2010: The Year IMDb Follows Through?
The struggle to get web series listed on IMDb is a long and epic one. Although our production company has 2/3 of our major web series titles already listed on the database as TV series (A Comicbook Orange and Galacticast), my own profile is still so barren that it makes me look like a n00b because I haven’t submitted other minor titles like work for hire hosting gigs, the miniseries we made for Next New Networks, guest starring roles I’ve done for other web series and video interviews people have done with me online.
At South by Southwest this past March, IMDb founder Col Needham said that a web series category will be added to the directory in the second or third quarter of this year (ie. anytime between April 1 – September 31). Unfortunately, I realized in early October that they still hadn’t made the change and I contacted Needham for a comment. On October 5, 2009 I wrote:
Hi Col!
Last time we spoke (SXSW last March) you said that labels for web series on IMDb should be pushed out in the 2nd or 3rd quarter. I just wanted to touch base and see if that’s gone through since I haven’t seen any changes to existing listings. Any updates on the subject that you can share?
Best,
Casey
I hadn’t heard back from him for a while and was starting to think the company was avoiding the issue, but on November 27, 2009 he replied as follows:
Hi Casey,
Sorry for the delayed reply … we’ve been finalizing our plans for 2010. Unfortunately circumstances changed following March and we have not yet been able to complete the work required to support web series. Much of the delay is because this area is incredibly complicated and affects a large number of IMDb software systems. We want to do this work properly to ensure that new title types of all kinds can be added more easily in future. The work has been rescheduled for 2010, but learning from past experience, we cannot be more specific on a launch date, sorry. In the meantime web series can continued to be added as if they were TV-series and will be converted over once they are properly supported.
Cheers,
Col
So, for the time being, I encourage all web series creators to go ahead and submit their show as a TV series. Let’s take over the site with our awesomeness… seriously. Here are a few pointers I’ve written down to help you get your show listed:
- Provide detailed credits of all the people who’ve worked on your series
- Include links to all of your show’s online profiles, especially fan pages and Twitter profile if you have a large audience of followers
- Link to all your major video upload sites, making sure to include sites that display high viewcounts
- Be sure to mention any public screenings or film festivals your videos have appeared in
- If you’ve received any mainstream press (newspapers, magazines, TV), provide a link to the article/segment online
No matter what you do, your title will probably not be accepted the first time. When they send you an email explaining why, wrack your brain, add more information and re-submit the title. Once the title has been added (and you may not get an email notification that it’s up), go ahead and add information on specific episodes… I’m planning to do this over the holidays ;)
Hope this helps you. I also hope that IMDb follows through with their plan to add a web series category… this is a popular industry we’re in, and it ain’t “new” media anymore.
Sometimes Everything Just Falls Into Place
One thing I’ve learned in the past week is: It IS a small world after all.
For the past few weeks I’ve been planning an epic A Comicbook Orange intro for the Dr. Horrible one-shot comic that came out today. Inspiration to write the song came easily for me in the shower, and I wrote and composed the song in two days. Then, thanks to all the photos on the interwebs of me and my fellow web series creator Felicia Day (via Bernie Su and Wm. Marc Salsberry), we were able to set up a lovely little scene to show how Dr. Horrible might be longing for Penny now that she’s gone (ahh… lesbian undertones… I hope I made NPH proud). These things all came easily, but one thing remained; Dr. Horrible’s lab.
As usual, we shot the intro on our green screen. My Dr. Horrible costume included: one of my boyfriend Rudy Jahchan‘s dress shirts worn backwards, a pair of long pink gloves (that I use to clean the toilet!), goggles borrowed from my good friends Yuri Lowenthal and Tara Platt, and a Dr. Horrible comic (which was actually a copy of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz with a printout of the Dr. Horrible cover on top). I looked on Flickr to try and find a good Creative Commons Attribution licensed photo to use in the background… and I found one similar… but it wasn’t until a chance meeting last Friday that this whole production blew up even further last Friday.
While at the Voice-Over Voice Actor book launch party, I ran into a photographer that I had met months earlier; Jonathan Reilly. It was too loud to really talk when I met him, so we finally chatted there. When I was talking with Tubefilter writer Jacob Nahim about “an epic intro” I was planning for the Dr. Horrible one-shot, Jonathan chimed in to tell us that Dr. Horrible’s lab is actually his living room. The rest is all a blur, as I was extremely excited and screaming with glee on the inside when I found out. Jonathan said he’d take a picture and send it to me to use as the background of MY Dr. Horrible lab!!!
So, I’ve been sitting on this Dr. Horrible thing for a while and it feels GREAT to get it out. It’s currently being featured on YouTube, which is wonderful… especially considering I put a lot of my heart into it. I hope you love it as I do. I also hope you get the song in your head and sing it over and over, as I’ve had it in my head for the past few weeks… it’s only fair, right? ;)
Year Five, Here We Come!
Above: Since today’s my four year anniversary, I figured I’d better cut together a frakking video! Here are the long awaited self-portrait outtakes from May-October 2009
Four years ago today, Rudy and I launched the first episode of Kitkast. Though Rudy had made some web videos (video blogs, vlogs, video podcasts, umm… vodcasts?) before, this was the first time we launched a web series… a serialized show. We’ve devoted countless hours to our passion ever since, and I thank every single person whose clicked play, commented on, and shared our videos with their friends.
So what am I doing today to commemorate the occasion? Acting in another web series, of course! I’m up in Vancouver right now, and I can’t say anything much, but it’s going to be EPIC… and reminiscent of Galacticast in some respect. I’ll give you the details when they’re public.
Year five promises to be even better. More guest spots, collaborations, and new content! Thanks for all your support… you make the late nights worthwhile.
Speaking of late nights… this week’s A Comicbook Orange video gave me a late night a couple of nights ago. Enjoy!
I want my… I want my… I want my Web TV!
For over two years I’ve been advocating the need for a web series category on IMDb. At SXSW this year, I was given hope when IMDb founder Col Needham announced their plan to roll out tags for both web series and individual web videos in the second or third quarter of this year. Well, the third quarter ended a week ago, and I still don’t see either tags on the title submission page.
How much longer do we need to wait? How much longer must we submit our web series as “TV Series” or (straight to DVD) “Video” titles?
I sent Needham an email the other day asking for an update, and just sent an email through the IMDb contact page last night. If you’re a producer with the same concerns, I suggest trying to touch base with them through your own networking channels. Let’s get this pushed through!!!
Thanks to Rick Rey, NewTeeVee, Tubefilter and Tilzy.tv (David Nett) for also writing about this subject earlier this year.
A new season for A Comicbook Orange!
I launched the first episode of season 4 of A Comicbook Orange last week and what a week! We have a new segment called “Pop Reviews” with 3 brief reviews that come after the featured in-depth review. We had a lot of feedback last season from fans who were sad that the show went from having three reviews to just one, so this was our way of buffing up the show without killing ourselves with all the added work (it’s still a lot of work to do for free… but we just want to make a good quality show). So far the fans are liking the segment :D
We were featured on YouTube this week (thanks, Mark!) and later got an invitation to join the partner program… w00t! We already have a partnered channel on YouTube for Galacticast, so it’ll be a nice wee bonus to get a second check. Onward and upward!
Aside from that, we’re wheeling and dealing on the back end… I sometimes wonder if I’ll see the sun again. Someday…
Girls Go Geek Interview
I was interviewed by the lovely Amber Mac on her new show Girls Go Geek. The episode originally aired on XBox 360 in the US and is finally available on the web for all the non XBox users/non-Americans.
It’s a great interview, but I wince every time I hear myself say “Jennie 2.0″ since it’s actually “Jennie 2.5″! Oops…
The Trials and Tribulations of Finding an Editor
Famous last tweet…
I’m currently looking for a video editor for a potential upcoming gig. Sounds easy, right? Wrong… I’m finding it difficult because I’ve been working as my own editor for the past 4 years. As a result of making over 120 videos (over 10 hours of viewing, longer than the ENTIRE Lord of the Rings trilogy), it’s hard to find someone with the same, if not more experience.
Though my editing 4 years ago was basic, I’ve since learned a lot of tricks and have developed into a pretty darn proficient editor. While I do most of my editing in Final Cut Pro, I also use Motion for special effects and green screen (I used to use Adobe Premiere Pro and After Effects). Most recently, I’ve been working to make stationary shots look a little more natural using handheld camera effects and appropriate color correction. Example:
At this point, when I say I’m looking for an editor I’m looking for someone who can already demonstrate his/her ability to do what I’ve already taught myself over the past 4 years. Scott Hampson suggested on Twitter that I “should give someone with less experience a chance, so they can learn.” Definitely an admirable idea, but then what would be the point of hiring and paying someone if I could do it better myself? Sure, it could free up more of my time… or it could mean losing time to tutor them instead. I responded saying “People with less experience can gain more by making their own content, like I did.” Eventually, if we all work hard enough, we all get picked up for our talents.
Another problem I’m worried about is that even if I find a professional TV/Film editor, they won’t have the experience I need to make things short and snappy for the web. Sure there are some talented people out there, but I need the kind of person who can edit fast-paced MTV intro-type stuff! That’s what the web is all about after all… curing your A.D.D. My golden standard for web video editors is Mike Ambs, former editor of Epic Fu. The show was always dynamic and exciting to watch. Example:
If you think you have the experience and creativity I’m looking for, and live in the Los Angeles area, please contact me and send me a link to your reel. The hunt is on!
Here comes the judge!
Zod bless the Dominion of Canada! I’ll be judging the Social Media category of this year’s Canadian New Media Awards. No, I will not take bribes (unless they’re Dark Chocolate cupcakes from Sprinkles in Beverly Hills which would be next to impossible for any Canadian entrant… HA!).
All jokes aside, I’m really happy to be chosen…
The event will take place at nextMEDIA Toronto on December 1st, so go enter your web site or show so I can judge it, fellow Canadians! (Warning: it’s not free to enter, but there’s an early bird special of $125 if you enter before September 18th.)
And to those yanks out there who didn’t already know it… I. Am. Canadian!
I’m not on a boat… but I’m in a book!
My internet buddy Nick Douglas just put out a new book called Twitter Wit which includes a collection of funny tweets from various web peeps, including one from moi! Also included in the book are tweets from Sarah Silverman, Stephen Colbert, Stephen Fry, and many more. You can order the book on Amazon.
This isn’t the first time I’ve been quoted in books, however. I also contributed my knowledge in an interview conducted by fellow Canadian Leesa Barnes for her book Podcasting for Profit, which you can also order on Amazon.
And, last but definitely not least, my best friends Tara Platt and Yuri Lowenthal have just put their new book on voice acting up for pre-order on a new site I helped them design! Check it out here… Rudy did all the code work and I created all the banners.
Umm… you know you’ve made it when?
You know you’ve “made it” when there’s a Latino copycat profile of you on MySpace :/
I just reported the account, mentioning that they used my likeness without permission and infringed on the copyright of my photos and this awesome video shot by Tara Brown at her recent Rock Band party:
Let’s see if MySpace actually does anything about it. It’s not a big deal at this point since the profile only has 29 friends and there are no external links to web sites… but best to crack down before that happens, no?
Thanks to Druzhba for the tip! XOXO
And, for the record… this is what my REAL MySpace profile looks like:
