Naturally when people think TV show verses webseries the assumption is that the main difference between the two is broadcasting medium. It is assumed that a TV show is something you see on your TV with either cable, satellite or, back in the day, they had those antiques called "bunny ears" that hook in the back of your TV when things were analog.
But there's a problem with assuming the difference is "how it is delivered". If the deciding factor was that you had to watch it through those options then House of Cards, produced exclusively to be viewed on Netflix, shouldn't be nominated for an Emmy as a TV show. Netflix streaming is online.
So what is the major difference? The format of the script.
Webseries are shorter. A traditional TV show script is broken down as Teaser followed by 5 Acts. The act break downs were as such because of advertising, but I also find that it helps with pacing. A TV show moves faster than a movie. A TV show is traditionally 45 pages long/45 minutes long. A film traditionally goes 90-120 minutes (or if your making a tent pole movie it could go onto until eternity).
The break down of the script is the key factor on how myself, the writer/director, tells the story and how you, the audience, responds to it. Most webseries are 5-10 minutes long and really have to get to the point quickly. With a TV show script I focus on how to get to the beginning and end of an Act with a sense of mystery and urgency so that by the end of the act you're driven to go to the next one.
With AMNESIA it is a series of twists and turns. Just when you think you've figured out what's going on or who to trust then something is thrown into the mix and you become concerned with the outcome. If I had attempted to tell this as a webseries it would be novel and interesting, but it couldn't be developed the way the TV show format is set up.
In many ways I think it can be easier to do a webseries. And don't get me wrong I think there are some great webseries out there. But if I was going to go big enough and emotionally compelling enough to give this story what it deserves than I had to "go big" and it had to be written as a TV show.
By the way, my style of TV show scripts was inspired by two famous TV shows which had the same writer/director on both shows. The writer/director is now directing some of the biggest movies right now. Take a guess which two TV show scripts inspired my style for AMNESIA?
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