It’s certainly a sign of the times when we can boast an entire festival dedicated to the art of the webseries. But there you have it, because BK really has become a hub for makers of online content and digital storytelling, albeit with a little help from Netflix-and-chill. Now, by this point you already know how to make one of these series yourself. But lucky you, the Brooklyn Web Fest is this weekend, and you can get a refresher!
The festival takes place this Friday & Saturday, October 9-10. We rounded up the best panels and screenings to check out on each day. Panels range from the how-I-did-it to the basic how-to. You can attend single events for $10, or buy a full-day pass for $30. You can also buy the full weekend for $50. All events take place at the Made in NY Media Center (30 John Street). You have to RSVP for anything you’re going to, so once you check out our picks, start making your itinerary. Happy binge-watching!
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 9
2pm Screenings: Location, Location
If you want to see some expert on-location shooting, check out this hour of screenings. Secret cyber-police watch over the internet on SECUROCAM3000, the two-wheeled commute gets a star treatment on Stories of Bike, and an ethnically ambiguous ingenue grapples with her privilege in New Heights.
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3pm Screenings: Emerging Voices
New voices abound during this hour of screenings dedicated to emerging webseries creators. Examine DJ subculture in The Beat and Path, stare ‘postmodern racism’ in the face with Young, Black & Barely Dangerous, and watch celebs you know get heavy in Stories of Cancer: The Emperor of All Maladies.
4pm Branded Content
Hey, you know how some folks actually make money with webseries? Well, they probably do it with advertising, and we’ll bet you don’t even notice. Join Ish Entertainment VP Charles Runnette for a chat about how to start getting branded content into your show.
5:30pm Making a Genre Webseries: a talk with Creators
So you like film noir? Or maybe you’ve been dying to shoot a buddy-cop comedy? Check out this talkback with some of the creators from the festival’s official selections on how to make a genre webseries.
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 10
1:30pm Screenings: Long Form
Some webseries play a little bit more like short films! Well, not all that long, but they’re not as ‘snackable.’ Check out these shows if you’re interested in producing more than just vignettes. An ex-con goes through community service hijinks in Help Yourself, a retired rocker’s small-town radio station makes waves in High Road, and it’s time to send up the clowns in A Fool’s Idea.
3pm Be Your Own Damn Publicist!
Because who needs managers and agents in the digital age, anyway? Panelists from Time Out, USA Today and The Decider talk about how to get attention for your show.
4pm How to Make a Female-Driven Webseries
Smash the patriarchy during this talkback with creators from the festival’s official selections, about writing and producing a webseries that definitely passes the Bechdel Test.
5pm Screenings: Meta
Long-form schmong form, check out an hour of more abstract content series that’ll have you questioning everything from your identity to reality itself. Someone always has a secret in Words Fail Me, Hollywood is full of zombies in Acting Dead, and puppets re-enact the human dating experience in Tales From Tinder.