5 Reasons Why Web-Series Is The Next Big Thing In India And How It’s Different From Television.
Television is a medium which has entertained us for decades. But with the evolution of internet and growing social media's existence, we’ve seen a thing called Web-Series emerging, creating its place and taking over the digital space by storm, in a short span of time.
The lack of good and relatable content on television has pushed the envelope for few budding filmmaker’s to explore the episodic form called Web-Series and create content which is fresh, relatable and remarkable.
“Youth” is one such specific TG (Target audience) which the entertainment industry is trying to capture and television has miserably failed in that sector. From setting posh apartments occupied with bean bags, funky costumes and unnecessary dialect, television tried real hard to interpret youth and their lifestyle. The concern was more about what they wear, how they eat, whom they meet, what they watch and less about how they feel.
Web-Series is a breakthrough in many ways. It strikes the right chord and opens up the conversation which the youth would like to take part in and relate them to the characters they might associate with.
We have shortlisted 5 reasons why Web-Series is a next big thing in India and how it’s different from television.
1. CONTENT AND TREATMENT.
Television is a writer’s medium and the film is a director’s medium, that we kept on hearing from past many decades and the fact is that it is true. But where the Web-Series are concerned it’s the blend of these two. The Web-Series scores high on its writing but it also has a cinematic touch to it which makes it stand out from the rest. Television is still stuck with those mid shots and close-ups. Web-Series tries to setup and capture things in a bit different way. Most of the directors are breaking rules and approaching Web-Series in a more cinematic manner and making it a visual treat for the audience. Web-Series is a short format and it hardly consists of 5-6 episodes or more over to 10 episodes. The writer’s job here is to structure the screenplay in such way where it unfolds and executes the story within those 5 to 6 episodes. Web-Series has managed to touch the concepts which the television is holding back. For instance Y films' “Sex chat with pappu and papa” was a groundbreaking Web-Series. The series opens up the conversation on love making, safe sex, pregnancy, masturbation, homosexuality and menstruation. It is the first SexEd show ever been produced in India.
2. RUNS ON NO FACE VALUE.
We have often seen that a film or television show is sold on face value. You either need a star or known face to run your show. In the past few years television had successfully launched new faces but then they used those faces more often in daily soaps and reality shows. Web-Series have a different take on this, as you may see a whole new lot of actors playing parts whom we’ve hardly seen before. Web-Series performs on its content so it merely needs any star power to grab eye balls.
3. NO MORE ADS.
The perception among people is that a particular ad runs because of a particular show but it's the exact opposite. Ads and sponsors are the prime reason why a particular show goes on air. People nowadays like to watch things without any break. They like to finish things in one go. So the switch from TV to Internet was bound to happen, as Web-Series gives you the opportunity to skip ads and there are hardly any ads shown during the episode. But that doesn’t mean that you won’t see ads at all. They make their product a part of the script and place it smartly within a scene. “Sarabhai vs Sarabhai Take 2” is a recent example of it. They smartly advertised Vivo smartphones and Vodafone red plan in a scene.
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4. WATCH ANYTIME ANYWHERE.
Television shows are time bounded if you missed it, you missed it. In case of Web-Series you can watch it anytime anywhere as it streams on the internet, you can also download it or take it offline. You can finish half of it and catch up from where you left last time. Watch it on any device that has internet connectivity. Web-Series is more of personal viewing experience whereas we consider television a sort of group activity.
5. FROM BEING CONSUMER TO CREATOR.
Films and television is a large industry. Thousands of people struggle to make something big into this world of glamour. Few succeed and many fail. Dozens of scripts and tons of ideas rest on the rack waiting to see the light of day. Making films or creating a show for television is a humongous task and not everyone is able to do it. But there are creators in every corner waiting to tell their stories from amateur college kids, aspiring filmmakers, Industry insiders etc., are willing to build something on their own. Web-Series is such platform where you can create your content and put it out there. YouTube is one such platform where you upload things for free. A good content always finds its audience and many creators have proved it.
Web-Series is definitely the next big thing. It enhances the craft of film-making. It will showcase the new talent. A variety of content will be out there, new business can flourish and allow many to start their own big thing.