Quarterlife / Drawn By Pain

In my last blog, which was a follow up from the previous blog, I asked Jesse Cowell who creates the web series, Drawn By Pain, if he could answer some of the questions I have about his expectations for success. Thank you Jesse for the following answers:



1. Have you figured out your sweet spot yet? Do you know how long your individual "webisodes" should be? The YouTube world hovers in the 70 second range. Full-length programming at 30 minutes and greater seems too long. What have you found to be the optimal length to engage your viewers?


I think the sweet spot varies depending on content type (of which there are of course many). Whereas a small cute furry thing that turns to the camera and gets lots of laughs only needs about 10 seconds to make its point, an episodic drama like ours takes a bit longer as it follows a much more traditional setup. For us, our episodes are 8-14 minutes a piece which requires a commitment from the viewer to want to get invested in the characters (or some outside source saying what they thought to establish that bond beforehand – like say a critic approving of it etc). We think eventually a large part of the web audience will want to sit down for a cup of coffee and get an installment of something rather than just 10 short clips they cycle through (you can only see so many of what seems like the same stuff). As far a comedic content – I’d say the range is between 2-3 minutes for the sweet spot. Though, I think what we all may see is an evolution of what the audience accepts as online video. The web is an ever adapting universe that craves change by nature. Also – technology is changing fast – 30 minutes in 2 years may be fine as video downloads right to your television from your router (changing the very nature of what is considered web).


2. What is critical mass for you? How many viewers do you hope to have to support the ability create more episodes?


The first run of the season is 12 episodes which are all already shot (It follows a particular character arc that gets answered in the end.). We plan on releasing the last two over the next few months and then will begin to show a bit more behind the scenes to keep the audience engaged in a sort on ongoing DVD like experience. As for critical mass, I think that once we get into the millions of downloads things will change quickly (We currently have about 400,000 total). I think once the numbers are clearly in that range - enough money/attention will come in to continue the work on a second season or branch off of the original story into something new.


3. What is your ultimate goal? Is it a deal for network TV? A movie? Funding for more episodes from a network or VC? Advertising?


The thing about the web in my opinion is this: You can’t be closed to any opportunity that comes your way. As we have tried to create something that we feel is an exciting idea, it certainly has the potential for all of the above and I would certainly not be closed to any of them. What’s important is getting your work seen and having the funds to make more. VC money with the right creative control. Sounds great! TV show – where do we sign? Movie deal – can I still work on the movie!? Sponsorship – the banner is waiting! You get the picture :-)