For those that don’t know, somewhere around two or three years ago, I wrote a comedy sketch called What the !@#$ Am I Doing?! It was based off of Arrested Development. It was funny, it had the narrator, and it was just my own version of it. While I like what I did with it, (it can be watched here), I’ve decided that I want to do it again, but better. Over the last three years, I’ve learned a lot about writing and film-making in general and I want to remake it with that knowledge.
I’ve turned that one video into an entire series that will be uploaded to YouTube. As it stands, it will run for three seasons and then be over. Why three seasons? Three seasons seems like a reasonable length for a mini series. So far, I have all of season one written and I plan on filming it this summer. That means I’ll release it some time this fall or winter.
Each episode will probably be five minutes or less. After all, this is a very low budget series. I’ve also written it in a way that allows for it to be low budget. I don’t know if that’s being smart or not, but it’ll work for what I’m doing. One day, I’d love to work on a big time production. I just can’t at this point in time, especially since there’s no guarantee that I’ll even make any money off of this series. But even if I don’t, it doesn’t matter. I’m doing it because I want to.
In terms of how it’s being planned out, season one focuses mostly on comedy. There’s dumb jokes and awkward moments that’ll probably make you cringe. But that’s what it’s supposed to do. I wrote it that way on purpose.
Season two is much different. I started writing it, but it isn’t anywhere near being done. Season two will be much more drama driven with a few jokes here and there. Unless I change my mind while writing it. I wouldn’t be surprised if I did. I let the story go where it wants to.
As for season three? Well, I’m not sure yet. I know how I want the series to end, the trick is getting there and making it feel natural and not forced. And if I have to change the end, then I’ll change the end. I’m not against that at all.
I’ve been working on this series for the last few months and I think it’s a solid idea and I’m really excited about it. I’m sure I’ll run into issues as they arise, but I just want to have some fun and create something that I can watch and share with others. I don’t care if it makes money or not. I just want to see my creations come to life.
I will also post occasional updates on the series as it moves along. I think it’s important to document the process not just for myself, but for others to see how I work. I think doing that would be both fun and helpful later on down the road.
Matt Jaku 