An increasing number of people do not watch their favorite TV programs on their televisions anymore, but on their computers, which is why major studios such as FremantleMedia are hiring writers such as Laurie Hutzler, an alumna of the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television with 15 years of experience in the in the television industry, to create programs for online release.
Hutzler is a screenwriting veteran who is adapting to the Internet and the format of web series.
“There has to be some reason as to why (a program) exists as a web series,” she said. Currently, Hutzler is working on creating a web series called “Beyond Lemonade” for FremantleMedia. The UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television’s Web site features Hutzler’s blog about her current experience and teachings about creating an online series.
While many web series are made with small or nonexistent budgets, the key is that there is something unique and interesting enough about them to acquire a large fan base. The Internet is just another opportunity for writers to gain recognition.
“I think it’s great, the more the merrier, there are more opportunities for people to distribute the material they create. (It’s) much, much cheaper to create content and a greater variety of stuff available to more people,” said Richard Walter, a film and television professor and a 30-year member of the Writers Guild of America.
Yet web series (and their creators) are changing and beginning to have actual budgets because major studios are incorporating the series into their futures. Veterans of television writing and producing are now learning to adapt to making successful web series.
“Beyond Lemonade” is about women adapting to a changing world; one of them must change her print newspaper into an online one in order to keep it alive. This encapsulates what all studios, film, music and television, have to do in order to keep up with the agent that is revolutionizing all three.
Because of the nature of the Internet, releasing episodes online can be different from television ““ the competition is greater, attention spans are shorter.
“Screenwriters must work with a much shorter form,” Hutzler said.
Although major studios still generate most of their viewers through television sets, it seems that more and more screenwriters and producers agree that they have to adapt to the new formats the Internet offers. This is especially true in the light of the popularity of Web sites such as Hulu and Apple’s iTunes store that offer episodes of television programs.
“Soon enough (web series) will be the only way to do it,” Walter said.
Yet according to Walter, the screenwriting itself will not change, and he sees very little negative effects of the Internet opening up the industry to more people. In fact, neither Hutzler nor Walter, both screenwriting veterans, spoke negatively of the new formats.
Hutzler has made a major career choice in choosing to release her series online. It is one that shows that society and the entertainment industry are taking seriously the possibility that the Internet will consume many aspects of television. The Internet no longer exists for just amateur work.
“If you have the talent and the vision and the ability, you can offer your creative endeavors to the world,” Hutzler said.
If veterans are easily adapting to and welcoming the outlets the Internet offers, then it seems that television and production are headed in an online direction only, according to Walter.
“I think webisodes are in the future; it definitely works because the Internet can get to a broader audience ““ the Internet has more potential to show your work,” said Ernest Sandoval, a fourth-year theater student.
While trying to get recognition for his short films, Sandoval decided to release them on the Internet. He said he sees the Internet as an inevitable place for the future of screenwriting.
The up-and-coming generation of screenwriters are already using the internet as the main place for making themselves known.
“The barriers to entry are very low. Pretty much with a standard Apple computer one can shoot a video with their web cam and have something they can put up,” said Hutzler.
Although there is greater access, it will still be hard to recognized, but then again this is the nature of the industry.