Artists on OTV - Cycle 2 (2017)
By
Chelsea Peterson-Salahuddin
Department of Communication Studies
Northwestern University
This is an analysis of artists’ experiences working with OTV to develop and distribute their work during the platform's second release cycle in 2017.
The analysis is based on 11 interviews, with 13 artists, recounting different parts of the development and distribution process. Themes were derived using thematic qualitative content analysis (Braun and Clark, 2006). Responses and thoughts were categorized based on parts of production, however, as salient themes arose throughout the interviews these were also incorporated into the overall analysis.
Connecting and Developing with OTV
Each artist's experience coming to OTV was different. While some artists had a prior relationship with Aymar or had previously created a show on the OTV platform, others approached or heard about OTV through personal connections or social media and reached out to Aymar directly about developing a new show. Reasons for partnering with OTV varied and were often personal for the artists. For instance, two artists said that their decision to release their series on the OTV platform stemmed the platform’s brand of promoting black and queer content; as well as the low commitment for IP. One said “Definitely black, [I] tend to gravitate towards black people and black things. So you guys were black and you had black things there already. So that makes us pretty comfortable. And also the fact that we really didn't have any plans for the show as far as distribution goes. It was just a series because we had the resources. People wanted to help us out, so we wanted to do it. But we didn't have anything else to do. So, it seemed like a good fit. And also, low commitment. It didn't seem like we were signing away our creative rights or anything like that. It was just an opportunity to be included on this platform with these other web series that are cool and appealing to us as well.” The fact that OTV is specifically creating a community of intersectional content producers seemed to act as a draw for some artist, in hopes of including themselves in this already established community. Further, the fact that OTV provides a pre-built distribution infrastructure without taking IP from artists was appealing to some artists who otherwise would have had to take on the work of managing distribution themselves. One artist also noted that reading the development report from the previous cycle enticed him to partner with OTV, stating “It got more buy-in from me. I was like oh I want to be a part of this they’re doing other things that are really cool. Um as opposed to being like I guess this is an interesting idea, who are these people?” Thus, the development report helped them, as a perspective artist, to have a clearer understanding of what OTV as an entity was, and subsequently made them interested in being part of the platform.
While some artists developed their shows in conjunction with OTV others came to Aymar with an already developed idea. For instance, one artist noted how Aymar helped them to develop and brainstorm ideas for their series based on a script they had initially written as a part of her graduate work. Similarly, another artist noted how Aymar helped them think through their ideas more fully, saying “I think I was still preparing because I feel like that's part of what we talked about, and you helped me articulate part of [the show], be any sort of counter-narratives and that was very helpful in thinking about it. So yeah, so all of that was really great and you were really supportive and very helpful, in terms of helping me think through some of the sort of issues.” Conversely, a video artist described their development and pre-production stage as “spontaneous” saying “I think there was no development stage, is was spontaneous, pre-production, I can't even really say that there was a pre-production stage. I think I just got out there and just started recording and then just got to editing it.”
Some artists, also noted how developing with OTV offered advantages beyond development such as support in continuing to develop their work. A video artist said of their film “putting it in Open TV's hands really forced me to believe in it and really forced me to see the value in what I created, because I had a really hard time trying to actually find value in what I had created. I just didn't have confidence, and I think it was more so because I felt like I created it with no budget and there was just so many things that I feel like I was just comparing it to something else.” Having support from OTV gave them, and many other artists, emotional support and confidence, beyond the immediate support of help with development.
Funding
Heading into production, many artists also noted how receiving financial support from OTV allowed them to complete their projects and relieved some of the stress film makers usually face when trying to complete a project. For instance, one series creator noted how their team was a little bit stressed about money noting it is “hard to ask your community to fund your projects,” due to the fact that people are cash-strapped and other people are also competing for funds through crowdfunding for more urgent causes such as life-threatening diseases. Thus, having money from OTV was helpful in subsidizing some of their costs, though not all. They noted that in a world that Open TV could have a budget for events and more resources that would be great, since film is so expensive. Echoing this sentiment in their interview, another creator noted in her interview, more funding would always be welcome and appreciated, saying “Obviously money is always a good thing to have.” A video artist also noted how they used funds provided by OTV to help pay for part of the post-production on his piece.
Production
Like with development, OTV had different levels of involvement in the production process across the various projects across cycle two. While some artists had previous experience with film production, others had more of a learning curve and received help from either OTV or others they had enlisted as a part of their crew. Some artists also noted how though they did not ask or receive help on production from OTV, but in retrospect they could have used assistance at different points in the production process from OTV. One said: “It's possible that Open TV could have helped, but I think I tend not to ask for help. Yeah. That whole process was a little tricky, really just on my own account. At the time I was filming them, I really thought they were just going to be the opening sequences to a larger piece. So I very much opted for a super minimalist aesthetic...If I knew prior to that, that I wasn't going to be making the rest, I might've wanted each dance to be in a different location and do something a little more rich. At that point, I would have maybe wanted to reach out…Locations are really, really difficult and that is something I'm not great at doing. I don't know if Open TV has resources towards helping people find locations, but that would be something that would be super helpful.” A video artist noted that while she appreciated, and would have wanted to maintain creative control in the production process, some assistance may have been helpful. These comments highlight the fact that while some artists may not always ask for help in production, it does not mean that they do not need it or could not benefit from it. One way to possibly address this issue, as suggested by another creator, would be to meet and consult with each artist on an overall production plan at the beginning of their partnership with OTV.
A series creator also noted the indirect advantages of partnering with OTV during production. In recalling the production process they commented, “We probably had 60 to 70 extras in that season finale over the course of the day. All those people worked, volunteered their time and I don't think that would've happened if we weren't able to say we are a series on Open TV...I really think that's the only way that we had so many people volunteer their time because otherwise when people do something like that they want to make sure it's a legitimate project that has the standard of excellence to it. Had we not been on OpenTV where everyone could see the first three and see what they were getting involved with and being apart of, I don't think we would've been able to do an episode like that.” Thus, though OTV may not have been directly involved in the production of the show, their association with the OTV platform helped them acquire labor and resources that they may not have otherwise.
Post-Production
While some artists mainly did post-production on their own or with their own creative partners, others received assistant from OTV through funding or the employment of student editors. For those artists who procured student editors through OTV, experiences were mixed. While one artist spoke highly of their editor, another often had a hard time tracking their editor down, getting cuts in a timely manner, and getting their editor to follow their vision for the film. In talking about the experience, they said that the student editor “waited til I like chased him down. And I was assuming that oh we’re probably not getting very large projects. I feel like I would have felt more power to be more assertive if I had (unintelligible) I know he was getting paid more. I regret that I wasn’t more aggressive sooner in the process anyway. Maybe if I had known that I would have been more likely to do that. Because I was like you should be taking this seriously. I’m not getting paid $30 an hour.” This statement about their negative experience with student editors through OTV underlines the importance of communication between OTV and its artist partners in helping to distribute resources. While they noted they could have been more assertive in dealing with his editor, being fully informed about how much the student was getting paid for the work would possibly have empowered them more to be more assertive with the student about their expectations for the work and what he wanted. They also noted that in the future, meeting the student editor before hand could be helpful in this regard. Further, they suggested that scaling back on the student editor responsibility to technical aspects and leaving all final cuts would be best because in their experience the editor was good at the technical aspects of editing, but not as adept at overall narrative and storytelling.
Both of those artists also noted how making more experimental pieces often lent itself to a less structured editing process. As one noted, “that makes a documentary very different than narrative. Like where you cut things. Transitions. Tradeoffs. Like what ultimately is the story. So then it’s like your willingness to spend time and experiment with different ways of putting things together and go through it like ad nauseum.”
Live Exhibition
All of the artists in cycle two seemed to like and appreciate the live exhibition aspect of their partnership with OTV. Some artists noted how they liked the opportunity to showcase and talk about their work live for an audience. For instance, one said said “It felt really good to see my work on screen, felt really good todo premiere work with people that I respect.” Expanding on this idea, another noted on how screening it for a live audience brought a sense of “realness” to the screening, in allowing him to get direct feedback from unbiased, potential audiences, saying “I think it creates a sense of, it felt more real because you saw people watching your stuff and they didn't have any loyalty to you. You're like, oh, I can get a good gauge of what these strangers think. Versus all the people that you know,so I felt like that was a good mix.” Similarly, one said of his screening, “I thought it was wonderful. It was a great turn out. It was a great conversation. I got to talk about really important issues that were surrounding the film, like civil rights and mental illness and premature joining of black joy and the correlation of blackness and religion and black people in the future and being a part of the future, but not necessarily having a fully resolved reconciled past. It was, I thought it was really great. It was in a lot of ways extremely, I don't know it was great because I didn't think I'd ever have to really talk about it in that way before, and it really forced me to articulate what every single idea and every single intention. So it was definitely awesome.” Thus, the ability to not only screen the work for a live audience but also to discuss it with others and get feedback was meaningful for him as an artist.
The live and interactive feedback that came along with the screenings stood out as a key benefit to the live exhibition with OTV. Highlighting this in their interview, one said “One person showing up to an Open TV screening, in my mind, is more powerful than a hundred people watching online…Because I feel like there's nothing that replaces getting to meet you. People having the opportunity to have your face connected in person. There were people that I met that evening that I have continued to keep in touch with ...These new relationships and collaborations and creative partnerships coming out of this place where people are meeting live and in person in real time. I just feel like that is essential and hand in hand with everything that you're doing online.” Their comment points not only to the importance of screenings in allowing artists to receive live feedback about their work, but also underscores how these live events allow OTV artists to network and connect with other artists and potential creative partners; forming potentially important future connections. This comment also suggests that these benefits that artist gain from live screenings, are essential insights to help aid in the future success of their shows that can not be gleaned in the same way from online exhibition and sharing. Thus, live exhibition in their opinion is not supplementary to, but an important, complementary component to the online platform.
Finally, some artists noted how having OTV plan the screening took the pressure off of them, allowing them to focus on other aspects of the production process. For instance, one artist said that at the time of the premiere they “remember just being preoccupied with making sure that we had things taken care of on our end. And so, I was appreciative to whatever you guys were doing because it was like, thank you guys for taking care of that part because we were kind of scrambling a little bit just trying to make sure everything was done.” This same sentiment was echoed by a few other artists, who noted that with all the things they are balancing in their lives, having OTV handel their screenings was an immense help.
In terms of the logistics of the exhibition, the only change suggested was that artists be given the opportunity to meet one another before the screening. However, other than this, no other artists seemed to have any issues with how the exhibition itself was run.
Marketing and Promotion
However, while artists enjoyed the live screening, many also commented that the turn-out for their screening was lower than they would have liked, and thought that in the future the screenings could benefit from more promotion and marketing beforehand. For instance, one video artist said “When it comes to the premier in April and all these other things were going on, I mean, I hope that it was as well promoted as it could have been. I think maybe the time day of day was odd.” Thus, in some cases, low turn-out seemed to be a mixture of both promotion and timing.
These comments also extended to the marketing of the show generally, with many artists feeling that OTV could have found more ways to market their shows to the audience. As an example of this, in talking generally about what OTV could have done better one video artist said “I think if anything I think promotion is the biggest thing that anything, I feel like that's the biggest one. I feel like if we could promote, and I know you were doing a series of things, so it was probably spread thin, but yeah promotions I think is one of the biggest things. I think I would have liked way more I guess more engagement with the piece, just more so on a public level.” Echoing this, another video artist said “The one thing I would say was that the promotion, could have ... I really felt it could have been more promotion era. I felt left out. And that way, I am not super great at promoting my own work. That's something that I personally need to work on.” Thus, while there was a recognition that resources may have been limited, generally artists felt that one clear downside to their experience with OTV was a lack of promotion and more could have been done by OTV to get the word out about their content. In coming up with ideas for changes that could help to improve marketing and promotion in the future, one suggested “Maybe there's multiple things that you can do... Maybe it's like oh you're going to do the Cultural Center and then you can do the MCA and then we can probably put it here at [the] University of Chicago or Northwestern. Just kind of with each piece I guess giving it multiple platforms to live and putting it in front of different audiences.” Thus, by working to expose artist content to multiple audiences in multiple venues, OTV may be able to implement a more versatile marketing strategy.
Online Exhibition
While live exhibition offered many of the artists immediate feedback and interaction with their work, many artists found that responses and views online were valuable, but there was not the same sense of immediacy. One filmmaker noted that they did not think their piece got shared or reposted much on social media. Also talking about reception to his piece online, another said “ It's still circulating. People are still coming to grips with it. And that's the funny thing about certain pieces. Sometimes you get a piece of work and it blows up boom right there, but then sometimes it'll take like things that'll be like three years later and you're like, ‘Damn. I forgot all about this project.’” Other artists similarly echod this experience of slow and steady growth of online audiences for their work. While the work often received positive responses in the form of likes and direct messages, there was not the perception that their content had “blown up” or “gone viral.”
Artists also noted the value of the comments and feedback they got from posting their content online. For instance one noted how the feedback they received from posting her work on the OTV platform directly correlated to her drive to finish the project. In the interview they noted “What happened was after putting them [the episodes] up on Open TV I just started getting feedback that to me measured differently than data. I got feedback from people that saw it that felt meaningful enough to me that goes beyond numbers, so I just basically dove into finishing the rest of the series. I actually went completely 180 degrees opposite of what I planned when we first met because I felt that if I got numbers then that would way me from the feedback I was getting.” Continuing to speak about the value of these comments versus datafication of her work, they observed: “ all of a sudden how do you measure what is meaningful and successful with crazy quotes, and I'm glad that I don't know the numbers. I'm sure at some point it would be interesting, but for right now it's the experience of getting feedback of people who sawit, as opposed to numbers and hit counts is what's lead me to continue and keep going.” Traditional mainstream production, especially online in an age of big data, is often valued based on the number of views or clicks. However, their comment signals a significant shift in this reconceptualizing this traditional valuation. To them, and many other artists on the OTV, the direct messages, comments, and even letters they received in response to their work highlighted for them the value in their own work, and helped encourage them in their individual projects.
Some artists also noted the seeming advantages of specifically posting their content on the OTV platform. One video artist noted being on the OTV platform seemed to lend a certain amount of legitimacy to her work, saying “I mean, I'm not 100% sure, but it does seem to me that just the people... Once it was on Open TV, I think a lot more people took it seriously... more than it had been taken seriously because I don't know if they knew what Open TV was or if they just realized it.” They also noted how partnering with the OTV platform gave them the assurance that more audiences, beyond just the art world, would access to her work. Similarly, a series creator also noted the role of the OTV platform in helping them access more audiences, commenting “More people watched it because of Open TV. If I had just slapped it on YouTube, I don't know if so many people would've watched it. I feel a lot of our progress has been directly related to being with you guys, being on the platform, being supported both in terms of showcasing, but even like me, we believe in this project we want to share it with more people, so I feel really grateful for that.” In this way, artists also saw online exhibition, specifically as part of the OTV platform, as key in helping them reach new audiences as well as lend a sense of legitimacy to their work for online audience. In a digital age, where due to low-barriers to entry online more independent creators than ever before are able to produce and distribute their work online, aligning themselves with an online platform such as OTV allowed these artists to break through the noise and reach audiences in the marketplace of attention.
Similarly, two series creators also noted how the OTV platform, as an online space for diverse and intersectional content, may have opened up online distribution opportunities that otherwise may not have existed or been hindered. In talking about their experience creating their show, one stated “the group of people we work with, they're super heteronormative. They just are. It's been a source of lots of frustration on both of [our parts]. Our episodes are not--they're super queer. They want to put the series behind a paywall in Seed&Spark, which also I am not happy about...So, when that discussion happened within our group, I asked if it would be okay if we put our episodes on Open TV.” Thus, for them, the OTV platform acted as a unique space which allowed for the queer content they create to be distributed, promoted, and brought to audiences in ways it otherwise would not have in a more heteronormative space.
While generally experiences with online release seemed to be fairly positive, onesuggested that in the future, there could be more coordination between the OTV team and artists around online release, stating “In terms of coordinating a release, like the online release, I think more communication between the creators and your team who's doing that would be really helpful... So we were definitely paying attention to what Open TV was doing and trying to coordinate our efforts to parallel, or to mesh with that, but I think having just even one planning session prior would have been really helpful.”
Industry
A few of the artists in OTV’s second cycle were able to get the attention of agents and distributors in the film and television industry, and at the time of their exit interview had experienced varying levels of talks and deals with industry professionals. Many of these artists were able to make these connections with industry professionals through Aymar and OTV, and credit their partnership with OTV to their continued professional success with their projects. In their interview, one creator noted that, in part due to the success of Brown Girls, many of the people in LA she spoke to were familiar with OTV, which allowed her a certain amount of access and opportunity they otherwise may not have had. They also credited Aymar with connecting them with them agent saying “That’s completely through you, if you had not connected us with them and them with us, so we got in the dialogue and that's where it's at.” Two creators also noted how the work they produced for the OTV platform was helpful when shopping their concept to networks in LA. In their interview one noted “At least all the meetings that I go on, everybody is sent [our show], at least the first two episodes. So that's what has been helpful for me, at least going into meetings with them having seen those two episodes was usually pretty helpful in guiding the conversation.”
However, in discussing her experiences in industry talks, one consistently highlighted the importance of artists educating themselves on the industry and market, because while OTV helped them to make many of these connections, they still need to know how to protect their own interest when making deals with agents, distributors, and networks. In their interview, Puja noted “That's one thing, and I don't know how one gets educated on this stuff because it's like... so before we released it I was trying to maybe get a literary agent to represent it, I didn't know how you do this, I didn't know how Issa sold her showed at HBO or how Brown Girls got a development deal with HBO. I didn't know that…And so releasing it, it's interesting, it got me so excited about finishing the show that I basically went back to the creative and artistic work and then on it's own now he's interested in trying to sell it. But what I'm learning about that is that I don't know, I'm realizing that's a responsibility of mine too that I should be educating myself because I don't know what it means.” Thus, while it is important that OTV is helping their artists make connections in the industry, these artists are not always prepared to negotiate on their own behalf, and lack integral knowledge about the industry needed to advocate for themselves.
Some of the artists negotiating development deals in the industry also highlighted the importance of hiring writers and staff who are also of color and/or queer, to help sustain their vision for the show, and make sure it does not become “white-washed.” Two series creators noted the importance of strategically hiring writers and technicians such as colorist for their shows. In their interview, one noted that while this sometimes means working with someone who has not necessarily gone to film school or may have more of a learning curve you “have to give people that space to learn, especially if you’re working with women, people of color” because that’s how white dudes do it; give jobs to their friends from film school. In this statement, they recognize the necessity of helping create jobs for other marginalized and intersectional people, in part to maintain the vision for your show, but also to help create space for more marginalized voices in the industry, and slowly accumulate the same opportunities and capital for queer and POC people white men have historically claimed for themselves.
Overall Experience with OTV
Generally, artists experiences releasing their work with OTV during cycle two seemed positive. In speaking about their experience working with OTV, a series creator said “I think you pulled it off. Under constraints. You did a lot on all stages. In terms of pre-production setting up the interviews and knowing what to do. You know, production, post-production and marketing. You definitely were kind of in all those phases. You did above and beyond what a lot of people have done.” Thus, while there is a recognition that OTV had limited resources in some areas, there was a sense that OTV tried their hardest to help him as an artist through the entire process of creating his film, from development through exhibition and distribution. Similarly, another series creator highlighted the support she received from partnering with OTV, saying “I didn’t know how important it was to have a family...It feels like you have a network, a support system. So that has been really cool to me and has influenced the way I work. You’ve introduced me to so many people, and it’s been cool to be able to refer to you for things that I don’t know. I don’t know anyone else who knows web series or indie television like [Dr. Christian], so that’s a great asset to have in your corner.” One person also noted how for them, and many other artists, OTV helps support, guide, and develop their future skills and career in the film and television industry, saying “Open TV is investing in our training in a way that is having this really long term impact. If I weren't able to have this practice, this training room, I would never be able to go, I feel ready to go into these rooms.”
Some artists also made suggestions for things OTV could do going forward to help continue to facilitate and support artists growth. For instance, one noted OTV could help connect their artists to help them learn from one another suggesting “Open TV could facilitate connections between artists, script sharing, visiting sets, might abet certain problems later on, mentorship alliances, colleagues, learning from each other.” Similarly, another noted how they enjoyed taking part in OTV workshops, and would like the opportunity to help mentor and connect with other OTV artists. Finally, one creator noted that at point they were still confused on what OTV was as an entity, noting “I think I remember thinking like kinda just confused. Oh, it’s online. But it’s TV, but it’s research. Um, I just. It did not inherently make sense.” Thus, more clearly defining the contours of OTV may be helpful in the future in helping artists to understand the roles and responsibilities of OTV in their partnership.