Advice for writing Vooza episodes

FYI, I sent this to folks who write for Vooza.

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Advice for winning Vooza eps:

* Keep scripts short. Finished video under 2mins is ideal. 90secs feels like

sweet spot but shorter works too. 3-3.5mins is upper range of what’s doable.

* The fewer characters, the better.

* The fewer locations, the better.

* Using existing cast members is ideal but occasional guests are possible.

* Think about how to tell jokes visually via editing/visuals/etc instead of just relying on dialogue

* Videos should relate to startups/tech world. The more we can riff off a real-life scenario that startups face, the better.

* Think about what will be shared. Funny is great but sometimes “I was thinking it but they said it” is just as good for getting people to spread video.

* Parody of popular video formats can be effective (e.g. parodying a famous movie scene or popular online video format – like those recipe videos with only hands in them or Facebook videos with text all over ‘em or Apple product intro videos)

* Mockumentary style videos (with interviewer offscreen) or more traditional sketch can work.

* Too many jokes can be distracting. It’s fine to identify the “game of the scene” and just drilling down on that one concept.

* Inspiration for tone: Portlandia, Key & Peele, Mitchell & Webb,

Christopher Guest movies, etc.

* Happy to provide feedback to simple ideas, rough scripts, paragraph “treatment” of episode, etc. No need to polish up a “perfect version” before showing.

* Top episodes of 2015 fyi: http://vooza.com/top-10-vooza-videos-of-2015/

* Don’t try to do too much. One good joke that really nails it is better than a sprawling episode. Good example: http://vooza.com/videos/hackathon/