David Farnor | On 27, Aug 2014

The line-up for the 2014 Raindance Web Fest has been confirmed, including a talk and Q&A with YouTube claymation guru Lee Hardcastle.

The event, which spans two days in September, takes place during the Raindance Film Festival in London. The festival is no stranger to online video, launching its own VOD platform last year to support indie films – called Raindance Releasing – as well as the inaugural Web Fest, the only UK festival dedicated to web series.

As TV develops and embraces Internet distribution, original online series are becoming a bigger part of the industry, be they Netflix productions, the new season of Community on Yahoo!, or independent shows with a following on YouTube.

The Raindance Web Fest, which takes place on Saturday 27th and Sunday 28th September, will celebrate, screen and educate existing web series makers or those interested in trying their own hand, with a range of screenings and panel discussions.

The full schedule of screenings was announced today on Daily Motion and can be viewed online here. The official selection will be screened in eight separate programmes, each containing eight web series – while the inaugural British Independent Series Awards will be awarded on the final night of the festival.

 

Before you browse the officially selected titles, here’s what you can expect from the panels:

Friday 26th September – Free Preview Day

A free preview day for the weekend for those curious about Web Fest, including:

11.30 – Low Budget Web Series Production

Hear from a panel of web series creators the secrets to low budget web series production and how crowd-funding can be one of the best ways to develop an audience for your series before you have even shot a frame.

14.00 – YouTube Marketing For Creators & Filmmakers

Raindance Web Fest, Orama.tv and Digital Creators UK team up to help filmmakers make the most of YouTube and social video.

Saturday 27th September

11.45 – Beyond The Web
Is releasing your web series free on an online video platform the only option available to creators?

14.45 – The New Studios

In this panel creators will get to hear from some of the UK’s new online commissioners, what it is they are looking for and how they intend to carve out their niches in the crowded online space.

17.30 – Creating The Social TV Experience

What are the best ways that creators can market their series online and create the ultimate social experience?

20.20 – In Conversation with Lee Hardcastle

On the verge of production of his first feature film, British writer, director & animator Lee Hardcastle, aka. “The Raid with Cats guy”, discusses how he gambled on making short films on YouTube and his pathway to success that has led to over 40 million views and working on films for 20th Century Fox, Momentum Pictures (now Entertainment One), C4 Rude Tube and AdultSwim.

Sunday 28th September

11.50 – Making Web Series That Work

How can writers, directors and performers best utilise the space to create memorable content that rewards the viewer and makes them come back for more?

14.50 – Why Diversity Works

With mainstream broadcasters increasingly announcing new schemes to increase diversity, we look at how the web is already years ahead of traditional media in this field.

17.35 – How To Pitch A Brand

Discover how to create a killer brand pitch to fund your dream digital project from Vine to YouTube.

20.30 – Going Native

What content is unique to online audiences and platforms – and how much work does it take to maintain a fan base?

 

Passes for the Raindance Web Fest weekend and the overall Raindance Film Festival (both at Vue Piccadilly Circus) are on sale now from the official site. Tickets to individual screenings and panels will be on sale from 2nd September.

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