & Gunn

      Manufactured in the United States of America

      Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

      Brown, Ross, 1954–

      [Byte-sized television]

      Create your own TV series for the internet / Ross Brown. — Second edition.

      pages cm

      Originally published as: Byte-sized television: create your own TV series for the internet.

      ISBN 978-1-61593-168-2 (pbk.)

      1. Television authorship. 2. Internet television. I. Title.

      PN1992.7.B76 2014

      808'.066791—dc23

      2013033457

      Printed on recycled paper

       CONTENTS

       ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

       HOW TO USE THIS BOOK

       WHY A SECOND EDITION?

       PREFACE

       1 WHAT IS A WEBISODE?

       A Brief History of Short Episodic Video on the Web

       What’s