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Script MagazineWrite it. Shoot it. Share it. by Robert Gustafson and Alec McNayr If you’re lucky enough to have the eyes and ears of development executives, you also have the assurance of a traditional path to finding an audience for your work. But for those of us who don’t, it is an uphill battle to get your work in front of those who will love it (and pay to see it!).
The 90’s opened doors for storytellers—specifically, for the creators of low-budget independent films that found audiences at popular film festivals. Now, as the prices of film and editing equipment continue to fall, a growing number of online video distribution sites offer yet another new and unprecedented opportunity: to share your stories on the Internet. The online video landscape is scattered and the money is scarce, but the opportunities are nearly limitless—it’s truly an exciting time to be a storyteller. Finding Inspiration Writer/director Francis Stokes admits he got a little lucky when his web series God, Inc. became a literal over-night success. He uploaded the first 3½-minute episode to YouTube on a Friday night and, unbeknownst to him, it was featured on the site’s home page. He awoke on Saturday morning to 400,000 views and a flood of e-mails. If luck occurs when “preparation meets opportunity,” then the opportunity of broadband distribution met Stokes’ preparation—the better part of a decade he spent working on two independent feature films after graduating from NYU. While both films labors of love, they only played to limited audiences at a handful of independent film festivals. “I was exhausted with filmmaking,” Stoked remarked, “I heard about YouTube on NPR, and I decided I was going to do it for no money, follow some actors around, and see if people would watch it.” |
