GigaOM » Dr. Horrible

Has Dr. Horrible Really Helped Build the Web Series World?

Liz Shannon Miller — Sun, 03 Apr 2011 07:01:37 +0000

It took awhile to happen, but I’m holding it in my hands — a glossy 160-page paperback about the making of Dr. Horrible’s Sing-A-Long Blog (described on the cover as “A Joss Whedon Film”). The book includes equally glossy behind-the-scenes photos, the complete shooting script and sheet music, as well as articles describing the iconic web series’ conception and production. If you’re a hardcore fan, you’ll enjoy it; it will look very handsome on your shelf next to your Dr. Horrible DVD, Blu-ray, and collected comic books.

Reading it will also remind you of the weird place Dr. Horrible has always occupied in web series history. In the book, director Joss Whedon and his co-creators Jed Whedon, Zack Whedon and Maurissa Tancharoen describe Dr. Horrible as “grassroots.” But their “grassroots” project cost $200,000 (admittedly, all footed personally by Joss Whedon), and there aren’t many independent web series creators who have the ability to spend a day shooting on the Universal lot.

Many other moments in the book also highlight this disparity; for example, while co-star Felicia Day’s contribution to the book mentions that she “used clothes out of her own closet,” a four-page spread later spotlights the contributions of costume designer Shawna Trpcic, who not only supplemented Day’s closet with a rack of clothes, but used the Fox costume archive as well. Dr. Horrible’s white mock-turtleneck lab coat, worn by Neil Patrick Harris? That was also worn by Sean Maher in Firefly, and one of the mad scientists in Alien: Resurrection (which Whedon wrote).

Ultimately, the book highlights how important Dr. Horrible was to the web series world at that time — but how it may not be very relevant to the state of web original content today.

Dr. Horrible will always be a touchstone of web video’s early days: Its high-quality production values, high-caliber cast and catchy songs brought the idea of TV on the Internet into the mainstream. And it wasn’t just a creative success, but a financial one as well: Whedon’s $200,000 investment, a year later, had grossed $2.5 million according to Forbes, primarily thanks to iTunes and DVD sales.

But Dr. Horrible was a child of the 2007-2008 WGA Writer’s Strike, born at a time when writers like Whedon, after decades of success in Hollywood, were inspired to challenge the studio system — for a little while, at least. Whedon says in the book that “it was a weird thing for me… it was a very meaningful thing, politically, but at the same time, it was a lark.”

Dr. Horrible was just one of the ways Hollywood talent was experimenting with Internet content in 2008 — that summer, Rosario Dawson and Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane were also headlining original projects for the web. And those projects much more closely resembled what would become established business models for web content: Dawson was starring in NBC Digital’s Gemini Division, which relied on product placement from Intel, Cisco, Microsoft, Acura and UPS for its budget, and MacFarlane’s Cavalcade of Cartoon Comedy was working directly with Google AdSense for distribution.

By experimenting with advertising possibilities, those series were helping to create business models for a sustainable industry of mainstream and independent creators, as seen with shows like Felicia Day’s own The Guild. Meanwhile, what Dr. Horrible primarily proved was that you could make online distribution work — if you had a huge, previously established fan base.

That model isn’t exclusive to Joss Whedon, for the record: Guiding Light star Crystall Chappell, as just one example, has had success bringing soap opera fans to her ongoing subscription series Venice. But there aren’t a lot of other creators with the followings to pull that off, especially at the level Whedon did.

Whedon said at Comic-Con 2010 that he had plans to return to creating web content, following his directing duties on The Avengers. And the one project he has mentioned, a collaboration with comics writer Warren Ellis called Wastelanders, frankly sounds awesome. But first comes Avengers — Whedon’s big chance at becoming a major director of blockbusters. Whether he returns to “larking” on the web or not will likely depend on his success there.

Dr. Horrible‘s value as an ambassador for web originals is mammoth: For many people, it was the first time they might have discovered that original content — great original content — could be found on the Internet, and its legacy as one of the first web series to permeate the mainstream cannot be understated.

But within the industry, it does need to be kept in context. Neil Patrick Harris describes Dr. Horrible as “a passion play” in the Dr. Horrible book’s afterword, as well as “the single best thing he’s ever done.” Labors of love can serve to inspire industries, but they don’t necessarily build them.

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Hey, Dr. Horrible Fans, Jed Whedon’s New Album is Out

Liz Shannon Miller — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 18:30:32 +0000

While credit for the genius of Dr. Horrible’s Sing-A-Long Blog tends to go to its director, Joss Whedon, it’s always important to remember the music powering the web’s first high-profile musical was written by Jed Whedon.

Whedon’s been busy since Dr. Horrible, writing on the Fox series Dollhouse and the Starz series Spartacus with wife and fellow Dr. Horrible collaborator wife Maurissa Tancharoen (with whom he also creates the occasional delightful YouTube video). And he hasn’t stalled out musically either: Not only did he collaborate with Felicia Day on Do You Wanna Date My Avatar, but this week, Jed Whedon, under the band name Jed Whedon and the Willing, has put out his first full album, available now on iTunes.

There’s no fan service to be found in the 12 tracks that make up History of Forgotten Things, unless you count Felicia Day playing violin and singing backup on a few tracks. Instead, the album represents a sincere effort on Whedon’s part to create compelling original music. And while me pretending to be a music critic does the world of music criticism a great disservice, I will say that the set demonstrates a range of influences and styles while also remaining cohesive, unique and catchy. (“Last Man” is especially toe-tapping.) The digital booklet alone is definitely worth the full album price; it’s beautifully designed and includes many fun footnotes.

This isn’t the first time Whedon has self-published music under the nervouscircus label (the same name as his YouTube account); the single “Remains,” for which he shares credit with Tancharoen, was released on Amazon and iTunes. Both “Remains” and the History of Forgotten Things track “Drones” were also featured on Dollhouse.

So anyone looking for a reprise of Dr. Horrible‘s more memorable songs will go away disappointed. But if you’re a Dr. Horrible fan who’s also interested in supporting independent musical talent, it’s hard to imagine History of Forgotten Things not finding its way into your iTunes.

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Joss Whedon ‘Actively Pursuing’ Web Content — After Avengers

Liz Shannon Miller — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 22:47:12 +0000

Joss Whedon didn’t quite give the assembled masses at San Diego Comic-Con 2010 an answer as to the question of whether or not we can expect a Dr. Horrible sequel anytime in the near future. But while he’s now officially directing the Marvel superhero flick The Avengers, he responded to the question “Have you considered doing a subscription-based web series where you can do whatever you want?” by saying “Absolutely.”

Whedon then went on to clarify that “I’ve been thinking about it and thinking about it, building out all these different models where you can do that sort of thing. Which lead to not actually doing it.”

But yesterday during a conversation between Whedon and J.J. Abrams, Whedon said that he had been collaborating with comics writer Warren Ellis on an “Internet movie” called Wastelanders, according to Collider. Avengers has put that project on hold, but Whedon said today that he is “actively pursuing it.”

“It’s something I’ll hopefully be able to get back to. It’s part of the way entertainment has got to be worked out,” he said. He added that whatever his next project might be, it wouldn’t be network television after his most recent TV series, Dollhouse, got canceled.

There was a tiny bit of Dr. Horrible-related news — someone asked if Dr. Horrible songs would ever be available for Rock Band any time soon. In response, Whedon said that he was approached, but “it never happened.” However, after thousands of fans cheered at the possibility, he promised to look into it.

Also, Whedon was asked who his favorite actor was by an audience member. His response? “Nathan Fillion.” Turns out, it was Nathan Fillion (who starred in Dr. Horrible, in case you’re new here) who asked the question.

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Celebrate the Web 2 Takes Aim at Comic-Con

Liz Shannon Miller — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 16:30:25 +0000

The San Diego Comic-Con is meant to be a celebration of all things nerdy, but smaller projects have a hard time getting included in the conference programming. Those attending who might want a little more web series action do have an alternative, however. A Celebrate the Web event, featuring over a dozen current and upcoming web series, is being planned for Saturday, July 24 at the Bristol Hotel in San Diego.

The first Celebrate the Web in April, which was organized by Jenni Powell and Kim Evey as a “do-over” for the web video community after this year’s disastrous Streamy Awards, consisted primarily of Streamy winners getting re-dos on their speeches. But this second event has much more structure, focused around two “forum” discussions with creators of sci-fi and fantasy/gamer web series (according to Powell, because Celebrate the Web is not affiliated with Comic-Con, they’re avoiding using the word “panel” to prevent any conflict).

The list of those being featured currently includes:

SCIFI/HORROR FORUM
Riese: Kaleena Kiff (Writer/Director), Ryan Copple (Writer/Exec Producer)
Universal Dead: Kelly Parks (Writer/Producer)
After Judgment: Michael Davies (Creator/Director), Joel Bryant (Star)
The Mercury Men: Chris Preksta (Creator/ Director), Curt Wooten (Co-Star)
Continuum: Melanie Merkosky (Star)

FANTASY/GAMING FORUM
GOLD: Knight of the Zombie King: David Nett (Creator/Co-Star)
A Good Knight’s Quest: Paula Rhodes (Producer/ Co-Star)
Vamped Out: Talent TBA
Chick: Kai Soremekun (Creator/Director/Star) Barbara Fisher (Producer)
I : Adam Chambers (Star)

In addition, Powell and co-producers Stephanie Thorpe and Taryn O’Neill confirm that they’re making some exciting adds to the lineup, including A Good Knight’s Quest star Craig Frank and A Comicbook Orange‘s Rudy Jahchan. Riese co-star Ryan Robbins (who recently appeared in a six-episode arc on Battlestar spin-off Caprica) will appear with Copple to discuss the recent SyFy acquisition. And costume designer Shawna Trpcic, who’s created costumes for several Joss Whedon projects, including Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog, will be joining the sci-fi forum discussion.

The forums will be moderated by AFK Show host Sam Proof. Matt Arevalo, as tech producer, will oversee the live streaming.

Within the discussions, each show being featured will screen new content, and there will also be trailers shown for the upcoming series Asylum, Apocalypse Wow, Zimm the Series, and Fury of Solace, as well as an exclusive screening of the Jeff Lewis 5 Minute Comedy Hour, introduced by Guild star himself.

Celebrate the Web is free to attend, and the Bristol Hotel is a short walk away from the San Diego Convention Center, which (based on my past experience) will be a sweaty mess of humanity by Saturday afternoon. That, plus the promised drink and app specials at the Bristol, should make the event an easy sell. The challenge will be bringing in newcomers to the web series world — specifically, the sci-fi and fantasy fans attending Comic-Con who would love some of these shows, if they gave them a chance.

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Dr. Horrible is Coming to Blu-Ray

Janko Roettgers — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 18:30:19 +0000

Dr. Horrible is back for more. For more of its fans love and spare change, that is, as the web’s favorite musical is gearing of for a Blu-ray release next month. The disc will feature a bunch of extras, including the previously released Commentary! The Musical, as well as a “making of” and various fan videos. The whole package will sell for a suggested retail price of $19.95 and will go on sale on May 25, with pre-orders starting April 27.

This isn’t the first time Dr. Horrible has gone physical, or retail, for that matter. A DVD of the musical was released in time for the holidays in 2008, and the commentary tracks went on sale on iTunes earlier this year. The musical’s soundtrack has also been on iTunes for some 18 months now, and Jinx is now completely sold out of those Captain Hammer t-shirts.

So how have all those media and merchandise goodies been working out for the Dr. Horrible franchise? Pretty well, apparently: The DVD release sold 60,000 copies within its first six months, according to distribution company New Video NYC. Of course, with Blu-ray now slated for release, one has to wonder what’s next: A 3-D version maybe? We’ve heard that’s all the rage with the kids nowadays…

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Dr. Horrible’s Commentary! The Musical Makes it Onto iTunes

Ryan Lawler — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 21:13:00 +0000

We love us some Dr. Horrible, so we’ve been wondering if the commentary tracks from the video — which had previously been unavailable except on its DVD — would ever make their way to some sort of digital distribution. And now, thanks to a tweet by Horrible co-writer Maurissa Tancharoen, we’ve learned that Commentary! The Musical was just released on Apple’s iTunes.

Back when the DVD came out, we called the commentary musical the “centerpiece” of the disc. “Redefining post-modernism… Commentary! is actually a fun, behind-the-scenes glimpse of the production, heavily laced with inside jokes set to music very nearly as good as that in the actual production,” Liz Shannon Miller wrote in her review. And now it can all be yours, for just 99 cents a track or $9.99 for the whole shebang.

Of course, we’re not sure how many hardcore fans there are out there who would actually pay ten bucks for the commentary tracks by themselves, particularly when the whole DVD sells on Amazon.com for 50 cents less. But then, that’s probably why they’re called hardcore fans.

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An Open Letter to Jed Whedon and Maurissa Tancharoen

Liz Shannon Miller — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 00:30:31 +0000

Dear Jed and Maurissa,

So, you don’t know me, but, well, I’ve seen you around a few times. In fact, Maurissa, you and I were both wearing the same Urban Outfitters top at the Guild and Dollhouse Comic-Con panels this year, which was a little embarrassing because you looked much cuter in it than me, but then I decided to take it as a sign that we both have excellent taste. Maybe we could go shopping together sometime! If you’re not busy, that is.

Because that’s the thing. You guys have been busy since co-writing and cameoing in Dr. Horrible’s Sing-A-Long Blog, most notably working on the second season of Dollhouse as staff writers. Some people — uncool people who don’t respect your talent, let’s be clear — might think you got that gig because of, um, family connections. However, the episodes you’ve written, including the Felicia Day-starring Epitaph One, have been standouts of the series and will hopefully ensure future work down the line.

But now that Dollhouse has been canceled and, in theory, you have some extra time on your hands — um, maybe you could make some more YouTube videos?

I know that it’s been a few years since you two seriously played around with making short-form content and posting it as user nervouscircus. But your involvement with online video predated most of those in Hollywood — sure, you made your own (hilarious) video about the 2007-2008 WGA strike, co-starring older brother Zack Whedon, but prior to that you produced four episodes of the Apartment 4B series, which, shot very simply with your computer’s webcam, was a fun, low-fi collaboration that showcased both your acting and writing skills. I wish that the first episode was still available, but the goofiness of the Halloween special makes up for it.

Even when you abandoned a quasi-scripted format, though, you were still really interesting — your 2008 New Year’s message shouldn’t have been as funny as it was, but the last line gave it a punch. And it takes a special kind of talent to make getting wasted and making up songs about food entertaining — yet you not only did it, but it’s your most viewed video.

You haven’t completely abandoned your YouTube account, I’m glad to say — in fact, your most recent video, last November’s Another Food Song, was how I discovered your account. And the funny little a capella tune is a great expression of both your comedic and musical talents — inspiring me to be selfish, and want more from you.

Because if you’re not writing Dollhouse, and you’re not making us laugh on YouTube, then what are you doing? If the answer is “polishing up the script and songs for Dr. Horrible 2″ of course, all is forgiven.

Lots of love,
Liz

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Vid-Biz: Dr. Horrible 2, Ovation, Widgets

Chris Albrecht — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 17:00:17 +0000

Dr. Horrible 2 and Joss Whedon Digital Studio on the Way? Sequel to the smash web series will likely happen, according to creator Whedon, who is looking for $5 million investment for a new digital studio that would create for web series per year. (Tubefilter)

Google TV Ads Signs Ovation TV; the performing arts channel to give Google access to its ad inventory. (MediaPost)

Widgets or Browsers on Your TV; as television sets get connected to the net should they have full web browsing, or offer just widgets? (The Wall Street Journal)

Vevo Hires a Sales Chief; David Kohl joins the YouTube/music label video site from Nokia. (MediaMemo)

Starz Digital Media Titles on iTunes; content from Overture Films, Anchor Bay Films and Manga now available. (Multichannel News)

Magnify.net Launches iPhone App; lets users shoot and upload personal videos to any Magnify-hosted channel. (TechCrunch)

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Eisner: (High-end) Content is King

Chris Albrecht — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 15:30:05 +0000

It’s not a huge surprise that Michael Eisner is a fan of premium content. He did, after all, run Disney, one of the largest entertainment factories in the world. But in a nice little Q&A over at Broadcasting & Cable, Eisner showed just how big a proponent he is of high-end content. You should read the whole thing, but here are some highlights:

On free content: “It’s hysterical experimentation, but it’s not altogether inappropriate. Nobody knows what the next act is.”

On distribution vs. content: “My bet has always been what is more important, content or distribution; distribution companies tend to be more and less relevant with the waving of a wand. People still underestimate the value of content. If you have ownership of high-end, exclusive content, end of game.”

On high-end content: “This [environment] has killed mediocre content. Audiences don’t just have to sit there anymore and be entertained by mediocre content like in the past.”

Eisner’s words dovetail nicely with a discussion we had in our comments over the weekend about Dr. Horrible‘s success. That was a case where ownership of high-end content stood out from all else out there, and created both paid and free distribution opportunities for itself. It didn’t matter whether you got Horrible through Hulu, iTunes or physical DVDs, people just wanted it because it was so good. Granted, not everyone has those sweetheart relationships with Hollywood talent and distribution muscle, but Whedon’s actions and Eisner’s words are worth paying attention to.

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Dr. Horrible: The Best or Worst Thing to Happen to Web Video?

Chris Albrecht — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 07:01:49 +0000

Let’s just get this out of the way. Joss Whedon’s Dr. Horrible was an important (and entertaining) moment in web video. It helped legitimize the medium and showed the world that you could make a successful show outside of the Hollywood system. But that was more than a year a year ago. What has the web video industry done since?

Cat videos, mostly.

OK. I’m exaggerating and being too cantankerous, but I feel like we in the web video world are just resting on Whedon’s laurels. Rather than being inspired by him, it’s like we’re collectively waiting for him to do it again.

Am I expecting too much? Perhaps Horrible was just a fluke that won’t be replicated. It was all-but pre-ordained that Dr. Horrible would be a hit. Whedon was already a Hollywood name who had created two pop culture franchises in Buffy and Firefly. He made Dr. Horrible for $200,000 of his own money (an amount I’d wager most of us don’t have to spend on a passion project), and leveraged the heck out of his entertainment connections (something else most of us don’t have) to get an all-star cast, a studio backlot (for $900!) and a crew.

To be sure, Dr. Horrible did great things to build awareness of web video. It generated a ton of mainstream press coverage. It made numerous critics’ top ten best TV shows lists. And it has grossed $2.5 million (web series making money = good). But who has been the real recipient of that success? The web video industry or Joss Whedon?

At the end of the day, did the success of Dr. Horrible just prove that new media is still reliant on old media to create hits?

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