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I bet you weren't expecting this...

KoshFan

KoshFan

Regular
Firstly, watch this:

http://drhorrible.com/index.html

Then read this:

http://whedonesque.com/comments/16734#236716


The three-second version, you ask? Neil Patrick Harris, Nathan Fillion, and (reportedly) everyone Joss Whedon has ever met teamed up to make a musical about a supervillain. They're gonna put it on the internet next month, for free. It will go away shortly thereafter but will then be purchasable for a small fee from iTunes or on DVD.

In short, Joss Whedon has decided to change the way the industry works, and decided to make us laugh hysterically while doing so. So check it out.
 
KoshFan said:
In short, Joss Whedon has decided to change the way the industry works
Click to expand...

Actually, this has been done a few times before, so Whedon isn't really changing anything. It's cool that he is doing it, but he's not originating anything by doing this.
 
That's true... but I think he's really tired of working for the suits. If he can make a go of this, he may give up on it entirely. He's the perfect pathfinder for this method, too: built-in (some would say rabid) fan base, a pretty near guarantee of quality and DVD sales, and fabulous actors who are willing to work for a pittance just for the chance to work with him. He could make some really high-quality products online, under no one's thumb but his own.
 
To be honest the industry isn't ready for someone to make their own product all the time. And by industry I don't mean the suits, but rather the industry on the whole. The costs of making your own product are still too high for someone to finance and make their own product all the time. Maybe he can make small projects like this one on a consistent basis, but neither Whedon or anyone else currently have the money and resources to make an actual product that will rival the studios in both content quality and production quality.
 
Oh, of course. I think Dr. Horrible is going to be equal to about 40 minutes, the length of a standard TV episode -- but that'll be it, no more after that (barring sequels). So while in quality it might be better than anything else that airs, it's still all by itself. But Joss is darn tired of having stuff taken away from him by executives. If Dollhouse meets an untimely end, I expect he'll never return to TV or film, instead staying in comics where he can roam free, and online.

Yes, the industry isn't ready for it -- but Joss has said that one of his goals with Dr. Horrible is "to pay the crew." Everyone who worked on it did so for the fun of it, including some significant known names, and simply hoped that it'll draw in enough cash. I like that model.
 
KoshFan said:
Yes, the industry isn't ready for it -- but Joss has said that one of his goals with Dr. Horrible is "to pay the crew." Everyone who worked on it did so for the fun of it, including some significant known names, and simply hoped that it'll draw in enough cash. I like that model.
Click to expand...

Unfortunately, or more realistically, that model will never work. What we fail to realize is that TV and film are jobs to these people. It's how they make their money, pay their bills, feed their families, etc.. People may have been willing to work on Dr. Horrible out of a sense of loyalty to Joss and not expect anything in return. However that is not a model that would work on any realistic basis, or any larger scale, because these people need to be paid. Nathan Fillion may be able to take a job where he doesn't get paid, but camera operator Joe Schmo can't afford to do that.
 
Delayed payment can work if the crew get say 10% more money. This year they live on the money for last year's work.

Producers will have to be good at selling their programmes.
 
Cell said:
Unfortunately, or more realistically, that model will never work. What we fail to realize is that TV and film are jobs to these people. It's how they make their money, pay their bills, feed their families, etc..
Click to expand...

Once upon a time bards sang for their supper. If they didn't have good product, they didn't eat. This probably led to some pretty skinny bards -- but mostly I think it meant the ones who couldn't cut it stopped barding and started farming again, while the really good ones kept it going. It'll be the same with this. Good product = they eat, bad product = they don't do it any more. Automatic quality control.

Could this model replace the sheer volume of stuff shown on TV? Of course not! And I doubt it ever will. TV will continue on in all its crude splendor. But if more good creators start doing things this way, I'll never have to watch TV again, and that's just fine by me.
 
Sanctuary has done ok on this model.

I only watched the trailer with sound off but even then it looked top. Neil Patrick Harris is a total dude (he was amazing a psychic nazi geek in StarShip Troopers) I think Whedon is at his best when he does outright comedy. This Whedon-sceptic will download for sure.
 
All discussion of changing the industry aside...

Act One is up! Here you go: www.drhorrible.com It's very funny. I've been humming "My Freeze Ray" all day long. It's a project that rewards repeat viewings, too, so if you feel like you missed anything, watch it again. Act Two is due out on the 17th, and Act Three comes Saturday. It all gets taken down Sunday evening, because they want it to be an event.

There might be some trouble for international viewers, but as Whedon & Co. said, "We're sorry, we're launching this from our living room..." The iTunes link doesn't work yet, either, but it will someday, or at least that's the promise.
 
First Act, I was thinking ... this is neat ... but not drawn in ... second Act ... drawn in, now I want more!

Sure by the end of the third, I will be missing it.

It should be very interesting to see what happens after this is all said and done. Will other big names do short shows like this? Will Joss do more after such a strong reception?

One thing I really like about it, was it made me check out Felicia Day, and wow, she is now on my short list of interesting actors out there!

(http://feliciaday.com/categories/blog/)
 
snockit said:
First Act, I was thinking ... this is neat ... but not drawn in ... second Act ... drawn in, now I want more!

Sure by the end of the third, I will be missing it.
Click to expand...

I was the same way until the the third part. The third part should be drawn and quartered.
 
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