What you can do with your webcomics, you can do with others

Submitted by Altercator on December 30, 2005 - 22:14

I've been thinking. Considering displaying webcomics, podcasting video and all other things people do online and give them for free to their audience (of course, the audience would have to buy printed collected editions or DVDs), is it possible to do the same for ther mediums? Like podcasting your animated series, publishing your serial novels online and so on.

The Internet allows any medium to be distributed without the corporate red tape, censorship or executive interference. It also allows lots of creative freedom to the artists, writers, storytellers and so on. And seeing podcast sites ranging from DigitalLifeTV featuring former TechTv alumnis, to Pure Pwnage as well as Homestar Runner & Red vs Blue, such possibilites are endless. Can you imagine the creators of Lost or 24 podcasting their shows online instead of showing them on TV, both network and cable?

Internet is perfect for serial storytelling in any medium. We can download every chapter or episodes every day, week, or month (preferably three days weekly). Then, when one arc is finished, we can sell the complete arc in print or disc or iPods or PSPs or mobiles. There are services such as Lulu.com or Comixpress to do for comics. If there are similiar services for DVDs of podcasted serials, please give a link or two.

What do you think?

This Olde Haus

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I think everything you're

by Tim Demeter - 12/30/2005 - 22:41

I think everything you're talking about here is matter of inevitability. Won't be long and your digital cable and you internet, your HD TV and your flatscreen monitor, will all be the same gizmo. Things are already trickling in that direction with Lost on iTunes and such. As WiFi becomes standard in most urban areas you'll be downloading all kinds of entertainment to whatever player you happen to tote around, or right to your TV. Once ethernet cables become nothing more than kitchy ironic decor, things will really start happening. All I know is that if 24 where on the internet I would get nothing done at work, and every conversation with a co-worker would be punctuated with: JUST DO IT NOW!!!! Also: Jack Bauer can beat up anyone. Even Batman. Also, also: Jack Bauer can breathe in space, but BETTER than Batman.

Tim Demeter
does a bunch of neato stuff.
Clickwheel
GraphicSmash
Bustout Odds

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I would argue that TV's

by AbbyL - 12/31/2005 - 08:51

I would argue that TV's internet analogue is flash animations. Now, usually they're of questionable quality, and the good quality ones don't usually continue to update, but there are the Homestar Runners and suchlike, so I think they're already there. It's cheaper, faster, and more rewarding (as far as quality goes, both of programs and of the image) to watch TV on the TV, but I don't doubt that they'll at some point collide. One could argue that Tivo and Bittorrents and other such things are the next step in evolution.

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Not just flash animation,

by Altercator - 12/31/2005 - 09:37

Not just flash animation, all and any kinds of animation. I'm talking about putting up your own animated series online, bittorrent every episode, and have your viewers download them. Homestar Runner might be a good example, but a great example would be Red vs Blue, where what I've describe is happening. It's just that people are slowly picking up this kind of method.

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Yep. Alpha Shade collected

by Greg Carter - 12/31/2005 - 12:35

Yep. Alpha Shade collected their rants, animations, and stuff onto a DVD and are selling it. Yahoo is going to stream some of CBS' primetime comedy shows. It's starting already at both ends of the spectrum.

Greg Carter - Abandon: First Vampire - Online Graphic Novel

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Re: What you can do with your webcomics, you can do with oth

by Rutilcaper - 01/05/2006 - 12:41

Altercator wrote:

Can you imagine the creators of Lost or 24 podcasting their shows online instead of showing them on TV, both network and cable?

I think you're ignoring the fact that these are big budget shows that can't just pop out of nowhere, make a whole season, and then say "NOW we can collect money" With the example of the Brudlos brothers and Alpha Rant, it's just two guys talking into a microphone. There's basically no production cost aside from a $4 lapel mic. When they publish their podcasts on CD they have no costs to recover, aside from a small bandwidth fee.

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Re: What you can do with your webcomics, you can do with oth

by Tim Demeter - 01/05/2006 - 13:39

Rutilcaper wrote:

I think you're ignoring the fact that these are big budget shows that can't just pop out of nowhere, make a whole season, and then say "NOW we can collect money"

Excellent point. I was thinking more a down the line thing where TV shows aren't necessarily scheduled so much as they go live and you download them to your TV or your iPod or whatever. Really, it's the same way TV works now but even more on-demand than current Tivo or Direct TV or whatever. A lot of people might still watch a show at the given scheduled time. I.E.: 24 goes live on Mondays at 8 PM CST, you can be damn sure I'll be watching it at 8 PM on mondays and not a second later, but say I got a hot date on Monday, I can download it the next day without even having to think about setting my Tivo or DVR. Or, if I'm stuck n the side highway, waiting for the AAA dude at that time, I can bust out my portable media device and still watch Jack Bauer kicking ass even though I'm stranded. So what I'm seeing is less a change in how TV is produced and marketed but in how we the viewers receive it.

Tim Demeter
does a bunch of neato stuff.
Clickwheel
GraphicSmash
Bustout Odds

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I have to revive the

by Altercator - 04/04/2006 - 03:05

I have to revive the topic.

Rutilcaper, so far right now, we're just witnessing a "first wave" of sorts of content delivery. But, imagine if, someone with ambition, with enough money, with big dreams, with the balls to defy censorship & regulations, has a chance to give his audience a TV show he always wanted to make.

So far, some podcasted shows such as DigitalLife TV hosted by the imminent Patrick Norton have ads supporting them. Imagine this applies to other genres, shows, animations, etc.

Not much difference between TV shows and Podcast shows, other than there's no tight schedule to worry about, the shows are archived, and there're any censors to watch out for except those parental softwares that you can turn on & off.

There

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