Artists on OTV - Cycle 4 (2019)

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 fourth release cycle. The analysis sought to answer two main questions: 1) How are independent artists producing their work, and being innovative and creative given limited resources? And 2) How artists who release OTV are developing and changing since the platforms earlier cycles? The analysis is based on 10 artist interviews with 13 different artists, recounting different parts of the development and distribution process. Themes were derived using both the structure of the interviews and  thematic qualitative content analysis (Braun and Clark, 2006).

FINANCING 

Out of Pocket 

OTV artists use a variety of methods to finance their projects on a limited budget and with little backing behind them, and several artists cited a lack of funds and fundraising as a key roadblock in independent production. At the most basic level, many artists use their own funds and resources as the basis for their production budgets. Two creators completely financed their project out of their own personal money. As they recalled, “I think we were putting away $20 each a week… And then having that add up. And we just kind of started doing that as we started writing. And just saving funds that way. Each of us put $20 away, it was $40 a week, and then that just kind of added up.” Similarly, other artists mentioned saving money and using personal funds to pick up the cost associated with production. For instance, another creator noted that since they could not afford to pay their actors, so they used their personal finances to purchase food for the crew and compensation in the form of gift cards. In this way artists used their own funds, derived from other sources of income, to make up for the limited or lack of budget they had as independent producers. 

Utilizing Networks and Connections

To supplement and reduce some of these out-of-pocket costs, another key strategy many artists used was tapping into networks and connections that could provide them with subsidized or free labor. For instance, two creators said that to limit the out-of-pocket costs associated with production, they contacted friends and colleagues who helped them secure discounts on camera equipment, significantly decreasing their presumed budget. As one noted: “no matter how much equipment we rented we were already capped at how much they were going to be charging us so we just kind of worked based on that budget.” Similarly, one pilot creator said of their production: 

Fortunately a lot of the connections that we have, one of our friend’s a cinematographer. Another one's a colorist. Another one's a sound person. We were able to cut a lot of corners just through pulling our network in. That brought down the budget significantly. We were able to make this pilot on about $2,000. Which I know is definitely not the case with other productions. One of our friends, they work for a production company here in the city. We were able to use all of their equipment free of charge. Little things like that here and there that just cut corners. We were fortunately able to raise the money without having to leave family and friends and having to go in search of bigger investors. That helped a lot. 

In this way, artists used their existing connections with colleagues and friends with production skills to drastically bring down what it would normally cost to produce a series. 

Crowdfunding 

To avoid using personal funds to finance production, many artists also turned to online crowdfunding as a way to raise money for their shows. Artists used platforms such as Indiegogo and Seed & Spark to solicit online donations from friends and family which could then be put towards overall production costs. Like those who utilized their networks for direct production resources, artists who took the crowdfunding approach also relied heavily on their communities, friends, and networks to subsidize production cost -- except in this case instead of garnering resources, artist-made direct appeals for money. As one co-creator put it, “In finding potential investors, if you will, for crowdfunding, it started to rely on just connections that we had built separately in our artistic careers up to that point. And so the thing about that, that I found is the finesse of it all is that I can't just go to someone and be like, ‘Hey, money please.’” As they highlight, this approach to tapping into community networks can often be trickier than just asking for help with services, because many people are often hesitant to donate their own personal money without seeing a direct benefit to themselves. In addressing this, they said they saw their ability “code-switch” between communities to underscore the ways in which donating to their project would be beneficial to the individual donating: 

“For this demographic, for people in our shared communities, the queer folk and activist folk, our statement about representation and how much we care about that and how much we want out set to reflect our beliefs in terms of representation, that kind of verbiage I feel like incites a sense of purpose in certain people or a sense of I'm contributing to this thing that's doing this thing or that's making a dent in ... And so you feel like you're a part of a movement. “

Since film and television production is not always inherently seen as a cause that would motivate donation, when crowdfunding to finance production, artists must be cognizant of the fact that potential investors must be convinced, in particular ways, of why they should donate to production. In addition, some artists also noted potential and often personal barriers to fundraising, such as time constraints and more introverted personalities. 

Seeking out Grants and External Funding Sources

Instead of relying on crowdfunding through friends and family to finance production,  some artists also sought out external fellowships, grants and private funders to supplement production costs. Funds from organizations such as Chicago Digital Media Production Fund or even OTV provided large boosts in artists’ production budgets. However, it seems like artists’ success in procuring these grants and funding sources is heavily predicated on making their work legible to specific audiences, which can be a tricky task. For instance, another co-creator said that they leveraged cultural identity, the intersectional nature of the story and their own intersectional identities  in their grant applications, saying:  

We were just the thing that we're going to want to hit their little diversity checklist, and it is part of what makes the show really strong. It's not the only thing, but especially since we were coming in as new filmmakers, instead of focusing on how long we've been working in the arts and wearing all sorts of different hats, although that stuff is true, we always knew that that was going to be the biggest selling point. And it was, because we got most of the grants that we applied for. 

In this way, the artists played on the intersectionality and diversity of their project to appeal to larger diversity projects and pushed happening within these grant organizations. However, another artist noted that part of their inability to get a grant may have been because of the illegibility of their specific narrative about race and mental health to certain audiences. As they recalled: “I've also been surprised how angry people are kind of with the narrative. Just me taking the space to talk about this seems to be somewhat infuriating to some people, black people. So that's been really surprising. I think like a part of it is you're a privileged woman. Like, stop playing the victim and feeling sorry for yourself.”

Production 

DIY Production 

For independent artists, producing a television show on an extremely limited budget -- especially for those who are new to film and production -- can be a trick and daunting task. As a result, many OTV artists’ first approach to production was a “Do It Yourself” or DIY approach. Show creators took on the bulk of production roles themselves, wearing several hats throughout the production process. For instance, one artist recalled on their first day of shooting: 

“It was both of our first time directing, which was a change that happened from the proof of concept to the rest of the shoot. And so that was a new, big role to be stepping into on top of ... We had just fucking chopped the scripts up, and we were also still producing it and trying to line everything up and making sure the locations were okay and that my friend left the key in the lockbox for the apartment we're shooting in. And also we're acting, frantically learning our lines right before we're about to start filming, because we know them, but we don't know them, because we've been busy. And so with all those hats, and then I don't know, I still remember that first day really vividly.” 

As they lay out, in their attempt at DIY production, they both had to learn a new skill, directing, while trying to simultaneously juggle several other parts of production. 

Another creator said production was “a big learning experience.” They noted:  “I did do most; [a crew member] helped me a ton, but I did most of the production heavy lifting myself. I got all of the locations, I got all of the food. My DP helped me secure the equipment, but that was something that we worked on together. All of that stuff.” Similarly, another artist referred to their crew as super “scrappy” and another said that they along with co-writers had “A good synergy.”  They continued, “A lot of it was us just kind of learning on set. You know, a lot of times while we were acting, we were also helping carry equipment around, and move cameras around, and move lights around, and make sure that the cords were plugged in. And if the power went out in the apartment we worked to find, you know, a way to fix that and trip the wires so that they turned back on. It was really just kind of us doing everything that we could behind the scenes, as well as in front of the scenes.” In this way, DIY production requires artists not only to learn on the job, but to also be a jack-of-all-trades of sorts, constantly switching back and forth between different roles and responsibilities. 

Utilizing Networks & Community Ties 

Like with fundraising, artists also rely heavily on network connections and community ties to aid in different aspects of production. For instance, in casting their show, one creator said that they found people through their networks who they thought would be good for the roles and that they “felt conveyed the characters well.” Similarly another creator highlighted several times throughout production that they utilized existing relationships to aid in production, tapping into their network of improv and acting colleagues and soliciting friends for recommendations for production roles. They also mentioned that they worked on other people’s projects without pay in exchange for them returning the favor, and offering their free services on her project. In this way, they utilized several existing network connections to fulfill several production roles at little to no cost. 

This also extended into post-production, as several artists used their connections to find editors and colorists for their films. One creator noted how the artists who did the music for their show were entirely drawn from the creators’ friends: 

I think there were two people who we were introduced to, to get music from. But between one of us running [a space], between me being a darling [of the performance art scene], we knew so many musicians. And we had put calls out on social media, and we were listening to a bunch of stuff and trying to start to place things in places. But because that was so rushed, we wrapped post-production in a week before their release. And we really had to get through, and we had all these internal deadlines to make that happen. And we would be sitting in the sound studio, editing an episode, frantically texting people. 

Having this network of support can be especially critical for newer filmmakers who need more support from those who are experienced in production. As one highlighted: 

As first time filmmakers at that point, we were like, yeah, we know that [this DP] does film things, and [another person] does film things. And there are some people at [a local production company] and whatever, but without OTVs support and backing, I'm not even sure that we would've been able to assemble that original crew behind our project, just so much support.” Through this statement, they not only highlight the importance of utilizing these pre-existing network connections for first-time filmmakers and the support that they can potentially provide, but also the role of OTV within these networks. 

For many of the artists in cycle four, OTV was a key part of this community network that they were able to leverage in support of production. For instance, one series creator recalled that OTV helped solve one of their biggest problems in the production process in helping them to identify and connect with a cinematographer that understood his vision for the series. Similarly, one creator also recalled often turning to Aymar and OTV for production advice throughout filming. 

Production Support 

Some artists were also supported in production through backing from a larger production company. Generally, having this large backing and support was relatively rare, however, it does seem important to note as it was a key means through which they were able to accomplish production. These artists underscored how having this extra support in the form of paid professionals allowed them to focus on key, big-picture issues, and not get bogged down in the minutia of production. For instance, on their set some recalled how many of the often time-consuming details around filming such as obtaining city permits were handled by heads of department offered by production, allowing them to focus on larger, big picture tasks. As one noted: 

[Our production manager] was managing so many things left and right, our line producer, who was handling ... I don't even know everything that they did, permits and transportation and all those logistics. We didn't have to worry about that. Being first-time directors without having language to speak about a lot of the camera side of things, we can talk about aesthetically what we want, but we can't lay that out...that’s why we went with a really seasoned DP who we were going to be able to communicate our vision to, and he would churn out exactly what we were looking for and then some because of what he brings to the table. So that was really special.

By having the financial and structural backing to have people on board such as professional DP’s and line producers they, unlike many other artists, had more time to focus on the aesthetic and narrative production of the story itself. 

Changes in OTV

The latter part of this analysis will focus on changes in OTV and its artists from earlier cycles. Like in previous cycles all of the artists in cycle four described their experience with OTV as being positive. In this cycle of exit interviews, there was a de-emphasis on marketing and issues with marketing that were expressed in previous cycles. In fact, many artists noted how OTV’s promotion and marketing of their project was key in increasing their exhibition attendance, online views and media coverage. However, some artists were still struggling with how to not only self-promote their work online, but how to foster engagement around that work. As one stated: 

I think the biggest challenge online which I'm sure every other creator since the beginning of social media has faced is to try to get beyond just the simple Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram post. Here is our show, you should watch it. It's like, what other incentive could we provide for an audience to actually want to just watch it and not just stay there for a few seconds and go away. To actually stay to the end. Just give us their feedback, what do they think of it. I think that is one of the biggest challenges. We have a friend who gave us this brutal, but very honest piece of advice he got from a film professor. It was that nobody gives a shit about your project. It's like, how do you make them care? How do you make them want to feel like they want everybody invested in your project. That's been the biggest challenge or continues to be.

Thus, while it seems OTV has improved the support and resources it provides to artists for marketing their shows, more work needs to be done to further this marketing beyond just online posts. 

Also, as OTV continues to develop more OTV artists are using their independent work as a springboard into the larger Hollywood industry. Four artists currently had representation and were pursuing larger industry opportunities at the time of their exit interview. Thus, as OTV continues to grow, it seems important to continue to think about the way OTV can help prepare and support artists in the larger industry.