Online Cartoons or Homemade Comedy Films

Are you one of those fortunate individuals who can see the humour in practically every situation? Do you long to share your wit in a creative way? Then why not join the world of online cartoons and videos?

The Internet has become a revolutionary mechanism for budding cartoonists and film makers to quickly bring their works to the international market. Today there are countless forums for you to share your love of laughter with like-minded folks around the planet.

Obviously, though, you can’t simply snap your fingers and have in front of you a polished piece of humour that’s ‘net ready. However, the steps to get you from conception to publication are fairly cut-and-dry... and they have worked for plenty of independent creative writers and thinkers like yourself!

Step One: Have a Vision

Whether you have the goal of penning snarky cartoons or pithy scripts, you’ll need to start with a vision and a theme. Maybe you want to tackle an observation you have about everyday life (such as why people drink low-calorie beverages while munching on high fat snacks) or you want to mimic a popular program (there are plenty of “send ups” of the Harry Potter series).

Regardless of your overarching desire, keep it in mind as you move on to...

Step Two: Develop a Skeletal Outline

Even a basic three- or four-part comic strip has to start somewhere; thus, you may want to begin by making an outline of what you want to say. Write down some sentences you wish to use and sketch out where your characters will stand (either in the cartoon or in the video).

This type of general guideline will assist you when you’re ready for Step Three.

Step Three: “Flesh Out” Your “Skeleton”

At this stage, it’s time to write (and draw, if applicable) the full “body” of your piece. Remember to be innovative and have fun; you’re not aiming for polish at this point, you’re just trying to capture the essence of your humorous work.Resist the temptation to do an enormous amount of editing during this step; freeform, stream-of-conscious writing works best when you’re not constantly stopping and deleting what you’ve written or erasing what you’ve drawn.

Step Four: “Tighten” Your Piece

Now is the time for editing and tightening to begin. If you’re working on a cartoon, ask yourself if you’ve adequately said what you wanted to say. On the other hand, if you’re planning on making a short film on a funny subject, get a group of friends (or actors) together to read through your video script; that way, you can be certain that it contains the right tone.

Depending on the feedback you get from others (and from your own instincts) regarding your cartoon or film, make necessary adjustments. This could mean tweaking the language or changing the entire focus of the piece to better fit your initial vision.

Step Five: A Finished Product!

It’s time to finish your cartoon or video! Obviously, if you’re a comic strip illustrator and writer, you can complete this step alone. But if you’re working on a video, you’ll most likely need to enlist the help of at least one other individual (if not a whole team.)

Take your time and watch as your imaginative musings come to life! Truly, there are few things more exciting that birthing a creation.

Step Six: GO LIVE!

And now... the moment you’ve been waiting for... it’s time to “go live”!

Whether you choose to highlight your cartoon or video on a personal Web site or blog or in a public domain, be certain to “test” it so that you can be sure that others can view it with ease. (Sometimes, videos can take too long to load or cartoons can be blurry if not saved in an appropriate format.)

Once you’ve handled all the details and are satisfied with the finished cartoon or film, sit back and wait for comments... or, better yet, work on your next great comedic project!