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Dr. Horrible: Internet Experiment
According to director Joss Whedon, Dr. Horrible was intended to be a social experiment on the use of different types of media in the digital age. The musical was originally released in three parts on iTunes, and users could stream the episodes for free for a time, after which it would cost them about $2.00 to stream each episode. After this, Whedon's team took it down completely "to build interest in a DVD release" (Littleton). Whedon's aim in the marketing of Dr. Horrible was to defy traditional production and advertising tactics following the Writers' Guild of America strike that straddled 2007-2008. Whedon was one of many screenwriters who wished to step away from the major production studios and networks and create a more direct link between themselves and their audience. Many turned to the Internet to create that connection.
Dr. Horrible was more successful than most, mainly because of the cult-like fame of the writer, director, and producer, Joss Whedon. Whedon's followers are the type to go to the Internet first to discuss news and find information, so it was easy for Whedon to generate hype over the release of his new short film. Interest quickly sparked and spread like wildfire, making the film's release a great success.
However, the film was not only a success for Whedon; it was a success for all internet-production entities. According to blogger Brent Weinstein, "The more good content that gets out there, the more people explore new [production] business models" (Littleton). Whedon is a trailblazer in the digital era. For some reason, film production is taking longer to adapt to the internet's great influence than other industries; people like Whedon and his crew, who are able to produce their own (excellent) movies and give them directly to the public, are setting a new bar for success in our digital age.
Interestingly enough, "the experiment [came] full circle as Dr. Horrible [debuted] on the CW television network" in 2012, proving that it is possible to make a movie so successful online that it will cross generations and transfer to a more traditional media outlet ("Old Media Turns to the New").
Dr. Horrible was more successful than most, mainly because of the cult-like fame of the writer, director, and producer, Joss Whedon. Whedon's followers are the type to go to the Internet first to discuss news and find information, so it was easy for Whedon to generate hype over the release of his new short film. Interest quickly sparked and spread like wildfire, making the film's release a great success.
However, the film was not only a success for Whedon; it was a success for all internet-production entities. According to blogger Brent Weinstein, "The more good content that gets out there, the more people explore new [production] business models" (Littleton). Whedon is a trailblazer in the digital era. For some reason, film production is taking longer to adapt to the internet's great influence than other industries; people like Whedon and his crew, who are able to produce their own (excellent) movies and give them directly to the public, are setting a new bar for success in our digital age.
Interestingly enough, "the experiment [came] full circle as Dr. Horrible [debuted] on the CW television network" in 2012, proving that it is possible to make a movie so successful online that it will cross generations and transfer to a more traditional media outlet ("Old Media Turns to the New").
Dr Horrible: Internet Celebrity
Dr. Horrible received quite a bit of Internet attention simply because of the people involved in its creation. The director, Joss Whedon, has a huge cult following for his work on the television shows Firefly and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Firefly, however, has more influence online. The fans call themselves "browncoats" after the nickname the protagonists received during the war. The show was canceled abruptly after only fourteen episodes, but it generated quite the following, and those followers were the reason the movie Serenity, a follow-up to Firefly, was created. The devoted fans gathered together--assembling a large group through the help of the Internet--and picketed studios and network stations across the country in the hope that their very vocal support of the series would cause someone to continue it. Universal Studios eventually picked up the project and Whedon was able to give his fans some closure. The same people who fought for Firefly are the ones who spread the word about Dr. Horrible.
Some of the actors as well, namely Nathan Fillion and Felicia Day, both have a cult following across the Internet--Fillion for his role as Captain Mal in Firefly and Serenity, and Richard Castle in the crime series Castle; and Day for her web creation The Guild and her quite vocal interest in gaming. Neil Patrick Harris, affectionately referred to as "NPH" on forums such as Reddit, has simply become quite popular for his open sexuality and his lovable role as Barney Stinson in How I Met Your Mother.
Felicia Day is an interesting character in herself as a female gamer, writer, producer, and actress. What has been a terrible handicap for most women entering the gaming and film world has become one of Day's major strengths; simply because she is a female, she brings new experiences, stories, and perspectives to these industries. She is, like Whedon, a digital revolutionary, fighting on the battleground of the Internet. The female presence in gaming, especially, is considerably lacking; we need kick-ass women like her who can stand up and say "I am just as good as you are!" and be taken seriously. Day has her own digital film project just like Whedon's, in which she bypassed major production studios and put her web series, The Guild, directly online for her viewers to enjoy. According to Phil Wesson, "The Guild is hugely successful, and has inspired countless others to produce their own original content," which is entirely the purpose of Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog's production method. Day also wrote and produced a short film titled "Dragon Age: Redemption" which is a side story following the characters and world of the popular game Dragon Age: Origins--also created for the web. Her projects have gained her quite a bit of Internet fame, though "That's something of a loaded term, in that it implies that Internet success is somehow less substantial than the 'real' success of Hollywood" (Hamilton). Day's impact on gaming and film is not something to be taken lightly.
Some of the actors as well, namely Nathan Fillion and Felicia Day, both have a cult following across the Internet--Fillion for his role as Captain Mal in Firefly and Serenity, and Richard Castle in the crime series Castle; and Day for her web creation The Guild and her quite vocal interest in gaming. Neil Patrick Harris, affectionately referred to as "NPH" on forums such as Reddit, has simply become quite popular for his open sexuality and his lovable role as Barney Stinson in How I Met Your Mother.
Felicia Day is an interesting character in herself as a female gamer, writer, producer, and actress. What has been a terrible handicap for most women entering the gaming and film world has become one of Day's major strengths; simply because she is a female, she brings new experiences, stories, and perspectives to these industries. She is, like Whedon, a digital revolutionary, fighting on the battleground of the Internet. The female presence in gaming, especially, is considerably lacking; we need kick-ass women like her who can stand up and say "I am just as good as you are!" and be taken seriously. Day has her own digital film project just like Whedon's, in which she bypassed major production studios and put her web series, The Guild, directly online for her viewers to enjoy. According to Phil Wesson, "The Guild is hugely successful, and has inspired countless others to produce their own original content," which is entirely the purpose of Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog's production method. Day also wrote and produced a short film titled "Dragon Age: Redemption" which is a side story following the characters and world of the popular game Dragon Age: Origins--also created for the web. Her projects have gained her quite a bit of Internet fame, though "That's something of a loaded term, in that it implies that Internet success is somehow less substantial than the 'real' success of Hollywood" (Hamilton). Day's impact on gaming and film is not something to be taken lightly.
Dr. Horrible: The Target
When the Dr. Horrible project first rolled out of the station, the targeted audience undoubtedly consisted of Joss Whedon fans and people involved in organizations--such as the Screenwriters' Guild--who wanted to see film production break away from big-name studios and networks. The fans would bring Dr. Horrible the fame it needed to get off the ground, and the attention from the different Guilds involved with the film industry would make the project legitimate.
However, taking Dr. Horrible as a work outside of its rebellious creation and looking at the story itself shows us intent within intent. The story itself questions the validity of some of America's most prevalent societal norms and forces the viewer to flip his or her perspective on its head. Instead of a protagonist hero flying in to save the day, we follow an awkward wannabe super-villain as he attempts to win the heart of his crush and earn recognition equal to that of his "hero" nemesis. Most superhero tales make us relate to said hero while dehumanizing the villain, turning him into a spluttering lunatic capable only of spouting "evil" from every pore; Dr. Horrible does the exact opposite. The so-called villain protagonist becomes very real and the viewer finds him- or herself rooting for him, while the hero antagonist remains as shallow as a puddle with intelligence to match.
However, taking Dr. Horrible as a work outside of its rebellious creation and looking at the story itself shows us intent within intent. The story itself questions the validity of some of America's most prevalent societal norms and forces the viewer to flip his or her perspective on its head. Instead of a protagonist hero flying in to save the day, we follow an awkward wannabe super-villain as he attempts to win the heart of his crush and earn recognition equal to that of his "hero" nemesis. Most superhero tales make us relate to said hero while dehumanizing the villain, turning him into a spluttering lunatic capable only of spouting "evil" from every pore; Dr. Horrible does the exact opposite. The so-called villain protagonist becomes very real and the viewer finds him- or herself rooting for him, while the hero antagonist remains as shallow as a puddle with intelligence to match.