by Fin Wheeler

The Philippou twins from South Australia, better known as RackaRacka, have two million YouTube subscribers, over 20 million views of their video Harry Potter VS Star Wars, and management in America. Now they have a deal to develop a feature.

Like the Cohen brothers, Michael and Danny (22) have been starring in, directing, and writing their own short films since they were kids. After high school they decided to get serious about their filmmaking. A few years ago they began posting their original creations on YouTube. They began to get attention from mainstream media with their short film How Batman Broke His Leg. It was featured on Conan and also on Jimmy Kimmel Live. Then in April 2014 they posted Harry Potter VS Star Wars.

The short film was shot in two day. It took a further five days to edit. Michael and Danny made the short film for $200 with a friend of theirs who was visiting from Sydney. Not long after Harry Potter Vs Star Wars went live, George Takei (Star Trek) mentioned it on a Facebook post, and his millions of followers lapped it up.

Harry Potter Vs Star Wars went viral.

While it was racking up millions of viewers around the globe, the brothers didn’t just sit back. They continued working on their next project, a dark, serious short film Deluge. Deluge is about a boy who is last in a group of kids to be sacrificially drowned. Dark indeed, but not a total departure from their high octane, fun-filled YouTube videos. Harry Potter VS Star Wars sees two haunted and damaged protagonists pitted against each other. Even their short film featuring a giant Cookie Monster is distinctly noir — they cast Cookie Monster as the brutal antagonist in that mini horror film.

By the end of 2014, Harry Potter VS Star Wars had racked up 10 million views. This impressive stat got the Philippou twins nominated for the inaugural Australian Online Video Awards. It also meant that they were finally making money from what they loved. They received offers from advertisers wanting to commercialize their unique brand of buffoonery. They resisted. The brothers settled on just accepting their share of YouTube advertising revenue.

In December 2014 the Philippou twins won big at the Australian Online Video Awards. A trip to Hollywood was part of the prize. It also got them noticed by the state and national film funding bodies back in Australia.

Returning to their hometown with management in America, they continued to produce new content for their YouTube channel. The US management put pressure on them to move to Hollywood. But local producers also approached them, testing their interest in working longer form (features, reality TV, or scripted TV/ drama). Producers and production companies the world over are eager to capitalize on extreme online popularity.

Late last year it was announced that Michael and Danny will be enhancing and developing their skills as writer/directors of feature film with Triptych Pictures in their home state of South Australia. The arrangement is funded by Screen Australia under the Enterprise People Scheme. They’ll be mentored by Julie Burn ( Touch, Versus), Jennifer Jones (Jillaroo School), and Kristian Moliere (The Babadook) of Triptych Pictures. They’ll also be given the opportunity to develop their own slate of projects.

The brothers have said they plan to continue creating content for their YouTube channel, while also developing a feature. The Philippou brothers are just one of dozens — hundreds — of online sensations getting their own reality shows and/or feature film deals.

(Note: if you do decide to apply for similar funding in your home state/country, think hard about what you have to offer the funding body and the partnering production company. The Philippou brothers already had huge brand recognition before they got the development deal. Also read the fine print carefully. Funding bodies will only award mentor funding if it brings business to their geographical region. Often, they expect you to remain living in your home state for two years. If LA is your goal, two years away might seem like too long.)

So, what does this evolution in content creation mean for screenwriters?

In a way, most Instafamous and YouTube sensations can be viewed the same way as video games. They are brands with loyal followings. Each brand has its own genre and pseudo-narrative. With any screen adaptation, it’s always been the screenwriter’s job to discern the most important aspects of a brand/story and use those to build a script that is an emotionally rewarding journey.

Another obvious change is that, previously, a screenwriter was expected to be relatively anonymous. Producers have directors and actors to promote their projects — screenwriters are expected to be discrete about the projects they work on and to generally have a low profile.

The fashion industry has figured out how to make social media work for it. So has the music industry. But the film and television industries are still struggling to understand and utilize the medium. Even six months ago, producers had zero interest in how many online followers a screenwriter had, but more and more producers are asking that screenwriters list any significant social media followings they have when they submit a script.

How is this likely to change the role of screenwriting?

These days, all jobs are in constant evolution, especially within the screen industries. I do think an understanding of how and why social media is effective can make you a more attractive candidate to producers.

I also think that ghost screenwriting is likely to be a major growth industry. After all, the skill set required to be an Instastar and/or a YouTube sensation is quite different to the screenwriter’s range of skills. So by all means, bone up on your social media skills, but also continue to cultivate your screenwriting skill set.

No matter who comes up with the concept, a knowledgeable, experienced screenwriter will always be an essential part of the successful feature filmmaking process.