A Study from the third person’s perspective
“A web series is like the golgappa of entertainment—you just can’t have one and they always leave you wanting more!”— Kapil Sharma
The reason why I haven’t left my couch and not touched my textbooks that resemble couch-potatoes for days, yeah, WEB SERIES!.
Who yearns for a 3 hour long blade when watching a web series is as fast as completing a packet of Lays’s Magic Masala (Blue wala)? It feels like a relationship with no commitments, it wouldn’t have been an hour since you took an oath to make that the last episode you were watching but it has already become 3AM and you are so badly rethinking your life choices or decisions by investing yourself into a character. Well that’s webseries to you! Presenting the drama beyond and behind just your TV screens.
1. DEVELOPMENT
Conceptualization:
Conceptualization is basically the upgraded version of baking a cake out of the home made cake mix. Molding a basic idea into something that would make actual sense is what this process aims to do. Maybe you have an idea in between your showers and realize you have to deliver it without sounding like a psychopath genius… On a serious note, it is your mental drawings that you would want to present as something real. In terms of a web series, it is the shaping of the story, characters and themes before the production could begin. It can also be called a magical moment when chaos seems so beautiful, like untangling your headphones? This process lasts for up to 1-3 months.
Scriptwriting:
Scriptwriting is ultimately an attempt to make a perfect biryani. Everyone might have their own recipe but one ends up making a chaotic pot of ideas. At one read it feels like you are the creative genius of the year but the next read you are still confused if your protagonist is a heartthrob or a shawl vendor. Your plot twists seem like you’re juggling with them like the monkey with balls in a circus hoping that none of them falls right on its face making a black circle around its eye. You can also call it a war between your inner Shakespeare and your family who can’t quit bollywood. Scriptwriting is that one dish everyone wants to consume without burnt bits while the right masala in the right amounts falls at the right time. This takes up to 2-6 months.
Storyboarding
Storyboarding, can be compared with an Indian wedding? Plan it with lots of sketches, a bit of drama and everything must fit in perfectly. Take your ideas that are scattered and plan them like that sibling planning to organize his/her room when the elder one gets married and is off. It’s all about arranging dishes on a platter while action, emotion and humor are also supposed to be balanced right. This is going to create a visual feast in about 1-2 months to make the audience say “WOW, I want to see that again!”
2. PRE-PRODUCTION
A. Casting
A voyage of 1-3 months which is probably like speed dating for your script. You are desperately searching for the perfect match in place of your characters by sifting in and out auditions like a kid in the candy store to find that actor who can nail your character without turning the script into a skit. It is all about bringing together that team who can make your audience cry, laugh and wonder if they can start acting as well.
B. Location
Finding the best location for your web series to be shot might take up to 1-2 months, just like finding the best chai joint, just need the vibe right. Make sure you explore the perfect spots that match your storyline with prayers against traffic jams and unexpected showers from the sky. The right location makes it the ultimate choice to binge watch only if people could visit those again by pinning it on their Google Maps.
C. Crew Assembly
Assembling a crew may take 1-2 months like hosting a potluck dinner while everyone brings their speciality. You are supposed to gather the talent and blend it together as a perfectly spiced delicacy. In the end, the perfect crew makes your dream come true while the audience are heartwarmed at the sight of a masterpiece.
D. Budgeting
Budgeting for a web series is just like planning a Goa trip with my pocket money. I know it’ll be tight but I’m just hoping for a business class in place of Shatabdi express. You eat up numbers just like spending on an Alaia Cut kurti making sure your expenses don’t blow up like the class fashion icon’s ego. In the end a good budget means making your web series the talk of the town while this might take 1-2 months of your time.
E. Scheduling
Scheduling a web series is just like planning a field trip, everyone’s enthusiastic until it’s time to pick a date. Trying to coordinate with everyone without letting anyone bail out at the last minute becomes a task. This process lasts for 1-2 months as well.
3. PRODUCTION
Filming
Filming a web series as per directors is known to be a chaos. Once the shot is set, they realize half the crew forgot their lines or got ready in the absolutely wrong costume. If they manage to get a good take then it is somewhat like partying the hell out of themselves in Bangalore traffic by the time scale of 15-30 days.
Sound Design
This is a wild ride for 15-30 days just to realize that the noise from the neighboring construction site is now a part of the soundtrack. Balancing the dramatic BGM with the actor’s voice making sure that the blooper doesn’t by chance peep in is the main motive of this process. If you manage to sync everything up correctly making the final cut a miracle, congratulations! You’ve cracked something tougher than finding the right pair of socks to do the laundry.
Camera Work
A hilarious roller coaster in the process of making a whole story avoiding the goofy faces behind the scenes for the next 15-30 days. The fact of reality strikes hard when you think you just captured the perfect shot just prior to someone walking into the frame and if you get a flawless take, yo Da Vinci!
4. POST-PRODUCTION
Editing
Editing can also be defined as the subtle art of trimming and merging scenes while also praying that the audience doesn’t notice the change of clothes that the protagonist went through. A second ago you were adding on to an emotional scene and now you are trimming a clip where the assistant directors sneeze in a chorus, it’s all your artistry of 2-6 months.
Visual Effects(VFX)
VFX is like not being a teacher but having the power to correct test papers for 1-3 months. While you can fix someone’s bad hair day, change the cityscape or probably remove that dengue mosquito out of the frame. Curating a mix of witty and problem-solving structure which is impossible but you made it real, you are pleased enough to realize that the green screen did not give up on you.
Sound Mixing
The act of juggling dialogues and scores effortlessly while not letting either of them drown one. The fact is to adjust volume levels and EQ while the dramatic music does not let the dialogue down.
Music Composition
Backing the visuals with pure melody or high fueled drama is what a music composer is expected to do for a web series right when the director is like “I want a melody for an adventure and the hero dies…(awkward silence)”.
Colour Grading
Giving a personality brightness to your cast and crew is when color grading plays its role. Changing a rainy scene into a sweet and melodious evening and a dull, lightless scene into a bright sunny morning is all in your hands, play a rummy then?
5. DISTRIBUTION
Platform Selection
Various platforms to stream your web series include YouTube, Netflix, Disney+Hotstar, Zee5, SonyLiv,etc.
Marketing Strategy
This includes the choice of Marketing you web series such as Social media pages, making of trailers/promo/teasers or other bits of the series and influencer marketing.
Release Schedule
Releasing the series of episodes weekly, bi-weekly or all at once and ending it for once or a ‘to be continued’ title for the upcoming season.
6. KEY ROLES(A parody of names)
Creator/Showrunner – The Script Sultan
Director – Shotgun Shankar
Producer – Budget Bhai
Writer – Plot Twister Prabhu
Editor – Clip Master Karan
6. Tools and Software
Screenwriting: Final Draft, Celtx
Video editing: Adobe Premiere, Avid Media Composer
Visual effects: Adobe After Effects, Blender
Audio editing: Adobe Audition, Logic Pro
Project management: Trello, Asana
7. Budget
Low-end: ₹5-20 lakhs per episode
Mid-range: ₹20-50 lakhs per episode
High-end: ₹50 lakhs- ₹1 crore per episode
8. Notable Indian Web Series
Sacred Games (Netflix)
Mirzapur (Amazon Prime)
The Family Man (Amazon Prime)
Made in Heaven (Amazon Prime)
Little Things (Netflix)
