Since this studio is about making a web series, then I think it’s only right that I talk about what a web series is. So here’s my spiel on what a web series is to me and other things that may or may not be related to the topic.

When I hear those words, my mind automatically goes to YouTube because with YouTube, it’s easy to film something and upload it on there for the whole world to see. And there are a lot of web series to find on there if you search them up. I usually think of web series to be short and succinct but has just enough in it to make you click on the next episode and binge watch the whole thing. It’s sort of like a more accessible, shorter version of a TV show. And yes, you can record the shows that you want to watch later on TV, but if you forget to set your TV then you miss it. But with a web series, it’s up there on this thing called the ‘internet’ where you can watch it anytime, anywhere.

I also think the plot in a web series isn’t as dramatic or that complex that it needs to go for 40 minutes. And I say that, not because of how short the duration of web series usually are (because some are actually not as short as a few minutes anymore – and I will get to that soon). But because in a world where people switch their attention as much as they switch trends, they get straight to the point and try to get you hooked from the start since there’s a possibility you can click on another video to watch that’s been tempting you to click on in the ‘recommended’ sidebar, or check those Facebook notifications lighting up your phone.

But of course, with new ways to stream comes new changes to what we used to know. Like I said, not all web series are as short as they used to be, and some are not free. Using YouTube as an example, with their introduction of YouTube Red, creators can produce longer web series – as long as 25-30 minutes like a regular sitcom on TV – and people have to pay to watch that. In a way, some web series are not as accessible or short and it’s starting to be like TV but the difference is where you put up the series, and in this case, online where you don’t have to go through a TV network and sit down with executives and have long meetings etc etc to get your work out there. So enjoy the ones that are still free and still easily accessible because with the rise of online streaming services, who knows how it’ll affect what once was.

P.S. This take on web series in comparison to TV purposely excludes other online streaming services such as Netflix because if they’re included in this post, it would mean writing an essay so… that topic is for another time.